Top 5 Questions To Ask A Personal Injury Lawyer

You or a loved one has just been involved in a serious accident. It could be an automobile accident, a traumatic brain injury from a slip and fall, a tragic watercraft mishap, or any other number of calamitous incidents. You know you’ll need to hire a personal injury lawyer, but how do you know you’ve got one who’ll work tirelessly with care, confidence and competence to get you the compensation you deserve?

Make sure you ask these top 5 questions to a personal injury lawyer before you go forward with them:

1. How long have you been practicing personal injury law?

Naturally, you will want a lawyer who has extensive experience dealing in personal injury law, and specifically in the type of case you have. You’ll want an expert who knows exactly what may be lurking around every corner during your case, and has dealt successfully with those types of situations before.

2. Do I have a case / What is my case worth?

There are a number of factors that your lawyer can help with in determining how solid your case is, such as who was at fault (or even partially at fault), the type of negligence involved, the extent of the injuries and the impact they will have on one’s life.

As per the value of your claim, there are a number of factors at play, and the compensatory losses will include pecuniary damages (e.g., damages for past and future loss of income, and out of pocket expenses for rehabilitation and therapy) and non-pecuniary general damages, which are more intangible and much harder to determine (e.g., pain and suffering, loss of ability to enjoy life and loss of amenities, etc.)

Your personal injury lawyer will discuss all this with you and should be able to give you a free case evaluation, and a general description of the types of damages you can claim, and an estimate of the monetary ranges of damages, given the limited information available about the outcome of the injury.

3. Will I have to go to trial / Do you have successful trial and courtroom experience?

While most cases do not advance to the trial stage, your lawyer should be able to talk with you about those possibilities in your case, and after more extensive examination of the facts and evidence, give you a better idea of the likelihood of a settlement or a trial.

In addition, make sure that your lawyer has considerable trial and courtroom experience, with successful outcomes.

4. How long does it typically take to resolve a case like mine?

There’s no definitive answer to this, as so much depends upon the particulars of your case, the defendant’s willingness to settle, trial scheduling backlogs and a myriad of other factors. However, your lawyer can attempt to give you a ballpark figure, and don’t be surprised if it could take anywhere from two to five years to complete the matter by settlement or judgment of a court.

5. Do you have any references from past clients?

Experience is obviously important in a personal injury lawyer, as we noted in Q#1, but you also want to make sure that they’re trusted and competent, and that clients were happy with their services. Don’t be afraid to ask for references from past clients. Check Google and other trustworthy reviews.

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer could be the difference in ensuring that you get the compensation you deserve in order to get back to your life as best you can.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured, call the experienced and trusted firm of Horowitz Injury Law as soon as possible, and get all your questions answered in a free consultation.