Hiring a car accident lawyer can help you get a better settlement, most of the time.
There are many ways in which a St. Louis auto accident lawyer will help during negotiations with insurance companies or during the trial. However, hiring the wrong car accident lawyer can actually harm your case.
A lot of people deal with an insurance claim or hire a lawyer for the first time in their life when they are involved in a car accident. It’s very likely that they don’t personally know a lawyer, and may not be sure where to look for them. Searching online for a car accident lawyer is one of the easiest ways to find someone, but you don’t always have the guarantee that the lawyer you find has the necessary experience to handle your case.
Here is why you need to check and double-check that the lawyer you hire is, indeed, reputable. Inexperienced or inefficient lawyers can harm your case in many ways.
Poor Communication Can Increase Stress
It’s normal to have “silent” periods in a car accident case, especially in the discovery period, when evidence is gathered and organized. But normal pauses in the communication with your lawyer are different from poor communication. If you don’t know what your lawyer is up to, if they don’t respond to your messages or haven’t provided a date for the next meeting, it can add a lot of stress on you and harm your case.
Lack of Engagement Will Likely Get You a Lower Settlement
For a lawyer to win you a high settlement, they really have to make an effort of gathering evidence, hiring expert witnesses, being in touch with your doctors, etc. If they are disengaged, you’ll likely get a smaller amount.
You May End Up Having to Pay Their Fee Even If You Don’t Win Anything
Most car accident lawyers work with a contingency fee, which means you will pay only if they get you a settlement. Inexperienced lawyers sometimes charge a fixed fee, which can leave you with no settlement and a bill for lawyer’s fee to pay out of your own pocket.
They Are Overwhelmed by the Amount of Work on Your Case
Sometimes, young lawyers or those who don’t get many clients try to reduce expenses by not hiring enough people and handling the extra work themselves. Unfortunately, this “solution” is not good, since it often makes them under-equipped for the cases they take.
As you can see, a case depends a lot on your lawyer’s experience, skills, and engagement. If you hire someone who does not provide a quality service, you might not get the settlement you deserve or even a settlement at all.
When hiring a St. Louis car accident lawyer, check their referrals and feel free to ask questions during the first consultation.