How To Find Good Lawyers For Auto Accidents: 5 Steps

Advertiser Disclosure If you’ve recently suffered property damage or been injured in a car wreck, you may already be searching for lawyers for auto accidents. With so many options available, finding a law firm located where you live isn’t hard, but the results can be a bit overwhelming. The challenge is figuring out which lawyer you should contact for help.

Here are five recommended steps you can take to streamline your search and find an attorney whose approach and experience fits your needs. In this article: Not every attorney handles car accident cases. Some specialize in estate planning, family law, or business contracts to name a few practice areas.

That’s why you’ll want to narrow your search first by setting aside any firms that don’t practice “personal injury law. ” This is the subsection of civil law devoted to protecting the rights of injury victims. You’ll also want to make sure that any personal injury firm you’re interested in specifically handles car accident cases.

Some personal injury firms focus their attention exclusively on other personal injury matters like medical malpractice cases, which would not be to your benefit. You’ll also want to think carefully about how far you’re willing to travel to meet with an attorney. If you need to drop off documents at the end of your workday, how far are you willing and able to drive? If an attorney’s office is located outside of those geographical limits, set those search results aside.

If special circumstances apply to your case, you may want to work with lawyers for auto accidents who also practice other legal specialties. Here are some examples: If your special circumstances make it hard for you to research your options thoroughly due to your injuries or lack of available time, seek a resource that will match you with a lawyer in your area whose practice focus meets your needs. Often, state or local bar associations provide lawyer referral services at low, or no, cost.

To start your online search, begin by looking for “personal injury attorneys” in “(your city or town). ” As you begin visiting the websites listed in your search results, consider the following information that should be listed on each site: In addition, you’ll want to ask yourself if you appreciate the way that a firm’s site makes you feel. If you’re instantly turned off by the unprofessional way that a firm presents itself, for example, you may not want to consider that firm any further.

You’ll want to identify roughly five or six firms that you’d like to learn more about, with the idea of narrowing that list down to two or three after the next step in your research process. Once you have a list of firms that interest you and practice the area(s) of law related to your case, it’s time to do opposition research. Opposition research doesn’t highlight a lawyer’s accomplishments.

It allows you to know if there is something wrong with the way they practice law. By actively trying to figure out if the lawyers for auto accidents with whom you’re interested in working have a negative reputation, you may save yourself the hassle of engaging with subpar legal representation. Begin by typing the name of the lawyer or law firm that you’re researching into Google.

What are their “Google Review” search results? Are their ratings generally positive? As you scroll down your search results, does anything stand out to you? Are the results associated with their name associated with awards and praise or negative press? Keep in mind that every professional and every business gets negative reviews sometimes. Weigh whether the results you’re scrolling are generally favorable or unfavorable. Next, you’ll want to see if the lawyers for auto accidents in question have been formally disciplined for misconduct.

The following resources may be helpful to you as you engage in this phase of opposition research: Once you’ve narrowed your list of potential lawyers for auto accidents in your area down to 2-3 top choices, schedule consultations with the contenders. Most personal injury lawyers offer consultations for free. This opportunity will allow you to interview your top choices to see if you feel comfortable with them and with their approach to representation.

Know that just as a criminal defense lawyer will meet you if you call for assistance from jail, a personal injury attorney will usually meet you in the hospital if you’ve been severely injured and won’t be heading home any time soon. You shouldn’t have to wait to receive legal advice simply because you’re stuck at the hospital for now. If you’re too busy or injured to compare and contrast the lawyers in your area, you can take advantage of a free matching service.

After submitting basic information about your case, you can schedule a free case evaluation with a local law firm in minutes. Read more car accident articles.