Questions You Should Ask An Accident Lawyer

If you are involved in an accident and feel someone else is at fault, you are entitled to ask for injury compensation.  Your chances of winning a claim go up dramatically when you hire a lawyer to guide you through the process.  Research by the Insurance Research Council proves that people who consult with an attorney about making a claim for injury receive 40 percent more money than those who do not consult a lawyer.  People who hired a lawyer receive more than three times the money as other claimants.

You should ask a competent lawyer what rights you have and how they need protected.  You need to ask who will be paying hospital and medical bills, prescription expenses, lost income, and claims for pain and suffering.  You need to ask what forms or papers have to be filled out, who should get the claim letters, and how insurance companies should be notified.  The question for your lawyer is; can you do this for me?

Questions you will ask a prospective attorney will be different for each injury claim. The most important question to ask is if they specialize in one particular area.  You will want to be sure your lawyer is competent and experienced in handling the claim you will be filing.  Similar to, it's all right to ask how many other cases they have handled and what the outcomes were.  You might not be told a client's name because of confidentiality laws, but you have the right to know how many cases the attorney has won.

You also will want to know if they are the only attorneys that will be working on your case.  If other attorneys will be involved you will want to meet them and be assured they have your best interests at heart and qualified to answer questions for you.  If your main attorney is on vacation, you will want to know who can answer questions for you and keep you up-to-date on your case.  Along the same lines, how long does it take to get a return phone call from the law firm?  Will the attorney or law office keep you informed about the progress of y our claim?

Another question you will want answered is how long will it take to settle the case?  That is a tricky question because each case is different but a good attorney should be able to give you some idea of how long the case will take.  Personal injury claims and worker's comp claims may take a longtime to settle.  Be prepared to go the distance with your claim. 

Finally you should ask the attorney if they are willing to go to court if you are not happy with a settlement offer.  Are they willing to follow your wishes when it comes time to decide how to settle the claim?  Many times a settlement will be offered that you might want to accept but the lawyer believes they can do better by going to trial.  He or she should be willing to go along with your wishes in settling the injury claim.