Being involved in a serious car accident can be extremely stressful. You might have incurred serious injuries and are facing substantial financial losses from missed work and quickly piling medical bills. If your accident was caused by the other driver, you should find an attorney quickly to help you pursue maximal compensation.
Ideally, you will want to find a car accident lawyer to represent you who practices near to where you live. Having an attorney who practices in your area makes it likelier that your lawyer will know members of the local defense bar, the judges, and the court staff where your case might be filed and heard. This type of insight can be helpful as you prepare your case.
However, when you begin your search for a lawyer, you will likely find that multiple attorneys practice in your area and also focus on auto injury law. Here are some ways you can make sure the attorney you choose is the right one to handle your case.
Ask for Referrals
If you have friends or loved ones who have hired attorneys in the past for their own car accident claims, you can ask them for referrals. You can also ask for referrals from other attorneys who practice in different areas of the law. For example, if you have a family law attorney, you might ask them whether they can recommend a local attorney who focuses on personal injury law. This might give you a list of potential attorneys to consider.
Read Reviews Posted in Local Directories
Once you have a small list of potential auto accident lawyers in your area, you can check each attorney online. Read reviews posted by their past and current clients on local online directories, including Yelp, Justia, and Avvo. Make sure to read both negative and positive reviews to get an idea of others’ experiences with working with the attorney. The experiences others have had can help you understand how a prospective lawyer might handle your case and communicate with you. Keep notes for each attorney so that you can differentiate between them.
Check the State Bar of Arizona
After you have read the lawyers’ online reviews, you should go to the State Bar of Arizona’s website to search for each attorney you are considering. When you search an attorney’s name on the website, it will provide you with several important pieces of information about the lawyer, including whether they have any public disciplinary sanctions and professional conduct issues, when they were first licensed to practice law in Arizona, whether their license is current and valid, and whether they have professional liability insurance.
You will want to make sure the attorney you choose does not have a record of engaging in professional misconduct. If a lawyer has a history of misconduct, it might be an indicator that they might not handle your case properly. Checking to make sure the attorney’s license is currently active is also important, and seeing when they were first licensed can help you to ensure they are experienced and can handle your case.
Google the Attorney
The next step is to simply google the attorney you are considering. A Google search will return information about the individual lawyer and their law firm. Read feedback others have left about both the attorney and their law firm to gain a better understanding of the attorney’s reputation in the community. A lawyer who is well-respected by others likely has a strong reputation with the legal community as well. When defense lawyers and insurance companies know your attorney’s reputation as a highly skilled and knowledgeable legal advocate, this can go a long way to helping your attorney secure a much more favorable settlement offer for you.
Lawyers build great reputations by handling every case with care, conducting thorough investigations, and building the strongest possible cases for their clients. They also build great reputations by being honest, hardworking, and thorough. These are the types of characteristics you should want in an attorney who will represent you in your car accident case.
Search Whether the Attorney Has Received Awards
Some accomplished attorneys will have multiple awards that highlight their achievements. You can use a search engine to see whether the lawyer you are considering has received awards in the past for their successes in the legal profession. Receiving awards from nationally recognized legal professional organizations is an indicator of the attorney’s legal competence and skill. You can also check Martindale-Hubbell’s website to see whether the attorney has been rated by members of the legal community. Ratings on Martindale-Hubbell are peer-reviewed and are given based on an attorney’s legal skills and ethics as judged by other attorneys and judges.
Look for Information About the Attorney’s Past Record
Another thing you should check is your attorney’s record. Search to see if you can find any information about high-profile or high-value cases the lawyer has handled on behalf of other clients. While an attorney’s past cases cannot guarantee you will enjoy similar results, they do demonstrate the attorney’s abilities to handle complex cases and accomplish successful results for their clients. You should also check whether the attorney has taken cases to trial in the past and the results of those cases.
You will want to hire a lawyer who has trial experience. While the vast majority of car accident cases are settled outside of court, you still will want a lawyer who is unafraid to litigate on your behalf at trial if necessary. When an insurance company knows that your attorney has a successful trial record and is unafraid to fight for their clients before juries and judges, it might be likelier to offer a settlement that will fully compensate you for your losses instead of risking a potential loss to your attorney at trial.
Schedule Consultations
Once you have performed all of the above searches, your list of attorneys should likely be substantially shorter. You can then schedule consultations with each of the remaining lawyers on your list. Most car accident lawyers offer free consultations, which allow both you and the attorney to get to know each other and determine whether you might have a viable claim. When you meet with a prospective attorney, make sure to ask questions about their record, your case, and their methods of communication. The attorney will likely ask you questions as well to understand your potential case.
While you are speaking with a lawyer, pay attention to how the attorney and the office staff communicate with you. You will want to ensure that you choose a lawyer who listens and takes the time to explain legal concepts in a way you can understand. When you choose a lawyer, you will be working with them for months, making it important that you choose someone you like and trust.
Talk to Lamber Goodnow
If you have been seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash that you believe was someone else’s fault, you should speak to the experienced attorneys at Lamber Goodnow. We have years of experience helping car accident victims recover the compensation they deserve, and we can help you understand your claim’s legal merits and your options. Call us today to request a consultation to learn more about your rights.