It’s important to know that your lawyer is prepared to fight for proper compensation on your behalf.
When you experience a serious injury, it’s a good idea to enlist the experience of a personal injury attorney to help you maximize your compensation. That said, you need to be prepared to ask the right questions before you bring an attorney on-board to represent your case.
To help you out, we’ve compiled some of the most essential questions you should keep in mind before hiring an attorney below.
How Much Will You Charge?
The majority of personal injury lawyers work without charging fees upfront. Typically, they charge on a contingency fee basis—meaning they won’t charge you unless they recover damages for your lawsuit.
If you recover damages, your lawyer will then take a percentage of that compensation. On average, contingency fees can range from 25 – 40% of your claimed damages. That said, the percentage can fluctuate depending on how complex your case is and how much experience your lawyer has.
While most lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, it’s still important to ask and know what you’re working with.
Do You Have Experience Handling Cases Similar to Mine?
Personal injury cases can vary. There’s a wide range of personal injury cases with different circumstances, so it’s important to choose your lawyer wisely. For example, if you’re injured as a result of medical malpractice, you’re going to want a lawyer who knows the ins and outs of that case type.
So if your prospective lawyer only typically specializes in car accident lawsuits, you might want to look elsewhere. After all, laws and regulations can vary dramatically depending on the type of case you’re dealing with.
When your lawyer has a vast amount of experience with your specific case type, it’s reassuring. They’ll be familiar with the challenges of winning a case like yours and know how to build the strongest argument possible. It’s ideal to ask whether the lawyer you’re working with has examples of relevant past successes they’ve achieved.
How Long Have You Practiced Personal Injury Law?
This should be one of the first questions you ask when hiring a personal injury lawyer. By default, the more experienced a lawyer is, the more likely they’re going to know how to navigate your case and achieve a successful outcome.
What Is the Value of My Case?
It’s not always easy to estimate the value of a case, but it’s worth asking your lawyer what they think. In many circumstances, lawyers will have past examples of cases similar to yours and can ballpark the potential value of your settlement.
Common factors that can impact the value of your case includes:
- Medical costs
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering experienced
- Property damage
Of course, the more an injury impacts your life and financial situation, the more likely you are to receive a larger settlement. As you’d expect, if you were permanently disabled from a car accident, you’d likely receive much more compensation than if you sprained your ankle from a slip and fall accident at a grocery store.
If My Case Doesn’t Settle, Will You Take It to Trial?
The majority of cases are settled outside of court, but that isn’t always the case. If your case needs to go to trial, it’s optimal that your lawyer is prepared to do just that.
However, if your lawyer doesn’t have much experience bringing cases to trial and winning in front of a jury, you might want to think twice before hiring them. After all, the result of this case could significantly impact your quality of life moving forward. For that reason, it’s important to know that your lawyer is prepared to fight for proper compensation on your behalf.
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