Every day, hundreds of car accidents occur across the country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 37,461 people were killed in 34,436 motor vehicle crashes in 2016 alone.
Meanwhile, traffic accidents in Los Angeles have increased nearly 20% from 2015. In 2015 52,000 car accidents were recorded in LA, while 55,350 were recorded in 2016.
Getting involved in a serious traffic collision can be quite overwhelming and even traumatizing to some victims.
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident that resulted in serious injuries, it’s vital to seek the assistance of an experienced injury attorney in LA.
But What Exactly Is a Personal Injury Claim?
You can open a personal injury claim if the negligence of another person has caused your injuries. It’s the formal process of getting compensation from the liable party. The compensation will usually come from the liable party’s insurance company.
The majority of personal injury claims do not have to go through a trial. This is possible if your lawyer could negotiate a fair settlement agreement for both you and the insurance company.
Why Is It Important to Hire an Injury Attorney in La to Handle My Claim?
Hiring a lawyer can relieve a great deal of stress off of your shoulders. Your lawyer can pretty much handle almost all of the legal aspects of your claim. They will be responsible for handling the paperwork, negotiating with insurance companies, and even assist you in obtaining money for the damages. By hiring a lawyer, you will also be able to focus on recovering from your injuries instead of stressing out about your claim alone.
So how exactly can I find the right personal injury lawyer to handle my claim?
Here Are Some Things You Need to Consider Before Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney:
Their Experience
Before hiring someone, employers would usually interview the candidates and evaluate their experience. The same happens when you’re hiring your attorney. You have to keep in mind that they will be working for you, and to win your claim; you need to have an experienced injury lawyer succeed.
- To evaluate your attorney’s experience, you can ask them the following questions?
- How many years have you been working as a lawyer?
- Do you have relevant experience in handling cases similar to mine?
- Do you have extensive trial experience?
- Are you well-known and well-respected in the industry?
- Do you know specific laws related to statutes of limitation, negligence, causation, contributory negligence, assumption of the risk?
Their Track Record
An attorney’s track record will serve as proof of their success as a lawyer. Some attorneys may have been practicing law for a decade but still don’t possess a strong track record of success. This may indicate that the lawyer is used to giving in to low-ball settlements from insurance companies, and this can negatively impact the result of your claim.
To check an attorney’s track record, you can ask them the following questions:
- Do you have experience in recovering multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts for your clients?
- Have you won cases that involve catastrophic injuries and wrongful death claims?
- Have you received any awards for settlements and verdicts you’ve won?
Their Reputation
Before hiring a lawyer, you also need to check whether they come from a reputable law firm.
You can do your research beforehand by looking up reviews online and seeing whether they have great negotiation skills with insurance companies. You can check attorney reviews on websites such as Yelp and AVVO, and these websites also contain attorney rankings, making it easier for you to choose.
A lawyer’s reputation may have a strong impact on both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s perspectives. If your lawyer is well-known for winning multi-million-dollar claims, then your odds of winning yours will significantly increase.
Their Rapport
Do they have a good rapport with you? Your attorney may be the best of the best, but if they don’t have a good rapport with you, then you’ll have a hard time communicating with them.
Having a good attorney-client relationship is important as this indicates that you have good communication with your attorney. To check whether your attorney is engaging enough for you, you need to pay attention to the following:
- Are they able to properly answer any questions you have?
- Do they strike a good balance between being friendly and being professional?
- Do they have strong communication skills?
- Are they willing to travel to you if you need them?
- Do they seem genuinely concerned about you not just as a client, but as a person well?
Their Resources
Good lawyers also have additional resources that they can offer for their clients. This can make it easier for you to navigate through your case. You can ask the following questions if you want to know whether they have the necessary resources you might need:
- Do you have a network of medical professionals at your disposal?
- Can you find a doctor that can agree to work on a lien basis?