Important Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Auto Accident Attorney
Have you recently been in an accident that damaged or destroyed your car? Are you wondering how you're going to pay for all of your medical and repair bills? Sometimes, the only way to be fully compensated for all of your injuries and other damages is to file a lawsuit. Of course, you'll need to hire an attorney to handle the lawsuit for you. In order to choose the right lawyer for your needs, there are a number of questions that you should ask before you agree to use that particular attorney's services. A few of the questions that you should ask include:
How much do you charge? An attorney who handles auto accident cases typically doesn't charge anything up front. Instead, they will charge you a percentage of whatever settlement that you receive from the insurance company. The exact percentage charged can vary depending on where you live in the country and the law firm that the attorney belongs to, if any. Although a fee of a third of the settlement is often typical, don't assume that every lawyer that you talk to is the same. Always make sure to ask about his or her fees.
Will there be any other fees or charges? Some lawyers will take care of any court fees, witness testimony fees, and other additional expenses out of their percentage of the settlement. Other attorneys will expect you to pay these additional costs once your auto accident case is settled. In addition to who pays these costs at the end of the case, make sure to find out whether you'd still be responsible for these expenses if the court case doesn't go in your favor. Even the best lawyer can sometimes lose a seemingly airtight case. If you're already hurting for money, you don't want to be responsible for even more bills if the case doesn't award you a favorable judgement.
How long will this case take? Although each auto accident case is different, a lawyer should be able to draw on his or her years of experience to give you a reasonable estimate. If he or she believes that you have a relatively strong case, you may not have to go to court at all. Instead, the insurance company will start making settlement offers almost as soon as they learn that you have an attorney. On the other hand, if the insurance company thinks that their case is stronger, it could take many months before the case is seen before a judge. Your attorney should have some idea as to how busy the court system is and how long it typically takes for most cases to appear on the docket.
To learn more, visit websites such as www.cookevilleinjurylaw.net.
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