Personal injury claims cover various range of accidents. You may have been bitten by someone’s dog, involved in an accident, or injured by a slip on your neighbour’s property.
If the injuries are severe, you can hire a personal injury attorney to handle your claim. Hiring the right personal injury attorney has plenty of benefits, for instance, he or she will ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve and make the process less stressful.
Choosing the right personal injury attorney that can meet your unique needs is not an easy task because there are so many personal injury attorneys in the industry. Here are tips to help you hire the right one.
Experience
The attorney’s experience plays a crucial role when it comes to assessing and investigating a claim. Never underestimate the value of the experience of an attorney. A personal injury attorney who knows what to look for, where to look for it, and how that thing means to your case can create a big impact on your case.
An experienced attorney also knows where to try your case and how that affects the compensation you will receive later. Before you hire a personal injury attorney, ask them if they have handled similar cases, how successful they have been, and whether he or she is prepared to take the case to trial if required.
Readiness to go to trial
When searching for the right personal injury attorney, you will meet attorneys who have never handled a trial case. It is advisable to avoid these kind of attorneys since they may settle for less compensation to avoid going to trial. Moreover, if your insurance company discovers this about your attorney, you will be disadvantaged.
The insurance company will lower its bar because they know that your attorney will give in to any pressure they may apply. You should look for a lawyer who has handled cases before a jury and will not bow down to pressure from your insurance company.
Reputation
The reputation of an attorney can play a big role in resolving your case faster and in a fair way because of their previous dealings with insurance companies and other attorneys in the area and in courts where they practice.
An attorney’s reputation provides an added value since it can precede him/her from not only the plaintiff’s perspective but from the defendant’s perspective and the court’s perspective when handling cases. An attorney’s reputation puts his or her client in the best position to recover the compensation they deserve for whatever happened to them.
References
Potential attorneys will display positive reviews for a job that’s done well. Ask your intended attorney to provide you with his previous clients’ list so that you can call them for references. If you decide to speak with the past clients, as them to briefly take you through their cases and how the attorney helped them with the case. Ask them what they liked and didn’t like about the attorney. The more information you gather, the better. Past clients can give honest testimonies about an attorney. That’s why you need to pay attention to what they say about an attorney. Here is an example of a personal injury attorney’s testimonials.
Charges
Most of the personal injury attorneys charge on a contingency basis; there are no upfront fees, you only pay them once you have won the case and they don’t get any payment if you lose the case. Contingency fee agreements are negotiable, but they usually range from 25% to 33%. The attorney should explain to you whether the contingency fee will be calculated before or after expenses.
You should also consider the cost of litigation. Depending on the type of personal injury, the costs to prove your case may be expensive. The costs include expert witnesses, depositions, filing fees, and travel expenses. Ask the attorney who will be responsible for these costs in case you lose the case. So before hiring a personal injury attorney, make sure that you can meet the budget.
Personality
Personality is one of the critical things that you must consider when hiring a personal injury attorney. Can you really get along with the attorney? Do you like his or her personality? These are some of the questions that you should ask yourself because you will have an extended relationship with the attorney, and so you need someone you can talk to comfortably and one who will answer your questions on time and take your phone calls during the case.
