If you’ve recently suffered property damage or serious injuries in a Florida car accident, you need an auto accident lawyer you can trust. The caliber of attorney you hire will directly impact your ability to recover maximum compensation for your damages.
With that in mind, it’s essential to conduct thorough research and ask lawyers specific questions about their experience, qualifications, and their perspective on your case. This article covers tips and tricks that will help you find the right car accident attorney for your case.
Continue reading to learn how to find the right Florida auto accident lawyer for you.
Do Your Research Before Hiring an Auto Accident Lawyer
Before you search for a car accident lawyer online. It’s always a good idea to first check with friends, family, and colleagues for references. Whether you find an attorney online or via recommendations, it’s never a good idea to hire the first lawyer referred to you.
Rather, we recommend learning the following before making a decision:
- Primary practice area
- Online reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, etc.
- The status of their license and any potential disciplinary actions against them
- Whether or not your lawyer will handle your case or a member of their staff
Further, be sure to have a conversation with your potential car accident lawyer before hiring them. The way an attorney communicates with you can make or break your levels of satisfaction with their service. So, be sure that they are a good fit before trusting them with your case.
Search For Lawyers Who Specialize in Personal Injury Law
Many lawyers dabble in multiple practice areas. While that extra experience can be a great asset sometimes, it’s not necessarily what you want in a Florida accident lawyer. The best persona injury lawyers are masters of their practice area. They eat, sleep, and breathe personal injury law.
Attorney’s who have a split focus may miss important changes in the law, lack experience negotiating with insurance companies, or make errors in court if your case goes to trial. Generally, the more court experience (with personal injury law), the better.
Look for These Traits in Your Attorney
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of two to three potential car accident lawyers, you should look to hire the attorney who exhibits the following traits before, during, and after your initial consultation:
- Effective and clear communication – You want to know that your lawyer will always tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Further, be sure to note how quickly you receive answers to your questions, return phone calls, etc.
- Open to Providing references – If an attorney claims to be experienced, they should have at least a few clients who are willing to vouch for their services. If an attorney seems hesitant to provide references, they may not be the best option for your case.
- Organization skills – A disorganized car accident lawyer is more likely to make errors on paperwork, miss deadlines, and lose documents.
- Years of successful experience: Experience with car accident cases is only helpful if the attorney has a history of success in personal injury cases. Be sure to ask potential lawyers about their record in court as well as cases they’ve worked on that were similar to yours.
Ask a Your Potential Lawyer These Questions
It can be a challenge to remember everything you should ask a potential auto accident lawyer during your initial consultation. With that in mind, we’ve provided a list of important questions you should have clear answers to before hiring a lawyer. They include but are not limited to:
- How long have you practiced personal injury law?
- Do you work exclusively on personal injury cases?
- What is your comfort level and experience with going to trial?
- Have you worked on cases similar to mine? If so, what was the outcome?
- What are some examples of recent settlement offers you’ve secured?
- If I hire you, who will handle my case, and who will I be in contact with?
- How soon can I expect a response when I call, text, or email?
- How do you bill, and when am I expected to pay?
Have you been injured in a car accident? Don’t wait until it’s too late to pursue damages.
Our auto accident attorneys are skilled, experienced, and ready to fight for maximum compensation on your behalf. Contact an experienced Florida auto accident lawyer at Schrier Law Group for your free initial consultation today.
