All of us have been in some sort of a car accident at least one time in our lives. Some of us were direct participants, some were in a role of a passenger or a bystander. No matter what your role in a car accident was, it is most definitely a highly stressful and health-dangerous situation.
Whenever there is an accident, no matter the size and scope of it the best thing to do is have a lawyer beside you.
They will help you navigate all kinds of legal issues that may emerge from this and protect your interests. Some simply refuse to hire lawyers for these things thinking that, especially in a smaller accident, they can fight it on their own and make their case best. This leads to all kinds of issues and legal predicaments that can easily be avoided if you simply hire your legal representative and let them do the hard work.
The only advice we can all give you is never to be so stubborn and think you can do this by yourself. Hire a lawyer and make your life a lot easier. Your legal representative will be beside you the whole way, feeding you information and telling you what and when you can expect certain things to protect you the best. They are there to look after your best interests and they are the best at their job, just like the guys you can check out if you click here.
If you want to find the best lawyer for your car accident case then follow these easy and bulletproof steps to hire the best ones out there!
1. Focus and location
The focus part means that you need to pay attention to what a lawyer specializes in. Just like doctors, each lawyer has a field that they are the best at and which they practice. Anything beyond that is not going to be 100% successful.
Getting an attorney that specializes in robbery or defending is not the same as getting one that specializes in car accidents. Although the first one may be a bigger name and more familiar, they can’t defend you the same. It would be like hiring a dentist to do the heart surgery. A specialist in their field will provide you with expert level representation which increases your likelihood of getting a favourable outcome. These guys can also make better judgements on liability issues such as causation, negligence and vehicular manslaughter.
Another thing you need to understand is the fact that most personal injury claims are settled before trial, which means you need someone capable of determining and negotiating compensation. When it comes to location, you need to consider hiring someone that is your local. That attorney will already be well acquainted with your jurisdiction which will save a lot of time and both of you will be able to hit the ground running instead of finding the laws, precedents and other legal things.
2. Experience
It is probably sufficient to mention this because it is common sense that you would want someone with a lot of experience beside you instead of someone that is just starting or has only a year or two of working experience. A seasoned car accident lawyer will already have a unique set of skills that will easily point them toward what needs to be investigated or addressed, what they need to look for and where to look. They will also be well aware of all external factors that may contribute to the accident and most importantly, how to exploit those factors in your favour. The best idea before you hire someone for your case is to ask them about their experience in your specific area and what were their outcomes.
3. Reputation
Like in everything in life reputation is everything. Doctors and lawyers with bad reputations are usually passed because they can negatively impact your case no matter what their experience or expertise is. This thing also goes the other way round. If you manage to find a lawyer with a good reputation you are instantly increasing your chances because a lawyer with good dealings with other lawyers, officers of the court and the judges in some cases will reflect how they are regarded and by the extension, how you will be regarded. Another thing that fits nicely here is that they can always leverage their prior dealings and goodwill with insurance companies in your favour which is not something you should neglect. The best way to know about their reputation is to ask around and do an online search to see what type of reputation follows your potential lawyer.
4. Comfort level
Having legal issues is already stressful enough, and in these moments what you need is someone that has a type of personality that can put you at ease. It is very important that your lawyer also has a highly approachable side which will in return make you comfortable to ask all the questions you want. They also need to be open to explaining all the things to you but with simplified words and without complex legal language. The last important thing is for them to be accessible whenever you need to reach them for more questions or just to catch up on the progress of your case.
5. Payment
Since everything is revolving around money you need an attorney that has fair charges but they also need to be robust enough and put up a good fight in your case. This is the time when you look for the best balance between experience and representation fees. Another thing to consider is that car accident lawyers have a leeway to create their payment plans which means that you can get the hourly billing, contingency or some sort of hybrid of both. The best advice that almost anyone will give you is to find a lawyer that will take your case on contingency.
Contingency means that your lawyer will not get paid if they do not win your case. Every attorney that takes this type of payment is sure in your case and sure that they can win it. It is another thing that will instantly show you if you have a solid case or not. It also protects you from money-grabbing lawyers that will take even a losing case just to make some money from it.