Understand What a Good Car Accident Lawyer Does
The only way to know if your personal injury attorney falls short is to get familiar with what good ones bring to the table. Each law office has its competencies and distinguishing factors, so you might not find everything in one place. Even so, this is what good car accident lawyers can do for you:
- When you call the office, you either speak directly to an attorney or immediately get the opportunity to schedule a call with one.
- During your initial meeting with the attorney, he or she spends more time listening to the details of the case and your concerns than telling you what to do.
- The attorney provides honest feedback about how you can expect the case to unfold and helps you set realistic expectations.
- The attorney completes independent investigations to uncover evidence and build a strong case.
- The attorney is willing to offer remote meetings and meet you at home or at your hospital bed, so you don’t need to worry about transportation.
- The attorney negotiates for a settlement or goes to court to get compensation by trial and verdict.
Know What To Look for in a Good Attorney
Most people only know if they have a good attorney during the case and after the results. That’s because knowing what to look for is tricky. Many attorneys, for example, might appear courteous initially but do not treat you as a priority after you agree to work with them. There is no foolproof strategy for getting around false pretenses. Still, these are some things to look for when narrowing down your options:
- The attorney has a winning track record with personal injury cases; you can verify this through internet research or speaking with the attorney’s previous clients.
- When you speak to the attorney, you feel comfortable and confident in his or her abilities.
- The law office and its attorneys have positive reviews and references from previous clients, aside from those posted on their websites.
- The attorney is willing to put in the extra effort to understand your unique case.
- The attorney has the financial resources to take on your case, whether that means being able to front the costs of an investigation or having the capacity to manage a lengthy court case.
- The law office hires experienced attorneys and your attorney happens to be one of those.
Expand Your Attorney Search
Knowing where to find a good attorney is as vital as knowing what to look for. After all, if you don’t look in all the right places, you might miss out on finding an attorney committed to winning your case. Consider the following options:
Ask Family and Friends: If you know people who have been in car accidents, ask them for recommendations. While every case is unique, getting the insights of someone who has gone through the process before is still helpful.
Search Online: Start with a Google search for “personal injury attorney near me” or in your city or county. You can also try websites that catalog, advertise or rank attorneys. Be sure to look beyond aggregate reviews to see what people have to say.
Get a Referral: If you have a lawyer for another legal matter, ask him or her to recommend a good car accident attorney. Lawyers usually have a network of other attorneys to refer.
Check with Local and State Bar Associations: Most bar associations have referral services where you can get the names of attorneys in your area. This is one of the most objective sources of information you can find. You can also determine which attorneys have faced disciplinary actions and why.
Once you have a list of potential lawyers, you can use the criteria of good attorneys to narrow your options. Then, start setting up consultations to figure out which one is the best fit for your case.
Prioritize Wins Over Experience
Ideally, your attorney brings both big wins and decades of experience to your case. However, if you need to choose between one or the other, go for big settlements and verdicts. Like any other profession, countless attorneys do their jobs but do not do them well.
Not all law offices share their biggest wins or the total amount of compensation they have recovered. This is not necessarily a red flag, but consider it cause for digging deeper. Most attorneys are only too eager to share when they recover millions of dollars for clients, so why would this one hide it?
You might wonder how much is enough for settlements. Ideally, you want to work with accident attorneys who achieved at least a few multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts in personal injury law. While this by no means implies that you will also receive millions of dollars, it shows that they are capable of achieving this.
Identify What a Good Personal Injury Attorney Charges
Most personal injury attorneys do not charge upfront fees. Instead, they front the costs of taking on the case and then recover payment when they recover damages for their clients. If they fail to recover damages then the client pays nothing.
You would be hard-pressed to find an attorney that requires you to pay for a personal injury case upfront. If you do, consider moving on to another professional. If the attorney you choose does not handle your case well or treat you with compassion, consider moving on to a different law office.
The fact that your personal injury attorney must front the costs of cases is precisely why financial solvency and access to resources are so important. Keep in mind that newer law offices might not have as many resources as established ones. Even when attorneys rely on loans, creditors prefer experienced attorneys.
Choose the Attorneys at Judd Shaw Injury Law
We hire experienced attorneys who have dedicated their careers to ensuring people just like you get the compensation they deserve. Over the years, we expanded our team to meet our clients’ growing needs and provide an environment for our professionals to grow. Here are some of our most significant personal injury wins over the years:
- $33 million for PIP medical benefits after insurance companies denied payment
- $11.4 million for PIP medical benefits after insurance companies denied payment
- $6.1 million for PIP medical benefits after insurance companies denied payment
- $2.6 million for a construction accident
- $1.2 for the victim of a civil rights violation
- $350,000 for a motor vehicle accident
We are confident that our team has the knowledge, experience and resources to tackle your case and bring it to a positive conclusion. Our team of experts is committed to providing an authentic one-on-one representation experience so your case receives the attention it deserves. We stop at nothing in our fight to get compensation for you. Contact us for a free case review.