Being injured in a car accident or any accident can be an overwhelming experience. If you need to hire an attorney, or if you have an attorney and need to meet with him or her regarding your accident and injuries, you should have a list of questions to ask him or her before you meet. Below are five questions you should remember to ask your lawyer.
1. Experience and Background
You want to ask a lawyer questions about his or her education and professional work experience. Find out how long he or she has practiced personal injury law. Find out if the practice represents just accident victims or if other legal work is performed. Ask about the number of injury lawsuits settled each year and how many of those cases ended up going to trial. Ask the attorney if he or she has handled many cases similar to yours. Ask the attorney if he or she has represented a victim who has neck, back and other injuries that might cause lifelong problems.
2. Assessment of Your Case
After spending some time describing the details of your accident, ask the lawyer what his or her opinion of the case outcome might be. Ask what kind of financial settlement you can expect to receive and what factors of the accident will work in your favor or against you. Ask if your case is likely to go to trial or if mediation and arbitration are options to consider. Ask how long the case will take to complete.
3. Legal Philosophy and Style
Ask the attorney about his or her approach in regards to practicing law. What is his or her approach when handling accident cases, and what is his or her style when working with a client. Will the attorney ask you questions before making decisions, or will he or she tell you what you should do.
4. Case Management
You want to ask questions about how your car injury lawsuit will be managed. Find out if the attorney will personally handle the case or if another attorney will take it over. Find out if the attorney handles any court appearances and negotiations and if he or she will be your day-to-day contact person. Find out if other attorneys at the firm get involved in your case and to what extent. Find out the best way to reach your attorney, and ask him or her how long it will be before you should expect a response.
5. Legal Fees
You should always ask questions about the legal fees the attorney is charging. Find out if he or she charges a contingency fee or an hourly rate. If you do not win your case, will you be expected to pay the attorney any money? Find out what the retainer fee is and if there are any other expenses you will end up paying for. If so, ask the attorney to give you an estimate. Ask the attorney to show you examples of how much money you might end up with after paying the legal fees if you won the case.
After you meet with the attorney, take some time to think about what was discussed and what your impression is of the lawyer before making a decision to hire him or her to represent your case.