Accidents

7 Questions to Ask a Car Accident Lawyer

Car Accident Lawyer

It is estimated that there are around six million car accidents in the United States, every year. While many of these accidents will only result in a minor scratch on the car’s paint, many more will be very serious accidents with financial repercussions.

If you are in a serious car accident, then it is very important that you contact a car accident lawyer. However, not all car accident lawyers are created equal. This is why you need to know what questions to ask your lawyer so that you can separate the wheat from the chaff and find the best lawyer for your case.

Are you interested in learning more? If you are, then keep on reading and we will walk you through the top questions that you need to ask a car accident lawyer.

1. What Are Your Fees?

The majority of car accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you won’t need to pay the lawyer any money unless you recover money damages in the lawsuit.

If you do recover money damages, then your car accident attorney will take a percentage of the award, usually ranging from 25 percent to forty percent.

It’s important to understand the qualifications of the lawyer you hire. While a lawyer might say that he is only going to charge you a 25 percent fee, that low percentage won’t be helpful to you if the lawyer isn’t qualified enough to win the case.

2. If I lose, Will I Be Responsible for Any Case-Related Costs?

There are some car accident attorneys out there who will charge their clients for case-related costs in addition to the contingency fee. You should ask your attorney about who is going to be responsible for covering those costs – known as “out-of-pocket” costs – in the event that your attorney is not successful.

3. Have You Tried Any Car Accident Cases Similar to Mine to Juries Before?

You should never assume that a car accident attorney has handled a similar case to yours before. You want to ask all of your potential attorneys about their results and experience.

If you were injured in a car accident, you don’t necessarily want a lawyer who specializes in worker’s comp cases. Make sure that you find out what kinds of cases your lawyer has handled before you make a decision.

If you’re looking for a highly qualified law firm that specializes in car accident cases, then click here for more.

4. How Much Time Can You Devote to My Lawsuit?

A lot of attorneys take on too many lawsuits at once. And that will usually push your case to the side while they sign more clients up. Ask potential car accident attorneys about how much time they have to give your case right now.

You should stress that it is important to you to get the ball rolling on the case as soon as possible. Ask the lawyer when your case will be filed.

5. Will My Case Go to Trial? What Is Your Success Rate at Trial?

You should watch out for any attorney who tells you early on that your case is going to settle. Your car accident lawyer should expect every case to go to trial and prepare as if your case will be tried before a jury.

This way, you can enter settlement negotiations with the defendant armed with as much evidence as possible.

This is going to help make sure that you get the fairest possible settlement. If the case does end up going to trial, you want to make sure that your car accident lawyer has won cases before a jury.

6. What Is My Case Worth?

A car accident attorney should have a strong idea of what your case is going to be worth. At the very least, the lawyer should be able to provide you with a range and explain to your how various factors may have an impact on the verdict or settlement offer.

Make sure to do research on your own and use your discretion to evaluate your lawyer’s claim.

Watch out for car accident attorneys who make estimates that don’t seem realistic at all.

7. Who Is Going to Handle the Case?

When questioning your lawyer, ask them who at the firm is going to handle the different aspects of your case.

Some firms are going to float senior partners in front of potential clients even though those partners are never actually going to work on the case.

Ask whether less experienced associates at the firm are going to be handling your case. And if that is what’s happening, then find out who is responsible for supervising those associates.

You also want to find out who your contact is going to be.

The Importance of Knowing What Questions to Ask a Car Accident Lawyer

Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of what questions you should ask your car accident lawyer. As we can see, it is a good idea to ask a lot of questions and to be thorough. A lot of time, money, and energy is on the line and you want to make sure that it is all being spent wisely.

Before picking a car accident lawyer, make sure that you consult with several to get a sense of what you do and don’t like.

Are you looking for other helpful legal articles like this one? Check out the rest of our site today for more!

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