How To Hire an Auto Accident Lawyer

If you were involved in an automobile accident, you’re probably deciding whether you need to hire an auto accident lawyer. This article will help you decide whether you need a lawyer’s help with your auto accident claim and the steps you should take when hiring a lawyer. Every case is different, however, so it’s never a bad idea to give an auto accident lawyer a call to see if he or she can help you. It won’t cost you a dime, and you can get a lot of your questions answered.

Decide whether you need an attorney.

n most cases, you are better off hiring a lawyer for your automobile accident. On average, lawyers will get you 3.5 times more than you can get on your own. That means that, even if the lawyer is charging you 33%, you will still end up with more money in your pocket. Not to mention, your lawyer will help you with getting the right medical treatment, coordinating medical bills, dealing with the insurance companies and collections agencies, and numerous other services. So, if you are injured in the auto accident, you should certainly call an auto accident lawyer.

However, you don’t always need an auto accident lawyer. If you are involved in a minor automobile accident, with very little or no property damage, and you received no injuries, then you do not need an attorney. You are better off handling the property damage claims yourself, rather than paying an attorney to do this for you. In most instances, property damage claims are usually straightforward and are resolved without too much difficulty.

Choose an experienced auto accident lawyer.

Not all lawyers are created equally when it comes to handling your auto accident claim. You want to choose a lawyer that has handled at least several hundred auto accident claims. There are many lawyers out there claiming to be “personal injury” lawyers or “auto accident” lawyers; however, many of them have very little experience handling these types of claims. Be sure you don’t hire a lawyer that is trying to figure it out as he goes.

Interview the lawyer before you hire him or her. For example, ask the lawyer how many clients he’s helped with their auto accident claim, whether he has experience litigating an auto case, whether he’s negotiated auto accident cases before, his experience with the insurance companies involved in your case, and his familiarity with the type of injury that you received in the accident.

Check review sites, such as Avvo.com, Facebook, and Google to see what others are saying about the auto accident lawyer or law firm. If most of clients or reviewers are satisfied with their experience, then you are probably going to have a good experience. There will always be a few clients that are unhappy no matter the outcome, so look at what most clients are saying about the lawyer or law firm.

Just like when going to see a doctor, you want to choose the right legal specialist. When having a baby, you go see a gynecologist, not an optometrist. If you are having heart problems, you’re better off seeing a cardiologist than an orthopedist. While all doctors can help their sick patients to some extent, there will come a point where the right medical specialist is needed to make sure the patient is properly cared for.

The legal field is no different; you want to hire the right legal specialist. For a divorce case, you should hire a divorce attorney who handles divorce cases on a regular basis. If you are filing bankruptcy, you will have better success with a bankruptcy attorney that knows the latest bankruptcy law and ways to protect you best during bankruptcy. For your auto accident case, it’s usually better to stay away from general practice lawyers or those that do not usually handle auto accident cases. Instead, hire an attorney that mostly handles auto accident cases.

Enter into an attoryney-client agreement

Auto accident lawyers are required to have a written attorney-client agreement or contract before working on your case. The main purpose of the agreement is to describe the contingency fee that the lawyer will charge you. The contingency fee is the amount of money that goes to your attorney if you receive money from your case. Most auto accident lawyers charge around 1/3 of the settlement. If, however, you do not receive any money, then you won’t owe your lawyer a dime no matter how much time the lawyer has spent on your case.

‍

Once signed, you are giving the lawyer permission to act on your behalf to move your case forward. You can, however, terminate the agreement any time you wish. Even if you fire your auto accident lawyer, you are not obligated to pay the lawyer any money out of your pocket for fees or expenses. But if you end up hiring another lawyer to handle your auto accident case, then the prior lawyer may have the right to be paid out of any settlement you get with the new lawyer. Of course, this depends on whether your agreement with the first lawyer allowed for this.

‍