Malman Law
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Monday, September 5, 2011

What Questions to Ask

What Questions to Ask When Choosing a Car Accident Attorney

All of us try our best to avoid car accidents; unfortunately, sometimes Chicago car accidents are unavoidable. The good news is that there are several Chicago car accident lawyers who have extensive experience helping drivers with civil damage recovery lawsuits – filing claims against negligent drivers who cause accidents. Chicago Car accident lawyers provide excellent assistance in getting justice, from assisting you with filing your claim to negotiating settlements.

A car accident lawyer might have to play several roles throughout the process of filing a claim. First and foremost, a Chicago car accident lawyer’s duty is to enlighten his clients about their rights, and argue in favor of the best interests of his clients.

There has been a steady rise in the number of attorneys who handle car accident and/or car insurance related cases. For this reason, it may be difficult to distinguish the skillful and genuine Chicago car accident lawyers from the unscrupulous ones.

Most importantly, you want to make sure that you are working with a Chicago car accident attorney who is a true professional with a stellar reputation. The biggest obstacle for accident victims is often choosing the best attorney from hundreds in Chicagoland while trying to recover from a Chicago car accident. To help you, we have compiled a few tips from our Chicago accident lawyers.

A quick analysis of a Chicago car accident lawyer’s credentials can be done by ascertaining the following:

• Education: You need to check the degree of education of your potential Chicago accident attorney. This will ensure that the lawyer is proficient and comfortable with Chicago car accident laws.
• Success: You need to check the track record of both your Chicago accident lawyer and their law firm. It is essential that the Chicago car accident lawyer has a good track record of claiming and negotiating settlements successfully.
• Experience: Just like any other kind of lawyer, an ideal Chicago car accident lawyer should have experience in dealing with clients.

You should prepare a checklist before meeting a Chicago car accident lawyer, including questions like

1. What is the plan of action for your case? Since it is a free consultation you should ask any and all necessary. Any Chicago car accident lawyer with good experience will give you a brief overview of his plan of action at the first meeting itself.

2. If the attorney has handled any case similar to the one of yours, and what has been the success rate? This will give you an idea of how much time it will take and how close you can get to your settlement claim.

3. What does the Chicago car accident lawyer expect from you? Is it possible for you to provide all the documents and evidence that the lawyer expects from you? Requested documents may include your insurance policy, car registration document, driver’s license, etc. Examples of evidence are a picture of the accident site or some eye witness and may be a requirement from the attorney’s end.

4. What is the lawyer’s fee? How will it be paid? The first consultation in accident cases is generally free. Experienced and reputed Chicago personal injury attorneys usually will work on an incident basis, meaning that if you do not receive compensation for your injuries they do not get paid.

Choosing the right Chicago car accident lawyer can be a daunting task. Look for help from the state bar association, which helps you to find the right Illinois car accident attorney for your case, and follow the above guidelines.