How to Select the Right Car Accident Attorney For Your Case
Staying composed after getting involved in a motor vehicle collision can be difficult to do. However, you should focus on staying calm and following a series of steps that eventually determine whether you receive just compensation for any injuries and property damage. One of the most important steps arrives near the end of the process, which is to contact a car accident attorney. The question for you is how to select the right car accident attorney for your case.
Several factors should play a role in helping you to choose the right car accident lawyer.
Experience
An experienced car accident attorney knows how to help you submit the most persuasive auto insurance claim. The claim process requires you to submit compelling physical evidence, along with the statements presented by witnesses. Experience also comes in handy for a car accident lawyer if the insurance adjuster reviewing your claim agrees to try and negotiate a settlement. If your case goes to trial, hiring an experienced car accident attorney can be the difference between winning your case and walking out of the courtroom empty-handed.
Make sure you do not measure experience strictly on years of practice. An experienced car accident attorney also should be able to present a proven record of success.
Offers a Free Consultation
An attorney who offers a free consultation provides you with the opportunity to discuss your case, as well as devise a winning strategy for filing an insurance claim. During a free consultation, a car accident lawyer should review the evidence, especially the official report filed by the responding law enforcement agency. You present witness accounts, as well as copies of your medical bills and property repair receipts, such as the receipt for auto repair work
Represents You From Start to Finish
Some attorneys meet with clients for a free consultation, only to disappear for the remainder of a case. You want the experienced attorney sitting across from you during a free consultation to represent you during every phase of the litigation and insurance claim process. You should ask at the start of a free consultation whether the lawyer sitting across from you expects to represent you the entire time. You should consider it a deal breaker if the lawyer states that another attorney will take over the case at some point.
Gets Paid by a Contingency Fee
You want the car accident attorney hired to represent you to be financially motivated. This means you should pay the lawyer on a contingency fee basis, which means your attorney gets paid when you get paid. The lawyer charges a percentage of the money that you receive from an insurance claim and/or the result of a favorable ruling during a civil lawsuit. Attorneys who charge by the hour are less motivated to push a case to the finish line.
Strong Communication Skills
Car accident attorneys work several cases at the same time. This means the lawyer that you hire might not be available when you call or send a text message. However, you should expect a prompt response every time you have a question or want to learn about the status of your case. The car accident attorney that you hire should respond to any form of communication no later than during the morning after the day when you left a message. A car accident case is stressful enough without having to deal with a lawyer who is a poor communicator.
Online Reviews
Client reviews left on sites such as Yelp and Google should indicate the skill level of a car accident attorney. You should refer to client reviews as the last factor for choosing the right car accident lawyer. Moreover, you should consider a car accident attorney who has received many positive reviews. You also can check an attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.