Questions to Ask a Car Accident Attorney Before Hiring
In 2012, there were over 2.3 million people injured in motor vehicle accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While some of these injuries were minor and healed with relatively little medical damages, others were very severe and resulted in significant and in some cases lifelong damages.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident, you may be considering hiring a car accident attorney to help you pursue damages for your injuries. Before making any decisions, though, here are some questions you need to ask a car accident lawyer before hiring. Write them down and jot down any other notes about issues you’d like to discuss during your case consultation.
What experience do you have?
One of the first things that you should ask a car accident attorney when pursuing a claim is about his or her experience level. You can ask for information about previous cases, as well as the rate of success.
Hiring an attorney well-versed and familiar in personal injury and car accident law can be a critical factor in determining the outcome of your case. Asking about experience level is also a great opportunity to find out any specialized experience he or she has that will be relevant to your case.
How much do you charge?
You should ask a car accident attorney how much he or she charges. Specifically, make sure you ask an attorney what his or her contingency fee is, as well as whether or not you will be responsible for any costs advances. The contingency fee refers to the amount of money you will be responsible for paying the attorney in the event that your case is won. Make sure you leave the meeting with the lawyer without any question about what fees you will face.
What can I expect to recover?
A lawyer can never be positive about the amount of damages you’ll receive in an insurance settlement or lawsuit judgment. Sometimes, car accident attorneys will make promises about being able to recover large amounts in damages.
While your attorney may give you a general idea of the types of damages you may recover in your claim, he or she should not make any promises. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Use your personal judgment.
What’s my role in the lawsuit and how long will my case take?
When hiring a car accident attorney, it’s very important you understand your role in the lawsuit. Talk to the attorney about your expected level of participation, what information he or she will require from you, whether or not you’ll have to go to court, and overall how long your case is expected to take (this is something else that can be hard to predict).
You should also ask the attorney if he or she will be the one handling the case, or if someone else in the law office will be the primary attorney working on it.
Have questions? Contact Rob Levine & Associates
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make is whether or not you want to pursue a lawsuit to reclaim damages for personal injury. When you’re ready to ask a car accident attorney all the questions listed above, the attorneys at Rob Levine & Associates are ready to provide you with answers.
To ask us all of your questions and to receive a free case consultation, call us now at 800-LAW-1222 (529-1222) to get started.
