Accidents happen on the road. When they do, provided the guilty party was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they are classified as personal injuries. As such, individuals involved in accidents pursuing compensation must get in touch with personal injury lawyers, who’re experts in this field of law. However, without tangible legal experience identifying qualified lawyers can be challenging. If you want to get the maximum amount of compensation, then you need a lawyer with experience and knowledge who can argue on your behalf. Here is a guide for selecting the right legal help:
Overall Experience
Would you hire a bricklayer who had never built a wall before or a plumber who didn’t know what a U-bend was? No, you wouldn’t. Likewise, you shouldn’t hire a lawyer who isn’t experienced. Your chosen lawyer’s level of experience will have a significant influence on the outcome of your case. Hire a personal injury lawyer who knows what they are doing and is totally confident. Such lawyers are fortunately not hard to find. Hiring one will mean you can focus on your recovery while they focus on your case.
Contingency Plans
No matter where you live, lawyers are not cheap. Most charge ridiculously high prices. In order to hire one, you are either going to need to raise money or find a lawyer offering a contingency plan. Unless you have had dealings with lawyers before, it is unlikely you will know what a contingency plan is. In simple terms, a contingency plan is a use now, pay later kind of arrangement. Until your lawyer wins your case for you, no payment is due. If they do not win, then they do not get paid either.
Private Investigator
Quality lawyers will have their own private investigators who work exclusively for them. After a serious accident, it can sometimes be difficult accumulating enough evidence to prove a particular driver’s guilt. Unless your car is fitted with a dash camera, the only evidence your lawyer will be able to use is your testimony, witness statements, and local CCTV footage. Your lawyer’s private investigator will conduct a thorough investigation and acquire as much supporting evidence as they can, canvassing the neighborhood of your accident and interviewing people. Hiring a private investigator yourself would drive you to bankruptcy’s door. Their heavily discounted fees will be included as part of your payment to your lawyer.
Professional Manner
Your chosen lawyer’s attitude needs to be professional and respectful. Unfortunately, some lawyers have cocky and arrogant attitudes, which make working with them very difficult, impossible even. Interview your shortlisted lawyers before agreeing to work with them so you can get an idea of what their personalities are like. During your interview, they will likely ask you questions about your injuries, giving you an opportunity to see how they operate in a professional capacity, interviewing potential clients, and asking serious questions.
Court Representation
Going back to experience, it is important for you to find a lawyer who has courtroom experience. A lot of personal injury lawyers have never stepped foot in a courtroom in their entire careers, instead handling cases over the phone. The vast majority of personal injury cases are resolved via phone calls. Insurance adjusters and lawyers go back and forth, eventually arriving at a sum both parties are comfortable with. Sometimes personal injury cases have to go to court, however. Hiring a lawyer who has no courtroom experience will be a detriment to your case if it does go there. Outright ask the lawyers you are interviewing if their cases have ever been to court before.
Fully Confident
Confidence is important. A confident lawyer will be able to argue aggressively on their client’s behalf. Pushovers will not be able to do this, and as such, it should be avoided. Hiring an individual that lacks confidence will be a massive detriment to your case. You need a lawyer that is going to argue until they get what they want, not accept a low figure because they are too anxious to ask for more. Your lawyer needs to be so confident, in fact, that they are willing to take your case to court if they can’t get what they want dealing directly with insurers.
Legal Staff
Law firms come in all shapes and sizes – some are small, and some are large. While working with smaller law firms can be a good way of supporting businesses in your local community and getting discounted rates, it also makes it more likely that your case will take longer to resolve. Large law firms tend to employ lots of legal assistants, who handle the paperwork and admin tasks. Smaller firms tend more often than not to have to complete these things themselves, delaying the completion of their cases. Hire a firm that has lots of staff so you can get compensation quickly.
Local Reputation
It has been said that social media is the new town square. While it is true that people flock to social media to leave reviews and share their experiences with businesses, the real town square is still alive and kicking. Learn as much as you can about your chosen lawyer online but at the same time network with members of the local community and try to get an idea of how effective they are at their job. Ask friends, family, and community members. Beware of bias.
Success Rate
A lawyer’s success rate can instill either confidence or fear in their clients. The vast majority of successful, accomplished lawyers will post statistics on their websites, showcasing how many cases they have won and how much compensation their efforts have delivered. To find out more about your chosen lawyer’s success rates and win-to-loss ratio, check their website. If this information is not available there, then outright ask them for it. Provided your chosen lawyer is experienced and has had a successful career, they should have no problem sending you this information.
Involvement in an accident can be very stressful, especially if injuries are caused. Some people find themselves unable to return to work after accidents, which makes them eligible for compensation. When compensatory claims need to be launched, a personal injury lawyer’s help is needed.