Finding the right Dallas car accident lawyer takes more than just a quick internet search. Finding an attorney to work with requires asking appropriate questions during the selection process. It’s crucial to remember that you don’t have to settle for the first lawyer you come across as there are many alternatives available. Therefore, take your time and select the one that best suits your needs.
When searching for a car accident lawyer in Dallas, here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Seek Referrals
An excellent place to start when looking for a car accident lawyer is to ask for referrals from friends, family and colleagues. There’s a good chance that you know more than one person who has needed a lawyer in an accident case. When you find someone who has a referral, ask them specifically what they liked about working with the lawyer. This will give you a good idea of what to expect in the interaction. Also, ask about things they didn’t like so that you get a broad picture of the relationship.
If you come up short with referrals, then try searching for a car accident lawyer in Dallas online. For example, search Google and screen lawyers and law firms using reviews. Consider both the overall rating, as well as the number of reviews to get a good read on how satisfied clients are with the lawyers.
Ask About Expertise
Ask the lawyers that you are interviewing what their expertise is. While some lawyers specialize in car accident cases exclusively, others are more generalists who practice personal injury law dealing with other cases such as workers’ compensation. You can work with either, but you do want to make sure that a generalist has worked on a lot of car accident cases and be sure that they know the ins and outs of the insurance game.
What Do They Charge?
Car accident lawyers in Dallas should not be charging you an hourly fee to retain them. Injury attorneys work on contingency, which means they only get paid when you get a settlement. Their pay is a percentage of the settlement, so you want to be sure the fees fall in line with the industry standards of 33% to 40%. Settlement amounts usually factor these fees in so you aren’t losing money by having a lawyer work for you, but if someone is charging more than the standard, this might start to eat into what you take home from a settlement.
Can They Litigate?
Most car accident cases don’t ever see the inside of a courtroom because lawyers negotiate directly with insurance companies to get settlements. However, if your case is one of the 5% that go to trial because of serious injuries, you want to make sure that your lawyer has the experience to litigate the case. Going to court is very different from negotiating with insurance carriers, so you want to find someone who has the experience to fight.
How Organized Are They?
You don’t want details about your case slipping through the cracks and getting forgotten about in negotiations or court proceedings. This means that your attorney needs to be organized. You can get a sense of organization from their office presentation. Everything should be in its place with files put away and not stacked on a desk. Take note of how the receptionist takes phone messages and how information is added to the file. A clean, organized office is a sign of a professional.