26 Jul

5 Most Important Questions To Ask The Attorney During Your Free Personal Injury Consultation

If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence – in a car accident, at work, during surgery, in a nursing home – you have a legal right to pursue monetary compensation for the cost of injuries and more. The attorney you choose to represent you will make a difference in how much you are able to recover, so it is important to carefully consider your options and choose a skilled personal injury lawyer.

However, depending on where you live, you may have hundreds of options of law firms available to choose from. The possibilities can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult to distinguish between attorneys in order to find out which one is the right fit for you. Reading reviews can be one way that you assess how good a personal injury lawyer is, but the best way to evaluate potential representation is face to face (or screen to screen, if you’re over Zoom) during a free personal injury consultation.

Most personal injury lawyers offer this as a way for you to meet them personally and ask questions about your case, but because time during this free personal injury consultation is limited, and because you may have a million questions to ask, it is to your advantage to have a plan going in.

We’ve made a list of the 5 most important questions to ask the attorney during your free personal injury consultation. Of course, what you ask and how you ask will depend on your specific situation, but in general, there are a few things that any injured accident victim needs to know about a prospective attorney in order to make an informed decision about hiring them!

“What’s your fee structure like? / How much will my case cost?”

Many accident victims are under the misconception that hiring a lawyer is extremely expensive – other lawyers may be, but typically personal injury lawyers charge on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that their payment is contingent on them recovering a settlement for you. If they don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay their fees. If they do win, your fee is a percentage of the settlement recovered. With a contingency structure, you usually will not have to pay anything upfront or anything out of pocket.

Not all personal injury lawyers use this model, however. Some may charge a flat fee for your entire case or bill by the hour. An attorney may not tell you this during a free personal injury consultation unless you ask, so don’t be afraid to bring it up when appropriate. A contingency fee model is likely in your best financial interests.
“Who will be working on my case? / Who will my point of contact be?”

Unless you are working with a solo attorney, most lawyers will have paralegals or case managers helping them with new clients. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although paralegals and case managers don’t have the same level of expertise as attorneys, so it is an advantage if the attorney you speak with assures you that they will be working directly on your case. If they are delegating some or all of the responsibility to a paralegal or case manager, you need to know who that will be and how often they will be communicating with you.Some injured accident victims want to be constantly updated on the status of their case; some want to focus on their everyday lives and only be contacted when they need to make a decision, or when the case is resolved. The answer to these questions can help you understand how accessible the law firm is and whether or not that fits with your needs!
“Have you handled cases that are similar to mine? What were the results like?”

If you have a complicated or particularly challenging case, or if your injuries are unique, then it may be in your best interests to work with an attorney who has specific, related experience! Because personal injury is such a wide field of practice. Some personal injury lawyers may specialize in certain types of cases, which means that you need to find one that has ample experience handling cases like yours. For example, if you were injured in a motorcycle accident, and during your free personal injury consultation you find out that lawyer usually handles car accidents and has not worked on many motorcycle accident cases, you may need to contact an attorney with a successful track record getting verdicts for motorcycle accident victims specifically.
“Are you willing and able to take my case to trial if necessary?”

Most personal injury cases are settled in negotiations between the insurance company (defendant) and injured accident victim (plaintiff). However, in situations where your injuries are worth much more than what the insurance company is willing to pay, it may be to your advantage to take your case to trial. Trial is always a bit of a risk, as you could leave with nothing, but if you do win your case, jury/bench award amounts tend to be much higher than what you could obtain in a negotiated settlement. Going to trial is a time-consuming effort, and some lawyers do not have the capabilities or litigation experience required to argue your case confidently. If you are interested in getting the maximum amount of compensation possible, you need a lawyer who is not afraid to go to trial if that’s what it takes to get you the best results.
“Do you have any awards/recognitions/certifications? Do you belong to any professional organizations?”

An attorney’s reputation matters. While it might not make a difference for you where they went to law school, it does matter how many years they have been practicing law and what they have been able to accomplish in that time! Attorneys who belong to professional organizations have access to many resources and are committed to developing themselves; if the attorney is board certified, it means that they have demonstrated a high level of excellence in their field. The more achievements an attorney has, the likelier it is that they are more than capable of recovering compensation for you and providing a smooth experience! Ask about who else is recommending them during your free personal injury consultation.

The Florida Law Group has recovered over $1 billion dollars for injured accident victims. We have 11 locations around the state of Florida, we charge on a contingency fee basis, we have over 100 years of combined experience, and we offer free personal injury consultations so prospective clients can get to know us and decide if we are the right fit for them! Call today to schedule yours.

“What’s your fee structure like? / How much will my case cost?”

Many accident victims are under the misconception that hiring a lawyer is extremely expensive – other lawyers may be, but typically personal injury lawyers charge on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that their payment is contingent on them recovering a settlement for you. If they don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay their fees. If they do win, your fee is a percentage of the settlement recovered. With a contingency structure, you usually will not have to pay anything upfront or anything out of pocket.

Not all personal injury lawyers use this model, however. Some may charge a flat fee for your entire case or bill by the hour. An attorney may not tell you this during a free personal injury consultation unless you ask, so don’t be afraid to bring it up when appropriate. A contingency fee model is likely in your best financial interests.
“Who will be working on my case? / Who will my point of contact be?”

Unless you are working with a solo attorney, most lawyers will have paralegals or case managers helping them with new clients. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although paralegals and case managers don’t have the same level of expertise as attorneys, so it is an advantage if the attorney you speak with assures you that they will be working directly on your case. If they are delegating some or all of the responsibility to a paralegal or case manager, you need to know who that will be and how often they will be communicating with you.Some injured accident victims want to be constantly updated on the status of their case; some want to focus on their everyday lives and only be contacted when they need to make a decision, or when the case is resolved. The answer to these questions can help you understand how accessible the law firm is and whether or not that fits with your needs!
“Have you handled cases that are similar to mine? What were the results like?”

If you have a complicated or particularly challenging case, or if your injuries are unique, then it may be in your best interests to work with an attorney who has specific, related experience! Because personal injury is such a wide field of practice. Some personal injury lawyers may specialize in certain types of cases, which means that you need to find one that has ample experience handling cases like yours. For example, if you were injured in a motorcycle accident, and during your free personal injury consultation you find out that lawyer usually handles car accidents and has not worked on many motorcycle accident cases, you may need to contact an attorney with a successful track record getting verdicts for motorcycle accident victims specifically.
“Are you willing and able to take my case to trial if necessary?”

Most personal injury cases are settled in negotiations between the insurance company (defendant) and injured accident victim (plaintiff). However, in situations where your injuries are worth much more than what the insurance company is willing to pay, it may be to your advantage to take your case to trial. Trial is always a bit of a risk, as you could leave with nothing, but if you do win your case, jury/bench award amounts tend to be much higher than what you could obtain in a negotiated settlement. Going to trial is a time-consuming effort, and some lawyers do not have the capabilities or litigation experience required to argue your case confidently. If you are interested in getting the maximum amount of compensation possible, you need a lawyer who is not afraid to go to trial if that’s what it takes to get you the best results.
“Do you have any awards/recognitions/certifications? Do you belong to any professional organizations?”

An attorney’s reputation matters. While it might not make a difference for you where they went to law school, it does matter how many years they have been practicing law and what they have been able to accomplish in that time! Attorneys who belong to professional organizations have access to many resources and are committed to developing themselves; if the attorney is board certified, it means that they have demonstrated a high level of excellence in their field. The more achievements an attorney has, the likelier it is that they are more than capable of recovering compensation for you and providing a smooth experience! Ask about who else is recommending them during your free personal injury consultation.

“What’s your fee structure like? / How much will my case cost?”

Many accident victims are under the misconception that hiring a lawyer is extremely expensive – other lawyers may be, but typically personal injury lawyers charge on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that their payment is contingent on them recovering a settlement for you. If they don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay their fees. If they do win, your fee is a percentage of the settlement recovered. With a contingency structure, you usually will not have to pay anything upfront or anything out of pocket.

Not all personal injury lawyers use this model, however. Some may charge a flat fee for your entire case or bill by the hour. An attorney may not tell you this during a free personal injury consultation unless you ask, so don’t be afraid to bring it up when appropriate. A contingency fee model is likely in your best financial interests.

“Who will be working on my case? / Who will my point of contact be?”

Unless you are working with a solo attorney, most lawyers will have paralegals or case managers helping them with new clients. This is not necessarily a bad thing, although paralegals and case managers don’t have the same level of expertise as attorneys, so it is an advantage if the attorney you speak with assures you that they will be working directly on your case. If they are delegating some or all of the responsibility to a paralegal or case manager, you need to know who that will be and how often they will be communicating with you.Some injured accident victims want to be constantly updated on the status of their case; some want to focus on their everyday lives and only be contacted when they need to make a decision, or when the case is resolved. The answer to these questions can help you understand how accessible the law firm is and whether or not that fits with your needs!

“Have you handled cases that are similar to mine? What were the results like?”

If you have a complicated or particularly challenging case, or if your injuries are unique, then it may be in your best interests to work with an attorney who has specific, related experience! Because personal injury is such a wide field of practice. Some personal injury lawyers may specialize in certain types of cases, which means that you need to find one that has ample experience handling cases like yours. For example, if you were injured in a motorcycle accident, and during your free personal injury consultation you find out that lawyer usually handles car accidents and has not worked on many motorcycle accident cases, you may need to contact an attorney with a successful track record getting verdicts for motorcycle accident victims specifically.

“Are you willing and able to take my case to trial if necessary?”

Most personal injury cases are settled in negotiations between the insurance company (defendant) and injured accident victim (plaintiff). However, in situations where your injuries are worth much more than what the insurance company is willing to pay, it may be to your advantage to take your case to trial. Trial is always a bit of a risk, as you could leave with nothing, but if you do win your case, jury/bench award amounts tend to be much higher than what you could obtain in a negotiated settlement. Going to trial is a time-consuming effort, and some lawyers do not have the capabilities or litigation experience required to argue your case confidently. If you are interested in getting the maximum amount of compensation possible, you need a lawyer who is not afraid to go to trial if that’s what it takes to get you the best results.

“Do you have any awards/recognitions/certifications? Do you belong to any professional organizations?”

An attorney’s reputation matters. While it might not make a difference for you where they went to law school, it does matter how many years they have been practicing law and what they have been able to accomplish in that time! Attorneys who belong to professional organizations have access to many resources and are committed to developing themselves; if the attorney is board certified, it means that they have demonstrated a high level of excellence in their field. The more achievements an attorney has, the likelier it is that they are more than capable of recovering compensation for you and providing a smooth experience! Ask about who else is recommending them during your free personal injury consultation.