Important Questions To Ask When Hiring An Accident Attorney
Have you recently been in a car accident that was not your fault? Are you worried about whether or not you'll be able to cover all of the expenses that are now piling up? Being involved in an accident can be a difficult and trying time for anyone. Trying to handle everything on your own can make a difficult time even more stressful. But finding an appropriate lawyer can sometimes seem like a waste of time and energy when there are so many other things that need to be taken care of. But once you find a good attorney, your list of things that need to be done should shorten dramatically. In order to make the task of finding a lawyer easier, here are some questions that can help you decide whether an attorney is right for you:
Who else will be working on this case? It's a common practice for a car crash attorney to hand some of the paperwork and assorted tasks off to somebody else. For example, they may have their paralegal or secretary draw up some of the court documents that need to be filed so that the case can proceed. The attorney will then look over these documents before filing them with the court. Your lawyer might also hire a private investigator to track down witnesses that will be vital to your case. A good lawyer will have a number of staff members and experts who will use their expertise to get you the money that you deserve.
How much do you charge? Your friends and relatives may have tried to advise you not to even use a car crash attorney in the first place, due to the potential high fees involved. But what they may not have realized is that many lawyers who handle these types of cases do not charge you anything unless they win your case. Once you've gotten your settlement, they'll take their fees out of whatever you have gotten, usually in a set percentage. However, while the lawyer might figure certain fees into his or her percentage, you may also be required to pay whatever witness fees an expert witness might charge or any private investigator wages that were accumulated during the course of your case, so it's a good idea to know beforehand who will be paying for what.
How long do you think this case will take? Depending on how busy your local court is and what documents the defense files, your case could come to trial relatively quickly or it could drag on for many months. Although your car crash attorney won't be able to give you an exact number, he or she can give you an estimate based on past experience. If you have a relatively strong case, you may be offered a reasonable settlement very early on, while a slightly weaker case could be one of the ones that might drag on. Having an estimate can help you to make plans for the future.
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