Have you recently been seriously injured in an accident? Are you in need of a lawyer to help you receive the compensation that you deserve? When you've been injured through no fault of your own, the last thing you need is more difficulty in life elsewhere. Getting an attorney to assist you is the best way to make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve. But making sure that you have chosen the right attorney for your needs can seem like a difficult challenge at this point in your life. So here are some of the most important questions to ask to make sure that your personal-injury attorney is right for you.
Have you had a similar case before? Every court case is different. However, there can be similarities between completely unrelated cases. Two slip-and-fall cases are usually more similar to each other than they would be to a negligence case, for example. Your personal-injury attorney should be able to give you a good idea as to how many cases he or she has worked that have had similar features. If your case happens to be relatively unique, your lawyer should still be able to explain what features of the case are similar to cases that he or she has handled in the past.
How long will this case take? Your personal-injury attorney obviously won't be able to give you an exact time frame, but he or she can give you a reasonable estimate based on past cases that he or she has had. If your lawyer thinks that you have a relatively strong case, you may be able to receive a settlement in a relatively short period of time. On the other hand, if there are complicating factors that make the other side think that they have a stronger case, it could be months or years before you see any money.
What do you charge? A personal-injury attorney usually doesn't charge you any money up front, but you may still be responsible for paying for certain things. For example, once your settlement comes in, you may have to reimburse your lawyer for court fees in addition to the percentage that he or she will take as payment. You may also be responsible for paying the court-appearance fees of any expert witnesses that your attorney calls to the stand or the fees of a private investigator that was hired to find out certain information. Other attorneys may cover all of these fees as part of their percentage, so make sure that you understand exactly what will be expected of you.
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