How to find a good Car Accident Lawyer

Author: RobertAllison | Posted: 17.08.2012

Before you can get a car accident lawyer to represent you, you have to know the basics of how to find an effective one. Since not all attorneys are created equal, it really pays to do a bit of research from your end instead of just settling on the first car accident lawyer you come across. Depending on what sort of lawyer you end up hiring, you can expect to get really different results. Here is what you should keep in mind when you need a lawyer to represent you in the aftermath of a vehicle accident.

The first thing that you want to do is determine the record of success of whichever attorney you are thinking of hiring. If the lawyer in question has a good record of success, then it strongly indicates that he or she will be able to successfully get you off with whatever your legal troubles may be. At the same time, you should be interested in investigating if the lawyer you are looking at has a good amount of experience in trying cases similar to your own. Even in the event that you are thinking about settling out of court, you should get a lawyer who has a good reputation as a trial lawyer. After all, there might still be a requirement for you to go to court in order to receive just compensation for either your injuries or any sustained damages. You should also know that having a trial lawyer with a good reputation will come in handy into scaring some insurance companies into proposing bigger settlements; insurance companies, as a rule of thumb, usually want to prevent a trial in court!

Besides knowing if your lawyer will be competent in court to represent you, it is also a good idea to know how much he or she will be charging you. A car accident lawyer can charge you either an hourly rate or a contingency fee, with most of these lawyers choosing the contingency fee option instead. The contingency fee means that you will not have to pay the lawyer anything, at least not upfront. The way that it works is that a car accident lawyer is usually going to get a share of either your award or your settlement as a way of being compensated for their representation. Normally, this share works out to around 33 percent of the total award or settlement. Of course, a car accident lawyer is not going to be paid for failure; to get this contingency fee; he or she will have to be successful in representing you.

Finally, it also does not hurt to inquire if your lawyer is a member of his or her state’s trial lawyer association because belonging to such a group indicates a dedication on the lawyer’s part to effective and swift justice. Rounding out the list of what to look for in a car accident lawyer are the school the lawyer went to, how long he or she has been practicing, and if he or she has any additional training.

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