6 Things to Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer

A personal injury lawyer who specializes in car accident cases provides several types of legal support. First, an attorney helps you file an insurance claim by interacting with the adjuster processing your case. Second, your personal injury lawyer conducts an extensive investigation that involves collecting physical evidence and interviewing witnesses. Personal injury lawyers also negotiate settlements and calculate fair values for compensation. Finally, if your car accident attorney can prove another party committed one or more acts of negligence, you receive legal support during the entire litigation process.

The question is not whether you should hire a personal injury lawyer. Instead, the question is what criteria should you look for when hiring a car accident attorney?

Let’s review the six things to look for in a personal injury lawyer.

Experience

Experience is much more than accumulating years of service as a personal injury lawyer. Although years of service give you an idea about an attorney’s skill level, you should be more focused on the results a lawyer got during the years of service. What percentage of cases has a personal injury lawyer helped a client receive just compensation, whether it was in the form of an approved insurance claim or a favorable decision issued during a civil trial?

Handles Your Case From Start to Finish

Do not take for granted that the personal injury lawyer who meets with you during a free consultation will provide legal support throughout the entire litigation and insurance claim process. Some attorneys meet with clients for a free consultation, only to delegate the responsibilities for the remainder of a case to paralegals and less experienced personal injury lawyers. Make sure the attorney that you hire provides support during every phase of the legal process.

Works on a Contingency Fee Basis

A contingency fee payment is a type of compensation in which an attorney receives a percentage of the money approved for an insurance claim, as well as a percentage of the money awarded during a civil trial. Personal injury lawyers who operate on a contingency fee basis as opposed to receiving an hourly fee are much more motivated to get their clients just compensation. Contingency fees for personal injury cases range from 25 percent up to 40 percent.

Open to Negotiations

Negotiating a settlement during a civil trial saves you both time and money. Your personal injury lawyer submits an initial offer that the other party accepts or rejects. If the other party rejects the initial offer, several rounds of counter offers can follow until both sides agree to a settlement or decide to move to the next step of the litigation process. Unfortunately, some attorneys refuse to negotiate settlements. You want your personal injury lawyer to be open to negotiations.

Responsive Communicator

You already have enough stress in your life to deal with an attorney who is a poor communicator. A responsive personal injury lawyer promptly returns text, phone, and email messages. You should be able to determine the responsiveness of an attorney before you decide to hire one. Your personal injury lawyer also should be effective at explaining complex legal topics, as well as spot on when it comes to notifying you about important upcoming events.

Online Reviews

Attorneys typically post client testimonials on their websites. Although client testimonials give you insight into a lawyer’s reputation, you also should read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google to determine the skill level of every personal injury lawyer on your shortlist. Look for common positive attributes mentioned by numerous clients. We also recommend that you check out every attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.

How to Expedite Claims With a Car Accident Attorney

The moment of truth has arrived.

You have just gotten involved in a car accident, and how you react determines whether you receive compensation for the medical bills and property damage associated with your case. Calling 911, obtaining witness contact information, and taking photos of the accident scene are a few of the important steps to take after a motor vehicle collision. The most important step is the step that sets the wheels in motion for you to receive just compensation.

The step involves contacting a state-licensed car accident attorney.

A car accident attorney provides you with several types of legal support, from interviewing witnesses to reviewing a copy of the official police report. One of the most important types of legal support is to help you file an insurance claim that gets you compensated for financial losses.

Let’s see how an experienced car accident lawyer can help you expedite a car insurance claim.

Interacts with the Insurance Adjuster

Auto insurance companies prefer to deal with policyholders who file claims without the legal support of a car accident attorney. Without the legal support of an experienced vehicle collision lawyer, your insurance company might try to take advantage of you by proposing a lowball claim offer. Another tactic used by car insurance companies is for adjusters to delay processing claims. By interacting with the insurance adjuster processing your claim, the car accident attorney working your case applies the right amount of pressure to ensure your claim moves through the processing system in a timely manner.

Submits Persuasive Evidence

The most common reason why insurance adjusters deny claims concerns the submission of underwhelming physical evidence. By hiring an accomplished lawyer, you submit the types of persuasive physical evidence that get your claim approved without you having to wait months to receive compensation. Your car accident lawyer refers to the official police report to acquire physical evidence, as well as the photos that you took at the scene of the accident such as photos of tire marks and the damage done to your motor vehicle. One of the most convincing pieces of physical evidence is the footage captured by a traffic and/or security camera.

Submitting convincing physical evidence should expedite your car insurance claim.

Assists With Completing the Claim Form

Did you know that just one mistake found on a car insurance claim form can send your claim to the end of the line for review? Even if you fail to include your middle initial in the right space, the insurance adjuster processing your claim can send it back denied. Enlisting the help of a car accident attorney to file your claim ensures that you do not make any mistakes, as well as leaving any of the mandatory spaces blank. Your lawyer also explains what each section means to help you gain a much better understanding of what your insurance company expects from a valid claim.

Calculates a Reasonable Value for Compensation

Another frequent reason why insurance adjusters deny claims concerns the filing of an unreasonable value for compensation. A car accident lawyer calculates a fair value for compensation by first adding up all the tangible costs, such as the cost of medical care and the value of repairing property damage. You have the right to receive compensation for the costs associated with diagnostic tests, treatment programs, and physical therapy sessions. Your car accident attorney also calculates a value for noneconomic damages, like the symptoms that develop because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD).

Negotiate a Settlement

If your insurance company denies a claim, you have the right to file an appeal. However, filing an appeal prolongs the claim review process. Your car accident attorney can propose at any time that both parties meet to negotiate a settlement. Negotiations start when your lawyer presents an initial offer that includes a reasonable value for compensation. The insurance adjuster processing your claim can either accept or deny the initial offer. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both parties reach a settlement or decide to move on to the appeals process.