If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, it can be overwhelming to try to navigate the legal system on your own. Hiring a personal injury lawyer in California can help you receive compensation for your injuries and other damages, but it’s important to choose the right one.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most important questions you should ask before hiring a personal injury lawyer in California:
- What is the Importance of Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney?
- What Is the Lawyer’s Track Record?
- How Will the Lawyer Communicate with Me?
- What Is the Timeframe for My Case?
- What Evidence Will Be Needed?
- How Will You Handle Potential Conflicts of Interest?
- How Will You Handle My Medical Bills?
What is The Importance of Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney?
It can be difficult to know what to do if you have been injured because of the negligence of another driver, person, or company. Besides facing a lengthy recovery period, you may also be dealing with mounting medical expenses, lost wages, plus physical and emotional pain.
Fortunately, California’s Personal Injury Law allows individuals who have suffered harm and losses due to someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions to seek compensation by filing a legal claim.
However, the claims process can be complex, which is why it is advisable to seek the assistance of a skilled personal injury lawyer. While it is not mandatory to have legal representation in an injury case, here are five compelling reasons why it is worth considering hiring a personal injury lawyer in California:
Impartiality and Legal Expertise
After being injured in an accident, it’s normal to feel a range of emotions that can make it challenging to approach your case objectively. By consulting a skilled personal injury attorney, you can benefit from their extensive legal knowledge and expertise to navigate the claims process and secure fair compensation for your losses.
Negotiation Abilities
A legal team can handle negotiations with insurance companies on behalf of victims of accidents, which can be overwhelming while dealing with injuries and financial burdens. Insurers often try to downplay injury claim values by making low settlement offers, but experienced attorneys can use their strong negotiation skills to increase the chances of obtaining a larger settlement.
Avoiding Critical Errors
Insurance companies will often try to contact accident victims soon after the incident to get their version of events, but they are not always acting in the victim’s best interest. If you agree to make a recorded statement or sign a release form, the insurance company may use your words or medical records against you. A California personal injury lawyer can help prevent you from making critical mistakes that could harm your case and jeopardize your right to recover compensation.
Leveling the Playing Field
Hiring a personal injury lawyer in California can level the playing field when dealing with insurance companies and at-fault parties with aggressive defense strategies. Representing yourself puts you at a disadvantage, but a lawyer can conduct an investigation, gather evidence, and build a strong case to improve your chances of winning.
Assistance in Obtaining Medical Treatment
After an injury accident, some medical professionals may not want to treat you due to concerns about potential legal proceedings or not knowing how to handle insurance billing. However, if you contact a personal injury attorney soon after the accident, they can help you find doctors and specialists who are experienced in treating accident victims.
What Is The Lawyer’s Track Record?
Ask about the lawyer’s success rate in personal injury cases. How many cases have they won? What is their success rate? A lawyer with a successful track record is more likely to get you the compensation you deserve.
A personal injury lawyer’s track record provides an indication of their past success in handling cases similar to yours. By examining a lawyer’s track record, you can assess their experience, skill, and effectiveness in pursuing compensation for their clients.
A lawyer’s track record may include:
- The types of cases they have handled
- Their success rate in settling cases
- The amount of compensation they have secured for their clients, and
- Any awards or accolades they have received for their work.
How Will the Lawyer Communicate With Me?
Ask how the lawyer will communicate with you and how often. Will they be available to answer your questions? Will they keep you informed of developments in your case?
When hiring a personal injury lawyer, it’s important to establish clear communication with them. You should ask about their availability and preferred mode of communication, as well as their response time and backup plans.
Clear communication can help you stay informed about the progress of your case and make informed decisions. It’s also important to discuss billing practices and how unexpected costs will be handled. A strong attorney-client relationship built on open communication can help ensure the best possible outcome for your case.
What Is the Timeframe for My Case?
Ask how long your case is likely to take and what the timeline is. A personal injury case can take months or even years to resolve.
There is also a deadline for filing a lawsuit known as a statute of limitations, which sets a specific timeframe within which a legal claim must be filed. When the statute of limitations on a case expires, the legal claim typically becomes invalid. The timeframe for filing a lawsuit varies depending on the nature of the legal dispute.
For instance, in the case of personal injury, the statute of limitations, according to the California Courts, is generally two years from the time of the injury, or six months for administrative claims with the government.
What Evidence Will Be Needed?
If you suffer from injuries due to someone’s negligence in California, such as car accidents or workplace accidents, you have the option to file a lawsuit against the responsible party. To ensure the success of your personal injury case, it’s essential to contact a California personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after obtaining medical evaluation and treatment.
Here are the five types of evidence that can be used to strengthen your personal injury case:
Evidence from the location of the incident
Take photos of the accident scene with your smartphone, especially if the incident resulted from environmental conditions, such as puddles on a restaurant floor, which can serve as evidence of negligence.
Make sure to file a report of traffic accident or SR-1 with the police and complain to the management if the accident occurred at a business location. When in a motor vehicle accident, exchange insurance information with the other driver. These reports can serve as valuable evidence in the future.
Physical evidence of various kinds
Retain all damaged items resulting from the accident, no matter how minor, to support your lawsuit and aid police investigations. For small items like clothes and jewelry, keeping them even after being damaged is easy. Keep any documentation provided by the mechanic or body shop as evidence.
Audio or video recordings of the event
Act quickly to secure camera footage after an accident as many businesses regularly delete footage unless they are legally required to keep it. Victims and their lawyers search for cameras in the area that may have captured the incident. Recording interactions with your phone immediately after the incident can be valuable evidence, especially in car accidents.
Testimony from witnesses
To strengthen a case, people near the scene of an accident may have taken photos or videos that can be requested as evidence. Witnesses can also provide valuable testimony, which can be in written form or a verbal report. It is important to obtain this evidence promptly before witnesses forget details or the footage is deleted. Contact information for witnesses should also be collected.
How Will You Handle Potential Conflicts of Interest?
When choosing a personal injury lawyer in California, it’s important to ask about potential conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest can arise if the lawyer has previously represented the defendant in a similar case or has a personal relationship with them. In such cases, the lawyer may not be able to represent you due to ethical concerns and the potential for bias.
To avoid conflicts of interest, California State Bar Rules require attorneys to avoid representing clients in situations where their representation could be materially limited by the lawyer’s own interests. Lawyers are also required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest to their clients and obtain informed consent before continuing with the representation.
How Will You Handle My Medical Bills?
Discuss with your personal injury lawyer how they’ll handle your medical bills, including if they will negotiate with medical providers to reduce costs. Experienced attorneys are skilled at negotiating personal injury claims.
Additionally, if you don’t have health insurance, your lawyer should be able to help you find medical providers who will treat you on a lien basis. This means that the medical provider will agree to wait to be paid until your case is settled or won. Your lawyer should have a network of medical providers who are willing to work on a lien basis, can provide you with the necessary medical care, and can testify as expert witnesses (in case your personal injury lawsuit goes to court).
Consider An Experienced California Personal Injury Attorney
If you’re injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, hire an experienced California personal injury attorney. They can help you navigate the legal system and secure the compensation you deserve. Many firms work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if you win. But make sure to clarify the percentage the attorney will take as their fee and any additional costs or fees.
At Ayuda California, we understand how difficult it can be to deal with legal matters, especially if you have been injured due to someone else’s actions. Our team of experienced and compassionate car accident attorneys is here to help you navigate the legal process and ensure that you understand all aspects of the law as it relates to your case.
Contact us today at (844) 865-0721 for a free consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we don’t get paid unless you win your case. Let us help you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
