You have been in an accident. Your car is damaged, your body hurts, and your head is swimming with questions about what to do next. You have decided to hire an injury and accident attorney to help you. But what do you ask lawyers before retaining them to represent you?
How do I Find the Right Accident Lawyers for My Case?
Finding the right accident injury lawyers to represent you in your accident is an important decision. Make sure that they will represent your best interest. That means they will not be motivated by fast and easy settlements. Rather, they will work to benefit you, looking to get the maximum recovery possible. The right accident lawyers have experience working with insurance companies and can present your evidence in the strongest light possible.
An attorney who is not qualified to represent you may charge the same amount as an attorney who is highly experienced and right for you. You may wonder about the risk of having unqualified accident injury attorneys represent you. These self-interested attorneys handle a high volume of cases, settling them as cheaply and quickly as possible. This philosophy serves those attorneys well because they make a lot of money for minimal work. However, this approach is not necessarily in your best interest.
What are the Accident Lawyers’ Areas of Specialization?
When you talk to accident injury lawyers, you should inquire about their areas of specialization. If the accident lawyers focus on family law or corporate work, they probably do not have the right experience for your personal injury case. Your accident lawyers should focus on personal injury in the Atlanta, Georgia area. If you want effective legal representation, you need someone familiar with cases like yours. Insurance companies hire lawyers with specific experience to defend their personal injury lawsuits. You should hire accident lawyers who handle only accidents like you experienced.
Hiring accident lawyers who know the legal landscape in your geographic area is equally important. You should hire Atlanta, Georgia, accident injury lawyers for your accident in the area.
Do Accident Lawyers Handle a Case Like Mine?
When you meet with accident injury lawyers, find out if they have handled specific cases like yours. Your accident injury lawyers should have experience working on similar matters. For example, if you have been in a motorcycle accident, your attorney should have represented other motorcycle crash victims. Additionally, make sure that they have a high success rate of getting positive settlements and winning against insurance companies.
Who will I Communicate With in the Accident Lawyers’ Office?
Accident injury lawyers have other attorneys, paralegals, and staff within the office to handle cases. Different people manage various aspects of the case. Clarify who is your appropriate contact person.
The accident injury lawyers you choose will likely have many cases they are handling, not just yours. While you do not want to bother them five times a day about your case, it is reasonable for you to feel comfortable approaching your legal team to ask questions and inform them of new developments. Ask them about their approach to communication.
Will My Accident Lawyers Take My Case to Trial?
You may wonder if filing a claim against the other party in your accident results in your case going to court and holding a trial in front of a jury. Most cases result in a settlement during negotiations between the parties and do not go to trial. Nonetheless, you should understand whether your accident injury lawyers have the right experience in the event your case goes to trial.
What Do I Need to Do if I Hire Accident Lawyers?
The main reason you hire accident injury lawyers is so they can represent your interests in a claim against the other driver’s insurance company. You want them to handle the difficult legal steps. Accident injury lawyers will review medical records, police reports, witness statements, and other documents related to the accident. In addition, your accident injury lawyers and their staff should spend adequate time with you to fully understand your side of the story and ensure that you are getting proper medical care. Make sure their level of involvement aligns with your expectations.
How Do Accident Lawyers Assess My Case?
You were at the accident; you saw what happened. You understand that the facts clearly show that the other party was at fault. Understandably, not everyone will see your case in the same manner. Your accident injury lawyers should be able to objectively evaluate your case, identifying the strengths and weaknesses. Qualified accident attorneys should be able to explain:
- Your chances of success
- The approximate value of your case
- Whether your case should be pursued
- Whether they have a strategy of how to pursue the case
What Kind of Damages and Settlement Will My Accident Lawyers Recover on My Behalf?
The recovery of your personal injury lawsuit will depend on the facts and evidence of your case under Georgia law. In Atlanta, Georgia, you could recover:
- Medical bills – current and future
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Inability to perform your duties as a spouse (loss of consortium)
- Certain specific expenses
What Do Accident Lawyers Charge to Represent My Case? What is the Lawyers Fee Arrangement?
You should understand the fees of the accident injury lawyers. Most accident injury lawyers charge on a contingency fee basis. This means that you only pay legal fees if they recover money settlement for damages resulting from your accident. Ask the accident injury lawyers for clear documentation about what factors make up their charge and when they expect recovery. If accident injury lawyers promise exceedingly low fees, understand the reason why. Sometimes, low-quality representation reflects the low price.
Do I have to Pay Accident Lawyers if I Lose? Am I Responsible for Expenses?
Accident injury lawyers generally charge a contingency fee. That means attorneys only get paid if your case recovers. Often, accident lawyers’ payment for their fees does not include costs such as document retrieval fees, filing fees, expenses to retain experts, and court reporter fees. That means you would be responsible for those costs if your case loses. Other times, accident lawyers will state that you are not responsible for fees if your case does not recover. You should make sure the answer to this question is crystal clear and in writing before signing up with accident lawyers.
Regardless of the arrangement, you should ask your accident injury lawyers the amount of anticipated expenses of the case.
Do Accident Lawyers Offer a Free Consultation
Look for accident injury lawyers who offer a free consultation. Frankly, most accident injury lawyers will offer free consultations. Even though this is standard practice, meeting with them is valuable. This free initial consultation allows you to ask questions, including those in this article. Accordingly, you can determine if you have a strong rapport and good feeling about the accident lawyers’ representation of your interests.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm is here to represent you in your personal injury case. We will answer your questions about whether we are qualified to serve as your accident injury lawyers. Call us to schedule your free consultation. Contact us today!
