If you’ve been in a car accident that’s more than just a fender-bender, you’ll probably want the counsel or services of the best car accident attorneys you can find. The point is you don’t want to hire just any attorney for your serious injury claim. You want someone who has a good amount of experience representing people that have had personal injury cases similar to yours. However, not only do you want an experienced attorney but you also want one that you genuinely feel you can trust.
How to Begin Your Search for the Best Car Accident Attorneys
There are several ways to find the best car accident attorneys. Remember, you are hiring them to do work for you. So, the same way you would shop for a contractor to build your house or for a serviceperson to do some extensive work, in a nutshell, what you want to do is get some referrals and then comparison shop. You, ultimately, are in control of who you decide to hire.
Once you get the names of several car accident attorneys, call them to set up a meeting time, and then meet with them so that you can discuss your case face to face. You want to see how they treat you, how they communicate with you, and just the overall vibe you get in general from being around them.
But realize that just because you have a claim and they are an attorney, it doesn’t mean they will automatically take your case. In other words, don’t be alarmend if they reject your case. Don’t take it personal. They’re not rejecting you; they’re rejecting your case. The fact of the matter is attorneys do not take cases if they fall below a certain potential recovery amount, or if the claim is not crystal clear, especially when you’re trying to hire the best car accident attorneys.
Here’s Where You Can Look for Referrals to Find the Best Car Accident Attorneys
Family and Friends
The first and easiest place to start looking for the best car accident attorneys is by talking with family, friends, coworkers or acquaintances who have been represented by a car accident attorney. If someone has a good recommendation for an attorney, write the name on your list as a potential candidate to interview. Please understand this though. You should not choose an attorney based solely on someone else’s recommendation.
Attorneys are people and different people can have a different experience with the same car accident attorney. Not everyone will relate the same way to an attorney’s style and personality. To put it simply, don’t make up your mind about attempting to hire the best car accident attorneys until you’ve met with them, discussed your case, and decided that you feel comfortable working with them and believe you can trust them to handle your case.
Other Attorneys
If you have some type of attorney that you consult or work with already, they can be a source for a referral. Attorneys routinely refer cases to one another, and most attorneys will know someone else who handles personal injury cases. As with referrals from family or friends, don’t make your decision to hire the best car accident attorneys based solely on another attorney’s word. Just like before, put their name on your list as a potential candidate that you will research further.
Referral Services
Most local bar associations have referral services where lawyers are available. (A simple Google search for “local bar associations” can help you there.) However there’s something you need to understand. Not all state bar associations are set up the same way. Some are unified and some are voluntary. Likewise, not all of the attorney referral services are set up the same way.
Some lawyer referral services carefully screen attorneys and list only those attorneys with particular qualifications and a certain amount of past experience, while other services will list any attorney in good standing with the state bar who maintains liability insurance. So to gain greater clarity, when you contact a lawyer referral service, just be sure to inquire about what its qualifications are for including an attorney and how carefully are attorneys screened. In your internet search, you may find that some local bar associations have websites and some of that information may be listed on there.
While an attorney referral service can obviously be a good referral source for the best car accident attorneys, you still can’t base your decision to hire a car accident attorney on this alone. Like always, you put them on the list as a potential candidate to meet and interview face to face.
Choosing the Best Car Accident Attorneys for You
You’ve asked around, inquired, done some research, made a list, and set appointments. Now, to find out whether a particular car accident attorney is right for you, you have to sit down with the attorney to discuss your claim and possible ways of handling it. However, so that they can have a better idea and are able to better advise you about your claim, don’t go empty handed. You need to take copies of all your documents like police report, medical records and bills, income loss information, and any and all correspondence with the insurance company.
Most attorneys don’t charge for a free initial consultation. However, you still need to ask, before you meet with the attorney, whether or not they will charge you for the first interview. And please listen. If an attorney wants to charge you just for discussing whether or not they will take your case, politely decline to meet with them, cross them off your list, and move on to the next one.
If after meeting with who you feel are the best car accident attorneys, because you are confident in their experience and comfortable with their strategy in handling your case, chance are you have indeed found the best car accident attorneys to work with.
Working with the Best Car Accident Attorneys
On a final note, once you’ve found the best car accident attorneys, your job isn’t entirely over. You’ll need to discuss with them a clear, written fee agreement and then keep in contact with them to make sure your case is progressing as it should.
NEXT SEE: Be Clear About What to Do after You Hire a Vehicle Accident Attorney
Additional Resources for Personal Injury or Accidents:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_injury
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Personal_Injury_Lawyers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_injury_lawyer
http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/xchg/justice/hs.xsl/default.htm (American Association for Justice)
http://www.apil.org.uk/ (Association of Personal Injury Lawyers)