Find the best car accident lawyer near you by searching online and asking for recommendations from friends, family, and coworkers. You can also respond to advertisements in your city, whether on billboards or elsewhere. Finding prospective lawyers is not difficult, but finding the best lawyer requires more time and effort.
You can evaluate a law firm’s results and reputation to determine if they are fit to lead your case. Completing one or more free consultations can also help you narrow down the firms that are best suited to lead your case. You have nothing to lose by beginning your search for the right car accident attorney.
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What Does the “Best” Lawyer Mean?
Many qualified law firms may take your car accident case. Only you can decide which firm is the best for you, and you can make the determination by considering:
The Law Firm’s Location
Law firms vary in size and location. Some firms have offices throughout one or more states, while others may have a single location. While your lawyer should be willing to travel to you for case-related appointments, you should seek a firm with an office in or near your city.
Proximity is important during a car accident case because:
- Your lawyer must secure evidence for your case as soon as possible.
- You should meet with your lawyer in person whenever necessary.
- A law firm with a local presence may already be familiar with local streets and courts.
- A law firm with a local office may have an investment in the safety of the community and, therefore, may bring additional commitment to your case.
The firm does not necessarily have to be in your city but should be close enough to handle your case with urgency and personal attention.
Former Clients’ Reviews
Few people know more about a law firm than its clients.
Seek reviews from former clients, which may tell you:
- The most positive aspects of the law firm.
- A law firm’s potential shortcomings.
- Whether a law firm delivers on the promises in its marketing materials.
- How the law firm tends to resolve cases (including whether it is willing to take the case to court).
- Other unique details about the firm.
You are a soon-to-be client. Therefore, the experiences of clients before you may prove immensely valuable.
The Number and Size of the Firm’s Case Results
You may face damages costing tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, as these are realistic valuations for car accidents. Knowing this, you should only hire a law firm with a robust record of financial recoveries.
The Number of Jury Verdicts the Firm Has Recovered
Pay close attention to the types of case results the firm has secured.
Jury verdicts are especially important because:
- In many cases, you and your car accident lawyer will face the decision of accepting a settlement or going to trial.
- Some law firms would rather accept an easy settlement than take cases to trial.
- If the law firm has obtained many jury verdicts, it indicates it is willing to accept the risk and cost of going to trial when necessary.
Your lawyer should be willing to do what it takes to secure all of the compensation you deserve, even if they have to go to court to do so. Find a firm with a documented history of succeeding at trial.
How the Firm’s Team Member Treats You During a Consultation
Free consultations provide direct interaction with a law firm at no cost.
Take this chance to:
- Ask any questions you have about the law firm or your case.
- Hear the firm’s reasoning for why you should choose it for your case.
- Evaluate the type of service the firm’s team member is providing.
You may ask the law firm which lawyer will be handling your case and whether that lawyer will take your case to trial if necessary.
You may have other ways of evaluating prospective car accident attorneys. Consider any information and experiences you believe are relevant to choosing the best car accident lawyer near you.
The Challenges of a Car Accident Case Require a Capable Lawyer
The phrase secure a fair settlement sounds simple, but actually obtaining a fair financial recovery is far more challenging than it might seem. Among the challenges that a car accident lawyer faces are:
Diagnosing the Cause of an Accident
Your attorney must determine exactly why your car accident occurred.
The countless causes of an accident include:
- Distracted driving
- Impaired driving
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Vehicle defects
- Downed traffic signs
- Defective traffic signals
- Confusing intersections
- Absent lane markings
- Reckless actions by bicyclists, pedestrians, and scooter riders
- Loose animals
Your lawyer will work with automotive professionals and their investigators to document the cause of your car accident.
Dealing with Bad-Faith Insurance Tactics
Insurance companies have virtually endless financial resources they can use to fight car accident claims. For instance, Progressive Insurance has a market capitalization of nearly $84 billion, giving you an idea of how massive auto insurers are.
Insurers may use several tactics to avoid paying you fairly for your accident, including:
- Denying your claim without a valid basis for doing so.
- Diminishing the severity of your injuries.
- Failing to recognize specific losses like pain and suffering.
- Offering lowball settlements.
- Refusing to budge on lowball settlement offers (initially, at least).
- Delaying the claims process.
Car accident lawyers will face such tactics head-on, blunting the insurer’s attempts to underpay you for accident-related damages.
Valuing Non-Economic Damages
Pain and suffering may be one of multiple non-economic damages you suffer because of your car accident.
You need a lawyer to calculate these damages because:
- They are totally unique to each car accident victim.
- They do not have a clear financial value (it is difficult to measure the cost of depression, for example).
- There are specific methods for calculating the value of pain and suffering, but there are judgment calls when making such calculations.
Attorneys have a wealth of experience calculating pain and suffering and other non-economic damages. They will work with mental health professionals to evaluate your pain and suffering and determine its financial cost.
Negotiating a Fair Financial Settlement
Most car accident cases end in a settlement agreement. However, you should not be content to secure just any amount of compensation. You should strive to secure all the compensation you need to cover accident-related damages.
An attorney will:
- Secure the evidence of negligence and documentation necessary for a strong case.
- Calculate the exact amount of compensation you are entitled to.
- Negotiate with insurers or other liable parties to secure the compensation you deserve.
Negotiations are not something that the typical car accident victim is familiar with. Therefore, having a car accident attorney lead negotiations may result in your desired outcome.
Drafting and Filing Lawsuits
Lawsuits require a strong knowledge of legal terminology, procedures, and paperwork. If you want the option of suing liable parties for the compensation you deserve, an attorney affords you that opportunity.
A car accident lawyer will:
- Have experience drafting and filing car accident lawsuits.
- Know and abide by the deadline for filing your case.
- Draft and file your lawsuit on time, in the proper court, and without errors.
Your attorney won’t stop at filing the lawsuit. They will also resolve the rest of the legal process, including trial if necessary.
Completing Trials
Trial is another obligation that most car accident victims cannot handle on their own. This process can be complex, time-consuming, and stressful. Don’t try to learn the complexities of a trial and complete the process on your own. Allow a car accident lawyer to represent you.
How Car Accident Lawyers Seek Compensation for Clients
Your attorney will pursue your financial recovery by:
- Acquiring evidence: Your lawyer will seek eyewitness accounts, video footage, and any other evidence to help your claim or lawsuit. Gathering such evidence is a time-sensitive priority.
- Detailing your damages: Attorneys must provide a vivid picture of their clients’ damages, using medical records, employment records, expert testimony, and other documentation.
- Calculating a settlement target: Your damages have a specific financial value. Your car accident lawyer will consider both your economic and non-economic damages when setting the anchor point for settlement negotiations.
- Negotiating the settlement: Your lawyer will lead all settlement negotiations. They may be up against experienced negotiators, and your attorney’s own experience may be immensely useful.
- Considering trial (and completing a trial, if you choose to): If liable parties never offer a settlement covering your damages, your attorney may file a lawsuit. Trial may also be a possibility, and your lawyer will discuss these topics if they become relevant to your case.
Let an attorney do what they do best. Focus on your health while your car accident attorney fights for you.
Recoverable Damages in Your Car Accident Case
The best car accident attorneys have a long history of negotiating substantial settlements and winning judgments at trial.
Your lawyer will develop a complete record of your recoverable losses, which may include:
- Healthcare costs: Your doctors will provide paperwork for accident-related medical care to your attorney. Your lawyer may retain medical professionals to help calculate the short- and long-term cost of your medical care.
- Professional harm: Your professional damages may include lost income, missed bonus opportunities, lost earning power, and other harm related to your job. An attorney can review your past employment records, consider the duration of your work loss, and project the total cost of your professional damages.
- Pain and suffering: Your car accident attorney will consider any pain, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other types of pain and suffering from your car accident.
- Vehicle repairs: The cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle should be factored into your case. You should also receive compensation for the cost of temporary transportation while your vehicle is undergoing repair.
If you have to replace other property because of the car accident, your lawyer will include those costs in your claim or lawsuit.
There Is No Out-of-Pocket Cost to Hire a Car Accident Attorney
You won’t have to lose sleep over the cost of hiring a car accident attorney.
Most lawyers who represent auto accident lawyers work for contingency fees, which means:
- The law firm does not receive any upfront or out-of-pocket payment from you.
- The law firm pays for every case-related expense.
- Your lawyer brings on experts to help with your case, and you don’t pay any extra fee for these services.
- Your lawyer receives a percentage of any settlement or verdict they obtain for you.
- You owe the law firm nothing unless they get compensation for you.
This no-risk financial arrangement enables you to hire the best lawyer for your case. Your law firm will have a clear financial motivation to win, as payment is tied to their performance.
The Risk of Waiting to Hire Your Car Accident Lawyer
Do not wait to hire your car accident lawyer. As soon as you retain the law firm, you can rest and seek treatment. Your attorney will, at the same time, be fighting for a settlement from insurers or other liable parties.
If you wait any significant period to hire a car accident lawyer, you may:
- Face unnecessary stress because you are dealing with the demands of a car accident claim.
- Place your case at risk (insurance companies may employ multiple tactics to try and pay you as little money as possible).
- Fail to obtain important evidence.
- Fail to beat the statute of limitations for filing a car accident lawsuit.
Each of these potential outcomes can have a serious negative effect on your health and your case. Many accident victims hire an attorney because they want to recover as soon as possible. Those clients know that a lawyer’s service is difficult to value highly enough.
Hire Your Car Accident Lawyer as Soon as Possible
You can find an attorney by searching for a car accident lawyer near you. Look today, as you should hire your Connecticut personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after the collision.
