10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

The lawyer you appoint to represent you with your personal injury claim will prove pivotal to how successful you are in claiming and receiving the amount of compensation you are entitled to after an accident.

Searching someone like Sam Adams lawyer, will lead you to the sort of representation that usually proves critical to how easy and positive your experience and outcome proves to be. How do you make the right decision?

Here’s a look at the key questions you should ask before appointing a personal injury attorney.

How many cases do you take on that are referrals?

It’s hard to gauge how good your lawyer is without knowing a bit more about them. You can look up their credentials by checking things like professional legal databases, but that will only get you so far.

Often, the best guide is when a lawyer gets a percentage of their work from referrals. These might be from satisfied clients, or it could be fellow lawyers who practice law in different areas and come to your lawyer when they have a personal injury case to deal with.

Do you offer a free consultation?

It’s common practice to offer a free initial consultation. Some might even offer to handle your case on a no-win, no-fee basis.

Offering to meet you to assess your potential claim should be something that every good lawyer will offer you.

What do you mean by offering no fee if no settlement is achieved?

The majority of lawyers will agree to handle your fee on what is called a contingency basis. This means they will take an agreed percentage cut of your settlement, but won’t charge a fee unless an amount is recovered.

Check what these charges will be.

Ask what resources your lawyer has to be able to handle your claim efficiently

Some compensation claims can be very time-consuming and complex. If your claim is likely to be less than straightforward, ask whether your lawyer has a team and sufficient resources to take a case like this to trial.

Ask whether your lawyer specializes in personal injury claims

You can find lawyers who handle all sorts of different case work, but you really want one with knowledge and experience specific to personal injury claims. Ask about their experience to confirm they have the know-how required.

What sort of track record do you have?

It can be reassuring to know that your lawyer has years of personal injury litigation behind them. Ask them how long they have been handling this type of work.

Do you have trial experience?

You might be surprised to learn that a lot of personal injury lawyers actually have minimal jury trial experience. This is because some try to reach a settlement out of court.

If you have a lawyer representing you with trial experience, this can help convince the insurance company that a low settlement offer won’t work as your representative is ready and prepared to go to court rather than take the best settlement available beforehand.

Ask if your lawyer is a member of any legal organization that specializes in personal injury litigation

There are several organizations, such as the American Association of Justice, that are known for representing the interests of injured people. If your lawyer is a member of something like this, it shows their commitment to pursuing personal injury claims.

Do you have board certification?

Having this certification is an indication of the level of their courtroom experience. You can only become a board certified civil trial lawyer as a result of having a track record in this field.

Ask yourself if you are happy with your choice of lawyer

Once you have asked all of these questions, you will have a clearer idea of whether you have found the right personal injury lawyer. If you are satisfied with their responses and feel comfortable that your chosen lawyer will do a good job, based on what you know about them, it’s time to set them to work.

Never be afraid to ask as many questions as you need when choosing a personal injury lawyer. Their input is going to be vital when it comes to getting you the compensation you deserve.