Not all personal injury attorneys are created equal. A great personal injury lawyer can make the difference between a full and fair financial settlement and no settlement at all. They know how to gather the right evidence, navigate complex legal rules, and negotiate effectively with insurance companies. By knowing the questions to ask a personal injury attorney and choosing a lawyer with the right qualities, you have a much better chance of getting the compensation you deserve without having to switch lawyers part way through the process.
Conversely, a bad personal injury lawyer can seriously jeopardize your chance of receiving fair compensation for your injuries. Lack of experience, inadequate skills, and poor communication can cause an attorney to make critical errors that delay your case, weaken your claim, or even result in a complete loss. Here are some of the most common ways a bad personal injury lawyer can make a mess of your case:
- Missed deadlines and paperwork errors
- Poor communication
- Weak negotiation skills
- Inadequate case preparation
- Lack of trial experience
Top 10 Questions to Ask a Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one is looking for a personal injury attorney who can effectively fight for your legal rights after an injury, it is very important to carefully evaluate your options. Here is a list of questions to ask to make sure you choose the right advocate for your case:
- Do I have a case? The first question to ask is whether you have a case. A personal injury attorney should have a thorough understanding of your state’s injury laws, be able to determine whether another party’s negligence caused your accident, and ultimately whether you have a valid case.
- Who will work on my case? This is very important because many law firms (especially big, out of town firms) will take on far more cases than their attorneys can handle and effectively pass off the work to their legal team while the client can’t ever get a hold of the attorney.
- How long will my case take? Personal injury cases often take one to three years to reach resolution, but your attorney should be able to give you an approximate timeframe based on the complexity of your case. For example, multi-vehicle accidents or accidents with shared or disputed fault can take longer to settle.
- What is my case worth? It’s important to understand what your case is worth upfront so that you know whether the settlement offer from the insurance company is fair. Your injury attorney should be able to give you an estimated case value based on the severity of your injuries, the extent of the property damage, and any estimated lost wages or future medical expenses you may incur.
- What are my case weaknesses? When you first meet with an accident lawyer, they should be able to spot any case weaknesses that will need to be overcome, such as gaps in medical records, unclear accident details, lack of witnesses, or potential challenges to liability.
- What is your fee structure? Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means they do not ask for payment up front and are only compensated through a percentage of the settlement (typically 30%-40%). You will want to confirm these details.
- How many years have you been a practicing personal injury attorney? It’s important to choose an attorney who has years of experience practicing personal injury law in your state. An experienced injury lawyer will understand the laws and have likely developed a network of expert contacts—such as medical professionals and accident reconstruction specialists—who can help strengthen your case.
- Do you have trial experience? While the vast majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court, you want to have a lawyer who is not afraid to go to trial (and has a record of success taking cases to trial), if necessary, to force the insurance companies to do the right thing.
- How do you communicate with clients? It’s important to know whether a lawyer and his legal team will keep you up to date as the case progresses and how you can reach them to ask questions.
- What is your track record of success? Ask the attorney how many cases they have handled and how many they have successfully settled or taken to trial.
Seek the Help of a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! Since 1979, our personal injury law firm, Tario & Associates, P.S., has been dedicated to fighting for the rights of people injured throughout Washington State, with local offices in Bellingham and Mount Vernon to serve residents of Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
