Accidents happen without warning and leave victims unprepared and disoriented. In such moments, if you or someone close to you was involved in an accident, you may have to make important decisions quickly.
There are over 6 million passenger car accidents on average in the U.S. every year and most of them happen in busy cities across the country like Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston. For instance, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there were a total of 10,108 car crashes registered in the city in 2020.
Let’s say you were involved in a scary car accident. You must first seek medical treatment for any injuries you may have sustained, and then contact a qualified personal injury lawyer.
A personal injury lawyer’s help can make a huge difference. The extra support they provide in such unfortunate circumstances can provide invaluable reassurance, as well as peace of mind. If you’re entitled to it, a personal injury lawyer can help you get a fair settlement, and help you get the best medical treatment without having to put yourself in financial ruin.
Below, we share some important questions you should ask your personal injury lawyer before hiring them for legal representation.
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1Do You Have the Time to Handle My Case?
You should ask this question immediately and get it out of the way. Professional personal injury lawyers know that they can only devote so much of their time, talent, and energy to their work. You want a lawyer who believes in the causes and people they are representing. These lawyers will not sign up clients if they believe the case will not receive the attention that it deserves.
Smaller personal injury firms are more likely to experience problems with availability. It may be best to choose a larger, more established firm with many lawyers, paralegals, and record specialists. To get optimal results, you should find a lawyer who is in your local area as you might have to meet up and discuss important aspects of your case.
For example, if you happen to live in Philadelphia, search for a qualified Philadelphia personal injury attorney who is experienced in this field and who can be the helping hand you need to understand what your expectations should be in the forthcoming period. You should ensure that your lawyer has the time to learn about your accident case and to fight for you.
2What Are Your Fees and What Expenses Should I Expect?
Before hiring a personal injury lawyer, ask them what their fees are. Also, make sure to understand your responsibilities for payment and see whether you must pay expenses like court filing fees and document fees, upfront.
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingent fee. It means that if you win your case, you won’t have to pay any fees. Your personal injury attorney will typically take a percentage of the money damages awarded, usually between 30% and 40%.
Even though an attorney might claim to only charge a 25% contingent fee, they may not be qualified enough to handle your personal injuries lawsuit.
3Have You Worked on Similar Personal Injury Cases as Mine?
Don’t assume that a personal injury attorney has dealt with a similar case to yours. Ask each potential lawyer to share more about their experience and how many cases they’ve won in court. For example, if you were injured in a slip-and-fall accident at work, you may not want to hire a personal injury attorney who has only worked on medical malpractice cases.
Ask the lawyer about reviews and testimonials. A professional personal injury lawyer will be glad to provide you with testimonials from previous clients they worked for. If the lawyer doesn’t give you any past client reviews to read, this might be a warning sign.
4How Will You Communicate with Me?
You should feel confident that your personal injury attorney and their law firm will keep you informed throughout the case process. You’ll get very stressed out if you don’t know what exactly is happening with your case and that’s why proper communication is essential.
Ask the personal injury lawyer about their team members, such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers. What form of communication do they prefer? Some lawyers prefer to communicate via email to establish a detailed document while other may only discuss case details over the phone during certain hours. During your initial consultation, ask the lawyer how often they’ll update you on the case and this is when you need to tell them how involved you want to be.
In Closing
Choosing the right personal injury lawyer is a fairly important decision. Therefore, if you want to get the desired outcome, you must weigh your options carefully.
These are some of the most important questions to ask a prospective personal injury lawyer to increase your odds of success.
