7 Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer

If you sustain injuries due to another person’s negligence, you can file a legal suit and get compensation for medical costs, lost wages, damages, or pain suffered. Your chances of getting fair compensation for the injuries you’ve sustained might increase significantly when you hire a lawyer specializing in personal injury cases.

However, getting the right personal injury lawyer to handle your case is not always easy. With the various areas of personal law practice, finding a lawyer that handles cases related to the injuries you sustained is critical to the success of your lawsuit.

To find a suitable lawyer is to gather helpful information before hiring. If you’re looking to get a personal injury attorney, here are seven essential questions to ask before hiring one:

1. Which Area Of Personal Injury Law Do You Practice?

Before you hire a personal injury lawyer, you need to know the area of personal injury law they practice. Personal injury law is vast; it covers a broad range of torts; see this website.

Although there are lawyers who practice multiple areas of personal injury law, many of them specialize in one area. Finding out the area of personal injury law that attorneys practice enables you to determine whether they’re most suitable to handle your case.

2. What Strategy Will You Apply In My Case?

During the consultation, ask the personal injury attorney about the strategy they’d use to handle your case. This question is crucial because you know how long the case could take. Although a personal injury lawyer may not provide the specific details of the legal strategy they’ll apply during the consultation, they can inform you of the possible approaches to settling your case.

Although going to court is often an option, cases may be settled out-of-court. The lawyer can negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company before filing a lawsuit. After taking the case to court, arbitration and mediation options remain open.

When having an initial conversation with an attorney, find out how the strategy has worked in previous cases and the advantages and disadvantages of applying that strategy. Also, ask what percentage of cases similar to yours succeed with an out-of-court settlement.

3. What Is Your Experience In Handling Cases Similar To Mine?

When hiring an injury lawyer, you need to find out whether they’ve handled cases similar to yours previously and the outcome of those cases.  Although each case has its unique aspects, experienced attorneys can quickly find similarities between cases they’ve handled previously and your case. Asking lawyers this question gives you the confidence that your case is in safe hands.

To understand the experience of a personal injury lawyer better, find out where they attended law school, the places they have practiced, and how often they handle cases like yours. Ask them for contacts of previous clients so you can talk to them.

4. What Are The Most Likely Outcomes?

An important question to ask a personal injury lawyer during consultation relates to the possible outcomes of the case. Although no attorney can promise an out-of-court settlement or predict the outcome of a court process with precision, a reasonable attorney will give an unbiased view of the possible outcomes based on experience.

During your conversation, ask the lawyer about the significant issues he foresees with the case and the chances of settling the case without going through the court process.

5. What Role Will I Play In The Case?

The level of client participation in personal injury cases varies from one attorney to another. While an attorney may not ask you to engage the insurance company or witnesses without his approval, he may require you to compile your documentation or undertake similar tasks.

Ask the lawyer to inform you what he needs you to do to build a strong case. Getting clarity on the kind of participation a lawyer expects allows you to plan yourself better and avoid taking actions that might jeopardize the case.

6. Who Will Be Handling My Case?

You’ll most likely meet one personal injury attorney during consultation. However, law firms have other lawyers and paralegals who’ll handle your case if you decide to hire the firm. Find out who will become your point of contact in the law firm and their experience working on cases similar to yours.

Asking this question helps you know who you can call if you have questions, how often to expect reports or updates about your claim, and clarify who will be representing you in settlement negotiations or court proceedings.

7. How Much Do You Charge For Legal Services?

It’s vital to ask a personal injury lawyer how much their services would cost you before hiring one. Most attorneys in this practice structure their changes based on contingency, meaning clients don’t pay until they get their settlement. However, some lawyers use a different structure or require clients to pay additional fees. Ask the lawyer for an estimate of how much their legal services would cost in total.

Final Thoughts

Hiring an attorney to handle your injury case gives you a better chance of getting a fair settlement. But identifying the right lawyer isn’t always easy. However, asking the seven questions discussed above will help you find the most suitable attorney to represent you.

How was this article? If you like this one then visit our blog to get more articles on top law schools, various laws of the United States, and much more.