The first thing that most of us do and should be done after a car accident is call for medical assistance and notify the relatives of anyone who may be injured. But what is the next step? Most of you must be thinking perhaps call the cops, and make a report at the local police station and apply for a claim with the insurance company. But is that really all that you should do?
Don’t you think you should employ the services of a professional car accident and personal injury lawyer? There is so much to process and there may be a lot going through your head. Are you thinking that any lawyer can handle such a case, after all you see so many ads claiming that “we can handle any case of claims for you.” Some lawyers or law firms may mislead you by telling you that such auto accident cases can make you instant millionaires. However, this is not what happens with most automotive law cases.
A car accident lawsuit is something that you should seek as a measure to ensure that you don’t suffer any financial setback and don’t have to pay unjustly for damages not caused by you. Also, it allows you to be compensated for the time, energy and salary that you may have lost as a result of such an auto accident.
The next thing to understand is that you need an experienced lawyer and someone who knows how to handle your case, so that it turns in your favor. Also he or she should be someone with good track record in the court. What is the most important issue that needs to be resolved before you sign a contract with any lawyer? His or her fee agreement. It is one of the most important things to look at when you are hiring a personal injury lawyer. It may be the same type of agreement for lawyers everywhere, whether it be a car accident lawyer in Los Angeles or a personal injury lawyer in Wichita. If you are injured in an accident and you are unable to work because of the wreck, then you may be losing money, and you might even lose your job. If you are unable to get paid for your job because of a wreck, it is unfair! Your lawyer should not get paid for any cases that are not resolved properly. That’s why it is important to find a lawyer who charges on a contingency fee basis, where you only pay if your case is resolved properly.
Before you hand over your case to any lawyer, you must be very clear about the terms of payment. Lawyers who charge on a contingency fee basis only charge if you win your case. In the event that you do not receive any compensation for your case, the lawyer will not be able to charge you any money at all. You may think many lawyers are only looking for a fee and do not care whether or not cases are won or loss. However, hiring a lawyer on a contingency fee basis will make the lawyers put their money where their mouth is.
The best terms of payment are “You lose, you don’t pay a dime.” In such a case, the lawyer will have to win at all costs. Always be sure to read documents for such a contract between yourself and your lawyer carefully because in some cases the lawyers have mentioned in very fine print that some sort of compensation will have to paid even the case goes the wrong way. And thus, the lawyer will send you huge bills to pay even if you didn’t win a dollar. A lawyer who advertises they charge on a contingency fee basis will never be able to charge you if you do not win your accident case.