If you have recently been injured due to someone else’s negligence, it is a good idea to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney to discuss your potential case. If someone else was at fault for your injuries, you might have a claim for compensation. One example of such a case would be if you were injured in a car accident and the other driver was the one who caused the accident. However, before hiring a personal injury attorney to handle your case, there are some important questions you should ask first.
Attorney Johann Hall has handled many different personal injury cases in California, from car accident cases to slip and falls. He has the skills and experience needed to take your case all the way to trial if necessary. Call our office today to schedule a consultation to discuss your potential personal injury case.
1. What Are Your Fees?
One of the first things you will want to ask when meeting with a personal injury attorney to handle your case is what they will be charging you to handle the case on your behalf. For most personal injury cases, attorneys tend to charge 1/3 of the settlement or award given in your case. If your case loses at trial or there is no settlement, then generally, there will be no fee for you to pay. There are exceptions; however, so it is a good idea to make sure you know exactly what you will be responsible for paying.
2. What Types of Cases Does Your Law Firm Handle?
Some attorneys handle cases in a wide variety of legal topics, sometimes handling everything from personal injury to estate planning. You will want to find out if the attorney you want to hire focuses his or her practice on a few different areas of law or is more of a general practitioner that handles any kind of case that comes through the door. Generally, attorneys who practice in just a few areas of law have more experience in those areas, rather than spreading out their experience in every single area of law.
3. Are You Comfortable Taking My Case to Trial If Necessary?
Another vital question to ask your attorney is whether or not they feel comfortable taking your case to trial if it becomes necessary. Though many cases are resolved during settlement negotiations or in early litigation, if there is no offer or a very low offer, it may be necessary for your case to proceed to trial. If this happens, you will want to make sure that your attorney has the litigation experience necessary to take on this task.
4. How Long Will It Take to Resolve My Case?
If you ask an attorney how long it will take to resolve your case during an initial consultation meeting, they likely will only be able to give you a ballpark estimate since they will not have had a chance to review every detail of your case. It is still a question worth asking, since you likely will not know how complex the legal issues involved in your case are before consulting with an attorney, and this may give you an idea of what to expect. Once you hire the attorney and they have had a chance to fully evaluate the facts of your case, along with any relevant medical records and other pertinent information, they should be able to give you a general idea of how long they expect your case to take to resolve.
5. Will You Honor My Wishes to Accept or Reject a Settlement Offer?
In some cases, a settlement offer is extended that your attorney considers to be fair and advises you to accept it. However, you may not agree with your attorney. It is a good idea to go over expectations with your attorney beforehand so that you can confirm that if you disagree with their advice to accept (or reject) a settlement offer, they will honor your wishes and move forward with the case according to your instructions.
6. Is There Anything I Can Do to Improve the Chances of Success for My Case?
You may also want to ask if there is anything that you can do to help with your own case. For example, it may be helpful to your attorney if you are able to provide contact information for any witnesses to the accident. They may be able to contact the witnesses who can help support your case and use the information they provide to secure you a higher settlement offer.
For any questions you have related to a potential personal injury case, California personal injury attorney Johann Hall can help. Contact us at (707) 360-8717 or fill out our online contact form today to get started.