If you have been injured in an accident, you may be thinking about hiring a personal injury attorney. If you have never sought legal help before, you can find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the number of professionals available and how to choose the right one for your case. Therefore, these are a few questions you should ask your potential attorneys.
What Is Your Opinion of My Case?
Most personal injury attorneys will provide you with a free consultation before you have to hire them. During this meeting, your prospects will listen to the facts of your case. If they don’t feel like you have a strong case, they may suggest additional documents and research be done. They can even suggest you hire an investigator. If the attorney does not feel like the case is winnable, even with the extra work, you should be told immediately.
Therefore, your first question of your Rockville MD personal injury lawyer should be, “Do I have a case?” You should also ask, what, if anything, will make your case stronger.
What Is Your Fee Schedule?
Your next question may be about the cost of hiring an attorney. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency. This means that they do not charge you a fee upfront. Instead, they take a percentage of your settlement or damages. Typically, a lawyer will charge 20-40%. If you don’t win the case, you won’t be charged anything in legal fees. However, if your attorney hired an investigator or had to pay court fees, you may have to pay these fees.
What Is Your Personal Injury Law Experience?
Not only should your attorneys have significant experience in personal injury law, but they should also have extensive experience in your local court system or jurisdiction. Most of their caseload should be in personal injury cases as well. Ask how many years they have practiced law in general and personal injury law specifically. You can also ask whether these individuals have handled cases that are similar to yours.
Take your time and do the research necessary to find a reputable lawyer.
