Questions To Ask Your Lawyer After A Car Accident

While a car accident is a traumatic event, the weeks and months that follow can be equally difficult. If you are hurt and unable to work for an extended period of time, it doesn’t take long for the bills and medical expenses to pile up. If the other party was found to be at fault, it’s likely their insurance provider will try to settle soon after in order to avoid a costly litigation process.

Often times this settlement is less than sufficient to make you whole after an accident. The insurance provider is betting that the initial monetary relief will be enough to sway you not to take further action. While every situation is different, it may be in your better interest to speak with an attorney who has experience in the matter. With so many accident attorneys it’s nearly impossible to know who to select for representation. A lot of how you should base your decision should be purely based on comfort. There is however some questions you can ask that will aid in making the right choice of representation.

Questions for the Initial Consultation

Before you can get into the details of your case you first need the details of your attorney. You’ll want to find out as much as you can about them and their law office. Some questions to ask:

• How long have you practiced personal injury law?
• When and where did you attend law school?
• How many accident victims do you represent on average each year and how many cases are you currently pursuing?
• Of those, how many lawsuits settle and how many of those go to trial?

You’ll also want to be thorough in discussing the fee and payment structure of each attorney. Most car accident attorneys will work on a contingency fee, meaning they only get paid if you win. There are also other costs that may be associated with your case. When speaking on financials you’ll want to be sure to ask the following questions:

• If you work on a contingency fee, what percent do you take? A standard fee is around 30% of the settlement.
• What other costs will I be responsible for such as court fees and costs associated with investigation into the lawsuit?
• What will I be responsible to pay regardless of the result of the lawsuit?

Questions About Your Case

After you gain the information you need to select the right attorney it will be time to share the details of your accident. It’ll be at that time you’ll need to ask the most important question which is; do you have a case to sue? If it turns out you have case you’ll want to ask some additional questions:

• How long does it usually take to resolve a case like yours?
• Who should be named as a defendant?
• What kind of settlement or judgment can be realistically expected to receive?
• Do you think it’s likely to go to trial or can it be settled out of court?
• Will you personally handle the case or will I have another attorney in your firm working on it?
• How often will we be in contact and how quickly can I expect a response if I have questions

You will likely have several more questions when selecting an attorney that are specific to your case. Don’t be afraid to ask anything and everything in order to make the right choice. Having a strong understanding of the process and what is expected from both parties should allow the partnership to be a successful one.

Amit Gangrade is from Orlando, Florida. He is a recent alumn from the University of Florida, where he studied anthropology and Spanish, and will be attending law school at Emory University in the fall of 2014. If you have been involved in an accident, Amit strongly recommends that you visit Heil-Law.com.

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