Hiring a good personal injury attorney is the best way to ensure that you get suitable compensation for your case. A personal injury attorney who has experience and expertise will go above and beyond to prove your case. They will give you some instructions on how to navigate the procedures and will play an essential role in gathering evidence.
The problem is that many people who deal with injury cases don’t know how to tell the difference between a good personal injury attorney and a bad one since it is often the first time that they seek legal counsel. Thankfully, you can quickly assess the quality of an attorney by asking a few critical questions. You should also take the time to ask your attorney questions about personal injury attorney cases in general so that you have a better understanding of what you can expect. Let’s take a look at a few important questions you should ask your personal injury attorney.
Are You Familiar with this Type of Case?
The first thing you should do is make sure that the attorney specializes in personal injury cases. Attorneys can present themselves as experts on their website, but you will never be able to tell until you quiz them and check their records, so make sure that you get this information before you take their word as gospel.
The next thing you should do is ask them if they have experience with your particular type of case. Some attorneys will have more experience with slip and fall cases, for instance, while others may have specialized experience in dog bites or car accidents. These are very different types of cases even if they fall under the umbrella of personal injury, and while a lawyer may be able to carry their expertise from one area to the other, you will usually get better results if you go for someone who has worked on your exact type of injury.
How Often Have You Been to Trial and How Successful Were You?
Another very important question to ask is how many cases the attorney takes to court vs how many they settle. You need to know this to get an idea of how serious a law firm is about getting the best compensation for its clients. Don’t assume that a lawyer who settles most of their cases out of court is not a good one, however. Instead, get an idea of what kind of settlement they were able to get for their clients. Personal injury cases can drag on for months, and even years, and it’s not always in the best interests of a client to wait that long.
You might prefer settling for a fair amount earlier and not having to incur costs while you’re waiting for a judgment. So, focus on making sure that the attorney has taken a good number of cases to court, and had a certain level of success. If the attorney in question barely ever goes to court, however, then you should consider looking elsewhere as an unwillingness to represent cases in court will be a big disadvantage when negotiating a settlement.
How Will We Communicate?
Another thing you need to address when you speak with a personal injury attorney is how communication is going to work between the two of you. You cannot expect to get a direct answer to questions 24/7 as attorneys tend to be very busy. But you should be able to have easy access to someone on their staff who can answer critical questions.
It’s also important that you check what is considered reasonable communication. Some attorneys will be fine with you calling them multiple times per week or even per day, but some will see it as excessive, so make sure that you know what their limits are, so you don’t end up irritating them. Also, ask what their preferred method of communication is, and how long you can expect to get a direct response from them.
How Long Do You Think My Case Will Take?
If you’re worried that the case will take a long time to be resolved, ask your attorney how long they expect it to take. They might not always be able to give you an exact answer, but they should be able to give you an estimate. You should ask both how long it usually takes to settle this kind of case, and how long you can expect to get a judgment if you decide to go to trial. This will give you an idea of which option would be the best for you.
Don’t take everything a lawyer tells you at face value, however. If a lawyer’s answers seem optimistic, then this may be because they’re trying to tell you what you want to hear. Personal injury cases, as we said earlier, will typically last months if not years, so if someone tells you that it will be all solved in a matter of weeks, then you should see it as a definite red flag.
How Much Do You Charge?
You should know that most personal injury lawyers will charge clients based on contingency. This means that they will only get paid if they win the case. This fee, however, will vary from lawyer to lawyer. So, you must compare the fee that the lawyer you have in front of you is charging with other lawyers. Don’t make the mistake of picking a lawyer simply because they have a lower fee. They may offer a lower fee because they are inexperienced or simply not as efficient, and getting a smaller chunk of a larger pie is much better than getting cheated on a settlement. Take this into consideration and look at the whole picture whenever you pick an attorney.
These questions should give you a clear idea of whether a personal injury attorney and firm are worth considering. The more questions you ask, the better you’ll be able to tell if you can trust an attorney, so take your time, ask for references, and don’t ignore your gut feelings.
