Posted in Legal Advice
You aren’t involved in a car accident every day. Usually this is foreign and you don’t know what to look for to preserve your claim. Before you talk to an insurance adjuster it is important to talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer Little Rock AR trusts to find out what your rights are. The insurance adjuster is not your friend remember they work for the insurance company. The adjuster’s job is to save the insurance company money this is what they do all day every day. Immediately after the incident, the insurance company will be calling you in an effort to prevent you from hiring an attorney. Be forewarned.
Here are 5 Questions to ask your personal injury lawyer:
1. How much do you charge to handle my case?
Normally there is a free initial consultation and these types of injury claims are handled on a contingency fee. Contingency fee is where they attorney’s fee is paid as a percentage of the final settlement amount. Make sure you understand the amounts charged.
2. Will you refer me to your medical treatment providers?
Some firms may have established relationships with healthcare providers and may offer this as an incentive to sign up with their firm. This can be a huge disadvantage to your claim. The adjuster can discount your treatment based on the preexisting relationship between your attorney and this healthcare provider.
If you don’t have healthcare insurance it is still possible to obtain treatment from health care providers. There are many providers who will agree to get paid at the end of your claim. You should discuss this option with your attorney to find out the legalities of this.
3. What experience do you have that qualifies you to handle my claim?
This question is very important because some firms have no qualifications at all. They may be a divorce firm with a few personal injury cases they have attempted to handle and may not know all the ins and outs to such a case. This in the end hurts you because you aren’t able to receive the full benefits of the maximum settlement obtainable due to their lack of experience and knowledge.
4. What percentage of your firm is devoted to these types of cases?
Again, there will be many firms that attempt to work these types of cases without the experience and knowledge of how to maximize the outcome for you. It is important that you don’t leave any funds on the table, so to speak, and without the knowledge and experience the attorney won’t know this is available.
5. What is it that you need from me during the pendency of my claim?
Make sure you understand what is required of you during your claim. This will help the lawyer in representing you and preserving your claim. If you aren’t sure ask, it would be better to ask than learn later down the road and then result in devastation to your claim. From the moment you open a claim to the time you attempt to settle/negotiate it is extremely important that you are preserving your claim. An attempt to preserve your claim two years after the fact is the kiss of death to your claim.
These are some of the important questions to ask your personal injury lawyer. If you can think of other questions, write them down and take them with you to the first meeting. This helps you decide which attorney is the best fit for you.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from the Law Offices of Lisa Douglas, Inc. for their insight into personal injury practice.
