8 Things You Need to Know to Choose the Perfect Auto Accident Attorney

If you’re injured in an accident that’s not your fault and don’t get proper legal help, you can quickly find yourself fighting a losing battle. Too often, people don’t understand the seriousness of their accident and end up settling for a much lower amount than their case warrants.

A good attorney can help you avoid that. An attorney will always get you more for your case than you can get on your own. Here are eight things you need to know to find the perfect auto accident attorney.

#1: Get a Recommendation From Another Lawyer

When you’re looking for an auto injury lawyer, start by asking another personal injury lawyer whom they would hire to represent them. Of course, you can’t call a local personal injury lawyer for that kind of advice—they will either try to get your case themselves, or they might be insulted and uncooperative as a result.

Instead, contact someone in a different city. They would not be taking your case themselves because it’s outside their normal jurisdiction. But they know all the great lawyers in the state, so ask them to give you three potential candidates.

#2: Do Your Research

Once you have three names, do a background check on those three. Then, take the time to meet individually with each one. 

Ask about their office structure. Find out how much time the attorney will spend on the case and how much will be handled by paralegals. Ask what the attorney’s outcomes have been for cases like yours. 

Drill a little deeper: find out how often the attorney takes a case to trial, whether they’ll consult with other legal experts if needed, and whether their firm has resources to pay for expert witnesses or trial preparation.

#3: Ask Yourself What You Want

It’s important to figure out what you want out of the case. Do you want a quick, fair settlement? Or is your priority getting justice? 

Either way, you need to let your potential lawyer know. That will help them decide if they’re the right lawyer for you. 

Maybe you expect a certain settlement amount, but they don’t think they can get that. Or maybe they don’t feel like your case is worth taking to court. Being upfront at this stage will ensure your goals are in alignment and they can realistically help you.

#4: Determine if Your Case Requires Extra Legal Help

If your case is particularly unusual, your attorney may need to consult with other attorneys with a particular expertise to get the biggest settlement. Many attorneys will try to keep the case for themselves, however, and you’ll miss out on a larger settlement as a result. 

That is a bad decision. It's better to do the case exceptionally well and get your share of the most money. So, if it’s relevant, ask your potential attorney whether they plan to bring on extra help.

#5: Get Someone with a Good Track Record

Even if you don’t want to go to trial, hire an attorney who routinely takes cases to court. Someone who rarely takes a case to trial is someone who is willing to take less than full value on their cases. 

However, someone who goes to trial a few times a year and emerges victorious makes insurance companies edgy. They’ll be more likely to offer you a good settlement without a trial. 

That’s because insurance companies hate unknowns, and trials are unknowns. They’ll pay you top dollar if they see your lawyer has a history of effectively taking cases to trial.

#6: Practice, Practice, Practice

Consider asking your potential attorney if they give you a chance to practice your testimony before going to trial. A jury can get you twice the settlement if you can convince them. But it can also give you much less. 

The jury may not like you as a witness. You may not testify in a clear way, or you may come across as greedy or unpleasant. You may get on the stand and admit fault or get unexpectedly aggressive. Practice makes perfect, so if your potential attorney has a mock courtroom in their office (like we do), that’s a plus.

#7: Consider Trial Preparation Costs

You also need to find out how they handle the costs of trial preparation, such as hiring expert witnesses or conducting certain studies to help prove your damages.

Different lawyers handle these expenses differently. The best-case scenario is hiring a firm that covers most of the case costs and expenses for you. For example, my firm uses our own financing at a much lower interest rate to pay for the expenses. That way, we can keep the interest on costs very low for our clients, and that saves our clients a lot of money.

#8: Be Ready to Take a Leap of Faith

Last but not least, remember that whomever you hire will be working on your case even when they’re not in close contact with you. As a client, you have to take a leap of faith and realize they’re working in the background, talking to your doctors and adjustor, collecting documents, and filing paperwork.

Taking a case to court is expensive, and you have to accept that it will cost you. So, make sure you trust the potential attorney and understand all the charges and expected timeframe so you aren’t caught by surprise or end up feeling duped.

This article was adapted from the book, Not a Good Neighbor, written by Brian LaBovick.

Brian LaBovick, who has earned more than $400 million for his clients after establishing his injury law practice in 1991, is CEO of the LaBovick Law Group, an advisory board member of Keiser University’s legal education division, a past president of the North Palm Beach County Bar Association, and former director of the Palm Beach County Justice Association.