6 Important Questions You Should Be Asking Your Personal-Injury Lawyer
If you have been the victim of another person's negligence and as a result have been injured, the law provides a way for you to avoid financial ruin. You have the right to seek compensation for medical bills and other losses that were caused by someone else. According to Statistics Canada, personal injuries are responsible for the highest number of deaths to young people in Canada and cause many people to become disabled. Your choice of a personal-injury attorney will be a big factor in how smoothly your case runs and in the end result. These are the questions you should be asking when you visit a personal-injury attorney.
How many cases have you had like mine?
You will want to know how experienced this law firm is in personal-injury cases, especially in cases that are similar to your own. Your attorney will be able to talk to you about past cases and tell you whether these cases settled out of court or were tried. The attorney will also tell you the results of the cases.
Many attorneys have written papers or taught classes in their areas of expertise. Your attorney may be considered an expert in the subject of personal-injury law.
What kind of compensation should I be looking for?
Don't assume you know what a case is worth without talking to your attorney. You may have a friend who won a lawsuit or may have read about a case similar to yours in the newspaper, but that doesn't mean the details are the same. There are many factors in determining an appropriate settlement in each case.
Once you provide information about your personal losses, your attorney will be able to advise you about what type of compensation you can expect if you win your case.
Who will I be working with?
Sometimes several attorneys in an office will work together on a case. Other times, once your case is accepted, it might be given to the attorney on the team who is most qualified to handle your specific situation.
Ask whether you will be working with the attorney you are speaking to or with someone else. Ask if you can meet that person.
What is your strategy in my case?
You deserve to know the strategy your attorney will take in proving your personal-injury claim. Ask what kind of proof the attorney will need to show negligence in the situation and offer to provide any relevant police reports, insurance claims, bills, and other information that may be useful.
How long will it take?
No one can tell you exactly how long it will take a lawsuit to progress through the courts, and a great deal depends on whether or not you accept a settlement offer. However, if your attorney has worked on many cases similar to yours, there should be a ballpark reference you can use in understanding the amount of time it will take.
How often will I receive updates?
Does the attorney plan to be in contact with you each time something happens in your case? Find out what type of client communication you can expect and consider how much communication makes you comfortable. Some attorneys may only contact you if something important happens, while others may update you monthly or on another schedule.
If you have been injured, you are likely being bombarded with a great deal of confusing information even as you are trying to restore your health and recover from your injuries. Turn the confusion over to the professionals by allowing an attorney, such as one from Ellsworth Johnson Phillips, to sort out the details and advise you about what you need to do next.
