Home » Blog » Questions To Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer 
Questions To Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer - Werner Law Firm

Questions To Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer 

Troy Werner and his family

Written by Troy Werner

Troy Werner has been an indispensable asset to The Werner Law Firm since joining in 2009, providing exceptional legal service to its clients.

Get To Know Troy!
POSTED ON: September 28, 2021

Prepare to meet you lawyer with these eight questions to ask a personal injury lawyer. Learn more about how to get ready. Personal injury cases can be critical for the financial survival of a victim. Compensation for a personal injury claim can end up being the difference between financial distress and completely covering all medical costs and […]

Prepare to meet you lawyer with these eight questions to ask a personal injury lawyer. Learn more about how to get ready.

Personal injury cases can be critical for the financial survival of a victim. Compensation for a personal injury claim can end up being the difference between financial distress and completely covering all medical costs and long-term consequences.

As such, it’s essential to pick the best representative for the job. Regardless of whether you’re aiming to settle out of court or take it to the final inning, having the best team on your side can do a lot to improve your chances. That means asking the right questions.

Why Make a List of Questions To Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer? 

Quality matters more than cost here. Most law firms specializing in personal injury claims are compensated through a percentage of your settlement or final compensation, so getting the most experienced, competent, and qualified people should be your primary goal.

To that end, you need to be thorough when identifying and interviewing your choices. Let’s go over a few critical questions.

How Long Have You Focused on Personal Injury Law? 

Ideally, pick an attorney or law firm specializing in personal injury claims. Ask them how long they have been specializing in personal injury law. Ask them about their track record and number of cases, as well as the combined years their firm has been tackling personal injury claims. The more cases and the more years an attorney have under their belt, the more likely it is that they’ve had a case like yours. 

Do I Have a Case, To Begin With? 

Experienced attorneys still need time to research the specifics of any given case before answering a question like that. But given the broad strokes, they may be able to provide you with an answer with a few factors or caveats attached to it. They might say that you could have a case, given factors A and B are fulfilled. 

This is also a great way to catch someone who might be more interested in selling you their services than providing the best possible service they can. An experienced attorney would never guarantee you a win without having all the facts first. 

Who Would Handle My Case? 

When meeting as a prospective client, you may be speaking with some of the most experienced lawyers in the firm. 

But when it comes to handling your case, these lawyers may have minimal involvement, which is especially true for much larger law firms. 

It’s important to ask who will end up taking care of the bulk of your case and how much involvement your attorney will end up having in the case. 

How Would You Estimate the Value of My Case?

Again, no attorney would give a specific answer without all the facts – but experienced personal injury attorneys may be able to provide an estimated range based on similar cases they’ve closed in the past.

By asking multiple different attorneys, you can get a more accurate range – and you can identify outliers who tend to overpromise for the sake of landing a client. 

How Will You Be Compensated? 

Different attorneys and law firms command different fees and compensation. Know up-front what you should expect to part with and any other case-related fees that you might need to pay regardless of the outcomes of the case.

Some law firms shoulder these costs as well, with the caveat that they command higher contingency fees (i.e., a more significant total percentage of the final compensation). 

Who Will I Be Communicating With? 

Litigation can be a long and complicated process. You will undoubtedly have questions, and it would be nice to know who to contact to ask these questions and how. 

When can you contact your lawyer? Will you speak with them directly, or should you set up a call through their assistant or secretary? Do they prefer email, chat, video call, or voice call? How quickly can you usually get a physical appointment, if at all (given COVID)? 

What Time Frame Are We Looking At? 

Personal injury cases can vary significantly in terms of timeframe. While it’s not possible to give you a perfect answer, most experienced personal injury attorneys will be able to provide you with an estimate based on similar cases they’ve worked on. 

They may be able to tell you roughly how soon you might be able to expect an out-of-court settlement or how long the average case of this kind might take when it’s taken to court. 

What Happens If I Lose?

It’s important to prepare for the worst, both in terms of court decisions and overall costs. Most personal injury lawyers are only paid when they win via contingency fees. These are equal to a percentage of the total compensation awarded to you at the end of the case. 

While you might not need to compensate your attorney for anywhere near as much as you would if you win your case, there might still be other case-related fees and costs not associated with the actual win that you could be stuck with. Will your attorney shoulder these costs as part of their compensation scheme? Or will you be asked to pay these out-of-pocket? 

Remember to Conduct Multiple Interviews 

You might feel compelled to work with the first lawyer who makes a good impression on you. But don’t forget that good first impressions and impeccable customer service and essential skillsets for any lawyer – and neither speak to their overall competence or experience. 

No matter how great you feel about your first pick, always take the time to consider other options before circling back to whom you felt most comfortable with. You may find a better lawyer to represent you for this case if you shop around a little first. 

These are just some of the things you should remember to ask a prospective representative for your injury case. You don’t want an idealist – look for concrete, realistic, and experienced professionals who are interested in being straightforward and who share an excellent track record.  

Making a great first impression is good, but brutal professionalism is even better. You want someone who will be frank about your chances, who will concisely explain your role in the process, and who will help guide you through the ins and outs of litigation. With these questions to ask a personal injury lawyer, you will get closer to making your best informed decision.

Share This Post

Why Our Living Trust Law Firm & Probate Attorneys?

Founded in 1975 by L. Rob Werner and serving California for over 48 years, our dedicated attorneys are available for clients, friends, and family members to receive the legal help they need and deserve. You can trust in our experience and reputation to help navigate you through your unique legal matters.

Whether you need help creating a living trust or navigating probate, our living trust law firm's compassionate team of estate planning lawyers and probate lawyers are here to help you and ready to answer your questions.

Our goal is to make your case as easy as possible for you. Hiring a lawyer can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. From the moment you contact our firm, through the final resolution of your case, our goal is to make the process easy and understandable. We cannot change the fact that probate is a long and complicated process, but through our Werner Law Firm Difference, we strive to go out of our way to keep you informed of your case through every step of the way. We are constantly refining our processes and procedures for a more streamlined and calm client experience. Our goal is to have you feel like a burden was lifted from your shoulders, and that we made the whole process an easy one

If you're dealing with a legal matter, we urge you to schedule a free initial appointment today and join the many satisfied clients who have contacted Werner Law Firm.

Book an Initial Call Now

Join Our eNewsletter and our California Estate Planning and Probate Blog Digest

Werner Law Firm logo
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. See full disclaimer here.
Santa Clarita, CA Office

27433 Tourney Rd, Suite 200
Santa Clarita, California 91355

DIRECTIONS
Los Angeles, CA Office

445 S. Figueroa St., Suite 3100
Los Angeles, California 90071

DIRECTIONS
Bakersfield, CA Office

4900 California Ave, Tower B-210
Bakersfield, California 93309

DIRECTIONS
Newport Beach, CA Office

23 Corporate Plaza Dr., Suite 150
Newport Beach, California 92660

DIRECTIONS
Lancaster, CA Office

626 W Lancaster Blvd.,
Lancaster, California 93534

DIRECTIONS
Pasadena, CA Office

35 North Lake Avenue, Suite 710
Pasadena, California 91101

DIRECTIONS
Simi Valley, CA Office

2655 First St, Suite 250
Simi Valley, CA Office, California 93065

DIRECTIONS
Encino, CA Office

15760 Ventura Blvd, Suite 700
Encino, California 91436

DIRECTIONS
Oxnard, CA Office

300 E Esplanade Dr., 9th Floor
Oxnard, California 93036

DIRECTIONS
Santa Barbara, CA Office

7 W. Figueroa St., Suite 200
Santa Barbara, California 93101

DIRECTIONS
IMS - Estate Planning and Elder Law Practice Growth Advisors
Powered by