#1 How long have you been practicing personal injury law?
This is a great opening question when you’re evaluating whether a lawyer is the best one for you. If the answer is five years or less, likely you want to move on to someone with more time practicing law under their belt. Preferably, you want someone with at least a decade of experience. Law school is great but lawyers really hone their skills once they’re practicing law out in the real world. You also want to ensure that all the years they’ve been in the profession have been dedicated to personal injury law.
#2 How many car accident victims do you represent each year?
This is an important question because there are many aspects of personal injury law, but to get the best results for your case, you want someone who deals heavily with car accident cases. You want a lawyer who deals regularly with accidents and injuries similar to yours. Not only that, you want an attorney who has a winning track record with car accident cases. Ask for examples of recent settlements for motor vehicle accidents to ensure that the lawyer has a history of significant settlements won in similar cases.
#3 Do you have trial experience?
Some attorneys spend their entire careers without ever setting foot in a courtroom either because they practice an area of law where litigation is rare or because they actively avoid trial situations. You want an attorney who has a record of wins at trial and isn’t scared to take your case to a full-on fight in court if need be. Find out how often the lawyer you’re considering fights it out in court, what their success rate is and whether they think the circumstances of your case indicate that litigation may be necessary.
#4 What is my case worth?
An attorney with years of personal injury experience and expertise in cases similar to yours will have an idea of what your case is worth based on handling prior cases. While there’s no guarantee of a particular settlement amount, an attorney who knows their stuff will be able to give you a likely range of what you can expect depending on the specifics of your car accident. If the lawyer has no idea what your case might be worth, that’s an indication that they don’t have expertise dealing with injury cases like yours.
#5 Will you be handling my case personally?
You want to have a conversation with the specific lawyer who will be handling your case. At a larger firm, they may only offer you a consultation with a paralegal and a handshake with a lawyer on your way out or in. You want to talk to the lawyer that will actually be handling your case. If the firm won’t commit to who will be representing you, that’s a red flag. Or if you meet with one lawyer and then end up handed off to a brand new associate by the end of the consultation, you may want to keep looking.
Call Park Chenaur for Help With Your Car Accident Case Today
If you’ve been seriously injured in an accident and are looking for help making a compensation claim, contact Park Chenaur today. We can answer all these questions and more that you should ask when searching for a Tacoma car accident attorney. We pride ourselves on always providing our clients with compassionate counsel and taking an approach of aggressive advocacy toward those who injured you.
Park Chenaur works on a contingency basis for car accident cases, so we can represent you immediately with no up-front payment. We won’t charge a fee until you get a settlement! If English isn’t your first language, we also offer services in Korean and Spanish. Contact Park Chenaur today so we can get to work getting you the best settlement possible as soon as possible. Take advantage of a free consultation today – contact us via our website or call us at (253) 839-9440.
