You were involved in a car accident. That alone is jarring enough. What should you do in the days after that? Besides getting thorough medical care and documentation of everything for any claims, you have to have legal representation.
Be Thorough
While in Houston, you want to find a Houston car accident lawyer, for example. You should be looking for one in your area, though. It’s important to be picky, though, since you want one that will do the job perfectly. That means you want to do some research first. There are several ways that you can do that:
- Ask Friends and Family: There may be people in your own inner circle that have been in the same situation as you. Ask them if they liked their lawyer. That way, you can easily get contact information and save yourself a search.
- Look Around – Whether you live in an urban or suburban area, chances are good that you’ll see advertisements for lawyers, whether they are on the subway or billboards. They will have phone numbers that you can use, or you can even go to their sites.
- Go Online: The internet is a great resource. You can just go on Google and type in “Car Accident Lawyer” and your zip code. Then you can find ones near you that are also getting favorable reviews on review sites. You’ll get a good idea of what other people’s experiences have been like.
Contact
Once you’ve narrowed down the lawyers from your search, you can contact their office and let them know that you are looking for representation. Good lawyers will sit and listen to what you have to say. They will also promptly answer any emails or phone calls. Basically, they should make you feel like a valued client, not just someone who is there to pay them money.
Strategy
Your attorney will look over everything you give them and listen to your story. Once you take them on, they will also do due diligence to ensure that all the necessary steps were taken by law enforcement and any opposing counsel. They will also work with you to make sure that you fill out all relevant paperwork by the correct deadline. This includes showing medical documentation about how the accident affected you in terms of both your physical health and your ability or inability to hold a job due to psychological reasons.
Organization
You want to make sure that the attorney that you hire is organized. They shouldn’t always be searching for anything pertaining to you — this is especially a bad appearance if they are searching through their briefcase for your paperwork while the people in court are waiting. Yes, they may have multiple clients — that shouldn’t come at the expense of your lawyer’s ability to do at least a competent job.
These nightmare scenarios tend to be the exception, not the norm. You still need to pay attention to how they are acting. There’s nothing wrong with listening to your gut. Your best bet is to make sure that the person you talk to has been practicing for a long time. Experienced lawyers will avoid making any of the above mistakes.
Chances are good that you will find the perfect car accident lawyer. All you need to do is just avoid making the above mistakes. Then you should be in good shape to get the compensation that you deserve.
