7 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer

When you have been in an accident, you may be overwhelmed by the things you need to do after the collision to protect your legal rights. 

One of the most important things you can do is hire an experienced car accident lawyer. But with so many lawyers in your area, how do you know which one will best represent your interests? 

While car accident lawyers typically handle personal injury and wrongful death cases, there are some specific questions you should ask them when interviewing potential candidates for your case. 

Here are seven questions to help guide your search and make sure that your car accident lawyer has experience with cases like yours

1) How long have you been practicing?

No matter how great an auto accident lawyer is, it’s important to see how long they’ve been practicing. Experience counts for everything, and you want someone who’s not going to stumble when things get difficult. 

If your car accident was devastating, you need someone with real experience fighting on your behalf. You need an attorney that knows what they are doing and has been doing it for years and years. 

You can ask an attorney about their practice by asking how long they have been practicing law or ask them about their credentials such as if they graduated from a prestigious university or law school and passed their state bar exam.

2) What makes you better than other lawyers?

If they don’t have any answers or experience, find another lawyer. You want someone who has had previous success with similar cases and knows what he or she is doing. 

Choose a lawyer who makes you feel comfortable and well-informed about your case. You want to know that he or she will fight for you until the end of your case. 

If you are not comfortable talking with them on the phone, don’t hire them. It is always better to go with your gut feeling than try to convince yourself otherwise!

3) Do you charge hourly or contingency fees?

The two most common types of fees in personal injury law are contingency fees and hourly fees. Hourly fees usually take between one-third and one-half of your recovery (including damages, lost wages, medical bills, and other expenses), 

while contingency fees only earn attorneys money if they’re successful. Before you choose an attorney, ask about fee arrangements. Ideally, you want contingency fees—your lawyer will have more incentive to get you as much money as possible when his or her livelihood is on the line.

4) What are your results?

Unfortunately, if you’ve been injured in an accident, then your number one priority is recovering—not collecting damages. 

That means that results don’t always play as big of a role in your hiring process. Instead, you should be asking questions like what are his or her success rates? 

And how many years has he or she been practicing law? While those numbers certainly aren’t guarantees for future performance, 

they will give you some insight into whether or not you can expect solid representation from that attorney. After all, it's critical to choose someone who knows their stuff!

5) Can I talk to some of your clients?

Before you hire an attorney, it’s always smart to talk with one or two of their previous clients and find out what their experience was like. 

Did they feel that they were being listened to? Did they feel respected? Did they feel like their case was handled in a way that was best for them? 

Asking these questions can help you determine if an attorney will be a good fit for your particular case. The last thing you want is someone who doesn’t give your case the time and attention it deserves, so make sure you get some assurances before signing on!

6) How do I know that you will fight hard for my case?

Though you may find lawyers who will promise they will fight hard for your case, there is really no way to know that they won’t just hand over all of your information and walk away. 

That is why it is important that you ask your lawyer if he or she has handled car accident cases like yours before. 

It also shows that you are an informed consumer and have done some research ahead of time. Plus, if they have handled cases similar to yours, then it reduces their workload which means they can spend more time on your case.

7) What else can I do myself, so I don’t have to pay lawyer fees?

The best way to save money when you’re hurt in an accident is to help yourself. There are many things that you can do on your own that won’t cost you any money but will ensure that your case is well-presented and has all of its bases covered. 

If you have time and patience for it, prepare everything yourself; if not, hire someone like Auto Injury Cases Online who can do all of it for you at a reasonable price. Either way, here are some things that are great ideas