Are you thinking of appointing the first personal injury lawyer you came across on the internet for your car accident case? If yes, wait and reconsider your decision.
In every town and city of the US, there are many personal injury attorneys waiting to serve you. Among them, some are average and some are incredible with their services. For car accident victims who have been injured due to the negligent actions of another driver, it should be a tougher decision to choose an appropriate attorney for your case.
So, what is the actual process of hiring a lawyer? Don’t be tempted by fancy websites that claim results that are too good to be true. The key is to meet a lawyer in person and ask the right questions to understand whether he is perfect for your needs. Here is a list of questions you may ask a car accident attorney in Stockton before hiring him.
Question #1: What is your realm of legal specialty?
Given the fact that you are in search of a car accident attorney, you’ll meet hundreds of them as there are usually numerous lawyers who are skilled enough to handle any auto accident case. However, you can’t forget the fact that different lawyers specialize in different legal areas. You should make sure that the attorney you choose has the competency and is skilled to help you with a favorable outcome to your personal injury case.
Question #2: What is your fee structure?
Before asking this question, you need to know that majority of the car accident lawyers work on the basis of a contingency fee, according to which, you don’t pay a dime unless you recoup the monetary damage in your personal injury lawsuit. Once you get back the financial damage, the lawyer has the right to claim a percentage of that award amount. The percentage claimed is usually between 25 and 40% of the award amount.
Question #3: Do you consider my personal injury case to be a strong one?
If you move forward with the case with a goal in mind where you look forward to recovering all the physical and monetary damage, you have to plan your case in such a manner that you can make the other person negligent enough to have caused the crash. Hence, without a strong case, you’ll have thin chances of winning the case. So, ask the lawyer what he thinks about the worth of your case.
Question #4: Did you try any personal injury case before that is identical to mine?
Don’t ever make the assumption that the personal injury lawyer you’re speaking to, must have handled a case that is similar to yours. You have to ask this question to the lawyer and know about the results of that case and his experience. In case you have incurred an injury due to a slip-and-fall accident, would you prefer appointing an attorney who has only worked with car accident lawsuits? So, be clear about his past experiences and cases.
Question #5: How much time do you have to allot to my case?
There are numerous lawyers who take up countless cases and will keep delaying your case as they look forward to more clients. Hence, you need to ask him upfront about the time he can devote to your personal injury case at the present moment.
Selecting the best personal injury lawyer is always an important decision. You can’t make silly errors as that may cost you dearly in the long run.