If you’ve suffered injuries following a serious car accident, then you should definitely hire an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney who has many successes under his or her belt. There are many, many questions you must ask prior to hiring a personal injury attorney, and you will want to ensure that all these questions are answered completely and to your satisfaction. It is especially important to have a personal injury attorney in your corner before you start getting calls from insurance companies or denials of medical claims.
Help in Dealing with Insurance Adjusters
The greatest benefit to having a personal injury attorney who is working hard for you in order to get the best settlement possible is that you won’t have to deal with insurance adjusters. Many insurance companies and adjusters want you to think they are your friend and that they have your best interests at heart, however this is rarely the case. Insurance adjusters have one goal, and that is to maximize the bottom line profits for the company who employs them.
It is not in the best interest of an insurance company to simply hand over cash settlements to injured clients even though you’ve paid your premiums like clockwork for years or even decades. It can be extremely difficult for an individual to stand up to an insurance company, and they will use every trick in their arsenal to convince you to settle quickly and to settle for less than you deserve. Attorneys who deal with insurance companies on a regular basis are wise to all the tricks and are unfazed by the attempts to intimidate. Your attorney will make sure the proper paperwork is filed in a timely fashion, thoroughly investigate the accident and make sure your side of the story is heard.
What Should I Look For in My Personal Injury Attorney
When you are looking to hire a personal injury attorney, make sure you investigate his or her past results. If you know friends or acquaintances who have used a personal injury attorney, speak with them to get their overall impressions. Many people will be happy to recommend an attorney—or tell you which one not to hire. The past results of the particular attorney can prove the attorney’s expertise and knowledge as well as their overall integrity and honor. You will also want to find out whether or not the attorney was both aggressive and fearless when dealing with insurance companies and protecting your rights. Checking out prospective attorney’s websites won’t give you a full picture, but will give you at least some indication of what you will be dealing with.
How Much will it Cost Me?
Most personal injury attorneys charge you nothing unless they win your case; if nothing is recovered, then nothing is what you owe them. This is known as working on a contingency. You will want to find out what your attorney’s portion of the final settlement will be, because it can vary widely. Contingency agreements are beneficial to the client, because you are not required to put money up front. Your attorney is betting on his skill in obtaining you a good settlement, and his or her payday will come at the end when the case is concluded.
Comparing Attorneys
Once you have your “shortlist” of personal injury attorneys, compare them to one another, then set up appointments with two or three in order to discuss your case and see which attorney you feel most comfortable with—you will be spending a considerable amount of time with the attorney and want to make sure your personalities are a good “fit.”
Ask About Time and Assurances
It’s important to ask your chosen attorney to give you some sort of assurance on the claim he intends to negotiate on your behalf, as well as how much time he expects it to take. Although these are not absolute guarantees, you will want to have some sort of indication about the potential success of your case.
Call and speak with an experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyer from Barrett Law, PLLC. Be sure to visit our web blog for more helpful information about your case or call us for a free consultation to answer your important questions.
The attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC serve people throughout Mississippi including: North Mississippi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.