Top 15 Questions To Ask Your Personal Injury Lawyer
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
If you are looking to hire a personal injury lawyer, there are a few things you are going to want to know about the person you are hiring. We’ve come up with a list of 15 simple questions that you can ask when you are looking to interview a potential firm to take your case.1) What is your specialty? What area of law do you have the most practice with? This is an important detail to know about the firm that you are hiring. You don’t want to hire a lawyer that specializes in an area of law that has nothing to do with your case. You’ll have the best chance of a positive outcome if you use a lawyer who has handled a similar case before and has experience with how to present it in court.
2) What is your fee? You should always know upfront what you are going to be expected to pay. Most of the time the fee depends on the outcome of the case. This is called a contingency fee. This contingency fee can usually be anywhere between 25% and 40% of what you will be getting. If you have a very strong case, your lawyer may charge you less because the evidence is right there.
3) Will I be responsible for any fees if we lose? As we said above, usually the cost of your case depends on the outcome. You can ask for a guarantee that you will not be charged any fees if you lose the case, giving you peace of mind that your lawyer will be motivated to win your case for you. It gives both of you the motivation to work together and win the case.
4) Have you brought a case like this to trial before? A lawyer who has handled many similar cases has learned how to present the evidence in front of the court in a way that will convince everyone to take your side. Sometimes personal injury lawyers will jump at the opportunity to handle your case without having any prior experience. They may try to bully you into letting them take your case. Be sure that you are getting what you are looking for when you hire a lawyer.
5) How many of these cases have you handled? Again, the more cases under a lawyer’s belt, the better your chances to win the case. Ask for actual numbers, not a ballpark estimate. If a lawyer tells you they have only handled one or two cases like yours, that could be a red flag. If they have handled hundreds, they probably have the experience you are looking for.
6) How long did it take to resolve? This answer will help you understand how the process works, and how your lawyer intends to proceed.
7) How often will we communicate? This question will give you an understanding of how often you can expect to hear from your lawyer. You should expect to be kept in the loop, but chances are you will not be contacted every single day.
8) How big is your current caseload? Will you have time to handle my case now? If the firm is too busy to file your case within the next two weeks, you should probably take your business elsewhere. Sometimes cases can sit at a firm for weeks or months before someone gets a chance to file it. You don’t want to wait that long to see results.
9) What is this case worth? This will give you an idea about what you can expect. Personal injury lawyers make their money by winning their case, so they will want to help you get the most money possible from your case. If you interview a couple of lawyers, you can compare where they stand on the spectrum to help make your final decision.
10) What should I do if my insurance company offers a settlement? What is your lawyer going to recommend that you do if you receive a settlement? Should you take it? Or should you continue on to court? This is another answer that you can compare among the firms you are interviewing.
11) Have you ever been suspended from practicing law? If so, why? You should know the history of your lawyer. You will want to know what kind of lawyer you are dealing with before you embark.
12) Will you be the actual attorney handling my case? The person who you interview may not always be the same person handling your case. Sometimes cases are handed off to the smaller lawyers in the firm. This can work out too, but they need to be honest and upfront about their intentions.
13) What will my role be in all of this? You should have an understanding of what your lawyer will expect from you during your case.
14) Can I get a few references from your previous cases? References will also tell you what kind of firm you are dealing with. Good references say a lot. People who have had not-so-good experiences may have some information that you want to hear before hiring the same lawyer to take on your case.
15) Why should I choose you to take my case? This question has no official answer. You should just ask it and see what they answer with. Maybe you’ll love the answer. Or maybe you’ll hate it. It will tell you a lot about the person you are hiring, and may be a great reason to hire them.