If you’ve never hired a lawyer before, you might not be familiar with how the process works. While it’s usually straightforward, there are hidden factors that most people don’t know to look for.
It’s important to understand how a personal injury claim operates and to know what to expect from your personal injury lawyer throughout the case. To help you communicate clearly with your lawyer and set clear expectations from the start, here are three questions you should ask to make sure you get the representation and protection you deserve.
Popular culture has painted a picture of lawyers always arguing before a judge and jury. However, most cases never enter a courtroom, because they’re settled between the two parties before a lawsuit is filed. While this is a great thing most of the time because it saves everyone time and money, you still need a lawyer who is willing to go to court.
If a lawyer doesn’t have experience going to court or isn’t willing to, it is doubtful they will represent you well or fight for the settlement you deserve. Often, insurance companies don’t want to pay for all of your medical bills, because they’re trying to protect their profits. As a result, they’ll offer an amount significantly below what your case is worth. If a lawyer tells you they don’t ever go to trial, it probably means they are advising their clients to accept this low offer.
Just because a lawyer practices personal injury law, that doesn’t mean they have the experience to adequately handle a case like yours. There are many different kinds of personal injury cases, and most lawyers specialize in a few of them.
Usually, it’s easy to tell if an attorney handles cases like yours. For instance, most attorneys who handle car accidents advertise this fact on their websites. But if you or a loved one have been involved in a more niche case, like an injury at an industrial plant or a catastrophic event, you should ask the attorney if they have experience with these types of cases before you start working together.
If the attorney you’ve chosen hasn’t handled cases like yours, ask them to refer you to someone who has. This way, you’ll know you’re working with someone who can represent you appropriately, from the consultation to the settlement.
Before you start working with an attorney, there are a few numbers you need to know:
While this may seem simple, many people don’t understand how their attorney’s fee structure works until after the case has been settled. Then they’re blindsided by the numbers and don’t understand why they aren’t receiving 100% of the final settlement amount. It’s important to know what you’re estimated to receive from the beginning and what you’ll be expected to pay as well.
Working with an attorney on a personal injury case can be a great experience that helps you get your life back on track after an accident. The money you receive can help pay medical bills, recover lost wages, and supplement an altered quality of life.
Whether you’re injured in a car wreck, bike wreck, or some unusual catastrophic event, you need to clearly communicate with your attorney so you can understand how they operate, the kinds of cases they’re experienced with, and the financial numbers involved in your case. If you don’t ask these questions from the beginning, you may be surprised to learn that your case didn’t function the way you believed it would.
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in an accident in Colorado, you need an attorney you can trust. I would love to hear from you and learn more about your case. I offer free consultations, so it won’t cost you anything to reach out to me and share the details of your accident. Give me a call at 720-805-1193.
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