Top 7 Questions to Ask a Personal Injury Attorney

Anytime a person is injured due to the careless or negligent actions of another individual, business, or entity, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. However, recovering this compensation may require the assistance of a skilled personal injury attorney in Mesa. Choosing the right personal injury attorney for your particular case can seem like a daunting task. Here comma we want to discuss the seven main questions that you should ask any prospective personal injury lawyer before allowing them to begin working on your case.

1. How long have you been practicing law?

You need to know how long your attorney has been practicing law, and there is nothing wrong with outright them asking. In fact, you can use a website provided by the State Bar of Arizona to look up information about any attorney you are thinking of working with. You need to arm yourself with as much information as possible about someone that you are thinking of handing your case over to.

2. What is your experience with personal injury law?

Not all attorneys are created equal, and not all attorneys practice personal injury law. The reality is that you do not want an attorney working on your case if the only thing that they really work on is estate law or bankruptcy law. You need someone who has extensive experience handling personal injury cases by your side throughout this process.

3. Will you be the one handling my case?

Ask your attorney if they will be the ones directly handling your case. Even though it is okay for an attorney to work with other people in the office who can help ensure that you are being treated fairly, you want to be sure that your attorney is the primary one handling the claim. It is not uncommon for “big name” attorneys could lure people in the door and then hand the case over to junior attorneys or even paralegals. 

4. How long does it typically take to resolve cases like this?

Ask your attorney how long it usually takes cases like yours to resolve. An attorney is not going to be able to give you an exact time frame, but they will be able to generalize how long similar cases have taken to reach a conclusion. There are a variety of factors that can affect the time frame of the case. Claims that are resolved through settlements with insurance carriers typically last a few months or even up to a year. If a personal injury lawsuit has to be filed in civil court, the case could drag on for well over a year.

5. What is my case worth?

Again, your attorney will not know the exact dollar amounts for your claim, particularly at an initial consultation. However, an experienced personal injury lawyer should be able to give you a ballpark figure so that you understand what the ultimate goal is for your case. You also want to make sure you have an attorney willing to take your case all the way to trial if necessary to ensure you receive an adequate amount of compensation.

6. What are your fees?

You need to know how much hiring an attorney is going to cost you. Most personal injury lawyers in Mesa will handle these claims on a contingency fee basis. This means that the client will not have to pay any upfront or out-of-pocket costs related to the case and will only owe legal fees after their attorney recovers the compensation they are entitled to.

7. What is your success rate at trial?

You want an attorney who expects every case to go to trial and treats the preparation as if they will be in front of a personal injury jury. Even though most cases will not go to trial, ask your attorney what their trial success rate is.