With nearly 20,000 car accidents occurring each year, rest assured that there are many Oklahoma City car accident attorneys vying for new clients. To find the best for your situation, you want someone you feel good to talk to and trust their experience with to handle your case. Don’t sign with the first lawyer you meet; interview several to make the best decision.
Consider these tips when looking for your Oklahoma City car accident attorney.
Start with referrals
Ask people in your network for referrals from lawyers. If a friend or family member has had a good experience with someone, chances are you will too. Ask your sources what they liked about working with the attorney and if there were any downsides to consider. Try to get as big a picture of that lawyer as possible before you talk to him.
If your search for an Oklahoma City car accident attorney by referral is coming up short, try searching online. For example, do a Google search to find car accident lawyers near you and sort through your options by looking at those with very high ratings from a large number of reviews.
Check for costs
Car accident attorneys have to work on contingency fees, which means they’re only paid if you get a settlement. Their fees are a percentage of your settlement, so make sure they match industry standards of 33% to 40%. Lawyers who charge more than this amount should have a strong history of obtaining above-average settlements from their clients that make up for the extra costs.
Are they specialized?
A car accident lawyer is actually a personal injury lawyer. Personal injury lawyers can be generalists working on accidents and occupational injuries, or they can specialize. While it’s good to have a specialist, don’t discount a generalist who spends much of his practice dealing with car accidents. Either way, you want someone who has the experience to navigate the confusing insurance system and can negotiate with carriers quickly.
Prepare for lawsuits
The reality is that only a handful of cases go to court, so few people need a trial attorney. You would want to find someone who has trial experience if your injuries were significant. This means that your injury is persistent or permanent and may require extensive hospitalization. Serious injuries result in lost wages and pain and suffering that may need to be dealt with in a court of law. If this appeals to you, ask the lawyer how many cases he has tried and what the success rate is.
Find a clean office
This may not sound like a big deal, but it makes sense to have a lawyer with a clean office when you think about it. Clean suggests that the attorney is professional and well organized. An organized attorney is less likely to miss details about your case. A clean and organized office has customer files stored in cabinets rather than piled on desks, and a system is in place to ensure that phone messages are not lost. Remember that there are deadlines that insurance companies must meet regarding the case, and if your attorney misses a call, you could lose some of your standing on the case.
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