After a serious accident, having to deal with a legal battle to get compensation may seem like an extremely burdensome and stressful undertaking. Getting the right legal counsel for your claim can make the process a lot easier to navigate. When you are going to meet with a prospective attorney for a consultation, you should take a few minutes to prepare questions. Some thoughtful questions can give you a good sense of an attorney’s competencies and also ease stress by letting you know more about what to expect from the process of pursuing a legal remedy.
What Experience Do You Have Representing Clients in Personal Injury Cases?
It is important to choose legal counsel that has sufficient knowledge about how to help a personal injury victim successfully seek a remedy. A lawyer that does work that involves an entirely different area of the law may not be familiar with all of the procedural logistics involved in a personal injury representation.
What Does My Case’s Timeline Look Like?
Personal injury plaintiffs may need legal relief right away, but they may have to wait a considerable length of time before they are able to avail themselves of a remedy. Ask a lawyer what he or she thinks about the possible timeline for getting a settlement and judgment. In addition, ask about what factors could affect the duration of a claim.
What Is Your Fee Structure?
In personal injury lawsuits, it is common for legal fee structures to defer payment obligations until a client has collected a settlement or judgment. Lawyers who work on this type of contingency basis will not require payment unless you are successful. It is common for firms that work on contingency to collect approximately one third of an award for damages. Be sure that you understand how much you will have to pay for services and when your payment will become due.
What Is My Claim Worth?
A lawyer cannot make any express guarantees about what he or she can help you recover by way of compensation. However, experienced counsel may have some insight about what plaintiffs with similar claims have recovered in the past. Some factors which may impact the value of a settlement or judgment for a personal injury claim could include the severity of injuries, your economic damages, and the egregiousness of the defendant’s wrongdoing.
What Evidence Do I Need to Win My Case?
A lawyer can help you identify your case’s evidentiary strengths and weaknesses. In personal injury actions, you don’t need to prove your case beyond a reasonable doubt if it advances to trial. It is necessary only to establish that your claim is more likely than not to be true. In order to meet this burden of proof, your counsel will need to assist you in compiling key evidence providing what happened. Examples of supporting evidence can include medical records, videos, photographs, and testimony from witnesses.
Get questions organized before meeting with an attorney. It will help you assess an attorney’s competencies and help you ascertain whether you can communicate well with one another.
