If you've been injured in a motorcycle accident, resulting in vehicle damages or bodily injuries, you may have a winning personal injury claim on your hands. Working with a motorcycle accident attorney to file a personal injury case can yield you compensation for your pain and suffering. Here's what to look for when choosing which motorcycle accident attorney to hire for your case:
Free Consultations
You shouldn't have to pay a lawyer just to discuss your case and get advice, especially if you haven't yet decided to hire them to represent you in your personal injury case. Make sure that any motorcycle accident attorney you consider hiring offers a free initial consultation, so you can learn the following before making any financial commitments:
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The length of time the lawyer has been in the motorcycle accident business
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How many cases the attorney has handled during their career, and the average outcomes of those cases
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The amount of time the lawyer thinks it will take to resolve your personal injury case
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The number and kinds of documents you'll be required to submit to the lawyer upon hiring them
The idea of the consultation is to give you and your lawyer an opportunity to build trust and rapport with one another, while gaining an understanding of how you can work together to win your personal injury case.
Investigative Experience
The motorcycle accident attorney you choose to work with should have the expertise and experience needed to comprehensively investigate your claims, optimizing the chance that you'll win your case. While some lawyers simply use the information their clients give them to form a structure they'll use to win a case, others go the extra mile and will personally talk to eyewitnesses, go over police records, and even consult with medical professionals in order to thoroughly cover all the bases. The investigative process can be time consuming and stressful, so let a professional do all the legwork for you.
Contingency Plans
Another consideration to make when choosing a motorcycle accident lawyer to work with is fee schedules. Some legal representatives charge by the hour, but others like to charge by the day or activity that they're completing for a client. However, there are many personal injury lawyers who work on a contingency basis, which means that you don't have to worry about making any payments for their services unless your case is won and you get compensated.
It's important to learn about your chosen lawyer's fee structure before hiring them, so you know what to expect upon winning your case. Will you be expected to pay your lawyer a flat percentage of the compensation amount you are awarded, or will your charges be calculated using a different method?
Understanding the fee structure beforehand will help you gauge how much compensation you should ask for. For instance, if the legal fees will be $10,000 when your case is won, you'll want to make sure that you ask for enough compensation to cover those fees plus cover your medical bills, motorcycle repair costs, and overall pain and suffering.
