Many people find themselves in car accidents every year and get hurt, often through no fault of their own. They may be harmed as a result of a vehicle fault, another driver’s negligence, or even road safety issues caused by roadworks, etc.
If you end up in a crash for a reason that isn’t your fault, you may want to hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you in legal proceedings. With so many people to choose from, though, it can be tough deciding which is best. Read on for some tips for selecting a solicitor for your needs if the time comes.
Understand Your Goals
Your first step is to get clear on your specific goals for hiring a personal injury lawyer. You might think everyone has the same outcomes in mind, but this isn’t the case. For example, you may be after a Denver car accident lawyer to help you get compensation for medical expenses racked up as a result of a crash caused by another party in the city, or you might want to find a lawyer who handles broader, nationwide cases against car manufacturers selling faulty vehicles, etc.
You may want to recover costs incurred in not being able to work for a time or those to repair your vehicle, or you may want to receive a much larger sum based on psychological trauma or other problems that have stemmed from the accident you were involved in. Get clear on your reasons for hiring a lawyer, and you’ll find it quicker and easier to narrow down prospective options and find the best person for your needs.
Do Plenty of Research
It’s vital to do plenty of research on your legal choices, too. Rather than going with the first lawyer, you see or the one that’s based closest to you, look into all the ones you might be able to use in your city, region, state, or even country that could be a good fit. Use websites, social media pages, referrals from your contacts, advertisement listings, and the like to sift through options and develop a shortlist to learn more about.
Once you have your shortlist, check that the people on it are suitably qualified and licensed and find out how much experience they have in the personal injury area.
Be on the Lookout for a Specialist
As you research personal injury lawyers, look for specialists. While many people in the legal field can and do handle not just personal injury but other areas, like family law, employment, labor law, corporate law, etc., this means they’re not specialists. It’s best to find lawyers who know personal injury law inside and out because that’s the area they focus on and understand best.
These experts will have a better idea of precedents and new regulations and can tell what chance of success you have if you pursue things in court versus potentially taking a settlement.
Get Insights from Past Clients
The next step is to see what past clients have thought about the lawyers on your shortlist. Where possible, speak with people personally who have directly employed firms and litigators, especially if they hired them for personal injury matters. Get some insights into how they found dealing with the lawyer(s) and what results they achieved. Ask if they’d hire the legal personnel again if they needed representation and if they’ve referred any of their family or friends to the lawyer since using them.
If you’re unable to get contact details of past clients, at least look to social media sites, forums, blog posts, and other places for online reviews and testimonials that people have posted about different lawyers and the firms they work for. See if they generally receive positive feedback or not, and steer clear of those that get negative reviews after negative reviews.
Have an Introductory Meeting to Get a Feel for Lawyers
Once you’ve whittled your list down to five or fewer people to contact, set up introductory meetings with each. These chats can help you get a feel for lawyers and see if they communicate well, if you get a good gut feeling about them, and if they seem to know their stuff or not.
Have a shortlist of questions on hand to prompt you as the meetings go on that might cover your case, who will work on it if you hire the firm, what their average results are, and how they would suggest moving forward if you hired them.
If you keep all these elements in mind when selecting a personal injury lawyer after a car accident, you should find the process runs more smoothly and end up with more favorable results.