You can find the best car accident lawyer near you through several means, including but not limited to online research. When you search for a car accident attorney in your city, you will find several potential candidates. The next step is to evaluate those candidates based on their credentials, and you can use several criteria during your search.

Before you hire an attorney, you should be confident in your reasoning for hiring that firm. Your Cape Girardeau car accident lawyer will be fighting for your financial recovery, so they should be highly qualified to have your case in their hands.

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How to Evaluate a Pool of Prospective Car Accident Lawyers

Once you have collected a pool of law firms to potentially hire for your case, you should consider the pros and cons of each firm. Some criteria you may use to narrow down your list of candidates include:

How Long the Firm Has Handled Car Accident Cases

Experience can be one of the biggest differences between law firms. As you evaluate each firm’s experience, consider:

• How long the law firm has been operational
• The resumes of specific lawyers within the law firm

While an older law firm is not necessarily better than a younger one, you should weigh a firm’s degree of experience when choosing your car accident lawyer.

The Firm’s Size

The size of a law firm may influence:

• The type and extent of resources they will invest in your case
• The quality of client service you receive
• The experience of the lawyer who handles your case
• How easily you can reach your lawyer
• Whether the law firm will take your case to court

A law firm’s size is not its only defining factor. That said, the number of attorneys, offices, and resources a law firm possesses should be a factor in your search.

The Firm’s Case Results

A law firm’s case results are the closest thing to a resume that you will find. As you review each firm’s case results (which they often post on their site), consider:

• The number of car accident-related results the firm posts, as this may tell you how important a practice area car accidents are for that firm
• The dollar amount of the settlements and verdicts the firm has recovered
• How many verdicts has the firm secured, as this indicates how willing the law firm is to take car accident cases to court

Considering that the average economic cost of a car accident that causes disabling injuries is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars (and likely even more since the most recent research), you should seek a law firm with a proven record of success.

Reviews from Former Clients

Learn from those who have hired a law firm before you. Former clients see the best and worst aspects of law firms. Their reviews can be immensely valuable when searching for a car accident attorney.

The Firm’s Performance During Your Free Consultation

A free consultation is one of the most valuable aspects of finding an attorney. These consultations are common, as they:

• Provide the law firm to make its case for handling the client’s case
• Allow the prospective client to ask questions to the law firm and receive personalized answers
• Give the prospective client a glimpse into the firm’s quality of client service

If you are impressed by a law firm’s case results and client reviews, the next step in vetting the firm is to complete your free consultation.

An Attorney Will Take on Your Fight for Financial Recovery

When you hire a car accident lawyer, expect full service. The law firm will receive a percentage of the financial recovery, and you should expect the firm to earn its fee.

Capable, client-focused law firms do everything possible to win for their clients, which typically includes:

Dealing with the Insurance Companies

Auto insurance providers are, in many cases, massive financial institutions that don’t always show compassion for car accident victims. Your attorney will handle all interactions with insurance companies so that:

• You can recover without being bothered by insurance representatives
• The insurance company does not attempt to confuse you about your claim
• The insurance company won’t pressure you to accept its lowball settlement offers
• Your attorney can demand that the insurance company resolves your claim quickly

Insurance companies may hold the key to conclude your case fairly. However, insurers do not always make the claims process easy. Your lawyer will shield you from the headaches that often come with car accident claims.

Determining the Cost of Your Accident-Related Damages

Every lawyer must have a specific settlement in mind before starting negotiations. Your lawyer will formulate their settlement demands by considering the following:

• Your current damages
• Your future damages
• Both economic and non-economic damages

Because of their experience, a car accident lawyer may be uniquely qualified to calculate the cost of your case.

Obtaining All Relevant Evidence from the Accident

Evidence is pivotal to your case’s success. Your lawyer will specifically seek any evidence that helps prove the negligence of liable parties, which may include:

• Witnesses testimony that mirrors your version of the car accident
• The report from the officer who responded to the accident
• Video of the accident
• Your own testimony about how the accident happened
• An expert’s reconstruction of the collision
• An expert’s testimony about fault and liability for the car accident

Lawyers have an eye for the kinds of evidence that can help win car accident claims. Your legal team will not waste time investigating your accident and securing evidence.

Securing Proof of Your Damages

Some damages from car accidents can be difficult to prove. Your lawyer will secure all available documentation of damages, which may include medical bills, images of injuries, proof of lost income, and other evidence of your losses.

Attorneys frequently hire experts to substantiate their clients’ damages. For instance, a mental health professional can diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and help your lawyer determine treatment costs.

Formulating Settlement Demands

Your lawyer will calculate a settlement target while considering the following:

• Every accident-related injury you have suffered
• The severity of each of your injuries
• The extent of your pain and suffering
• The professional cost of the collision
• The cost of property damage

The settlement demands will be tailor-made to reflect your unique damages.

Negotiating with Liable Parties

Once you hire a lawyer, you task them with securing a fair settlement. Your lawyer will meet with liable parties, explain your damages, and present settlement demands. The liable parties must address these demands, accept them, or present a counteroffer.

It can take several rounds of negotiations for a car accident lawyer to secure a fair offer. In some cases, liable parties never agree to a fair settlement, in which case the lawyer can file a lawsuit.

Evaluating the Need for a Trial

Upon completing their settlement negotiations, your lawyer will determine if the best offer from insurers is fair or not. If the offer does not cover all of your accident-related damages, your lawyer may request they take your case to trial.

Statistics indicate that you are more likely to receive a settlement than to see your case go to trial. However, your attorney will:

• Compare your damages to the best settlement offer
• Draft and file a lawsuit on your behalf
• Prepare your case for trial
• Complete discovery and other pre-trial processes
• Accompany you to any necessary depositions
• Argue your case in court

The ability to take a case to trial is a great benefit of hiring an experienced car accident lawyer. Even if your case does not ultimately go to court, your lawyer may have leverage during settlement negotiations due to their ability to pursue a trial.

Recoverable Damages in Your Car Accident Case

Car accidents often contort the victim’s body in ways that result in serious injury. In some cases, victims face the direct impact of the collision or are thrown from the vehicle. Any accident can cause serious injuries that result in:

Physical Pain and Other Forms of Pain and Suffering

Attorneys evaluate their clients’ pain and suffering, which can include:

• Acute pain from injuries
• Chronic pain
• Sleep disruptions
• Lost quality of life
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Mood and personality changes
• Scarring and disfigurement

If you have post-traumatic stress disorder (as many car accident victims do), many of your symptoms may be only clear to you. Your attorney will describe your symptoms so they can be accurately reflected in your claim’s settlement demands.

Healthcare Costs

Car accident lawyers are familiar with the costly medical bills that often follow auto collisions. Your attorney will demand fair compensation for the cost of:

• Emergency medical services
• Hospitalization
• Medications
• Specialist appointments
• Medical imaging
• Surgeries
• All other accident-related medical services

Each injury produces unique symptoms and requires a personalized treatment and recovery plan. Your attorney will work with your doctors to gather every relevant detail of your injuries and medical needs.

Professional Harm (Including Lost Income)

Car accident victims often need time to heal before returning to work. Even once you can resume working, you may struggle due to the effects of your injuries. Potential professional damages from a car accident include:

• Lost income
• Reduced earning power
• Lost opportunities for performance bonuses
• Lost 401k contributions and other benefits

Your attorney will also evaluate any psychological harm resulting from your professional damages.

Property Costs (Including Vehicle Repairs)

Your case will include the cost of repairing your car, replacing a totaled vehicle, and replacing any other property damaged during your accident.

If you suffer any additional damages, your attorney will account for them. A capable attorney will promptly calculate an accurate settlement value, and they will fight fiercely for the financial recovery you deserve.

When Do I Hire My Car Accident Lawyer?

There is only one correct answer to the question of when to hire a car accident lawyer: as soon as possible. Those who wait to hire a lawyer risk:

• Rushing the decision of which lawyer to hire (and potentially missing the best candidates)
• Preventing their attorney from gathering valuable evidence
• Missing the filing deadline for their case
• Suffering financial consequences because they failed to hire a lawyer in a timely manner

Attorneys are readily available to speak with you. There is no reason to delay your search for the best law firm serving your area.

Identify Your Lawyer as Soon as Possible

Your attorney will immediately start your case for compensation, but they must review your case first. Research local law firms and choose the right legal team to lead your car accident case. Never wait to seek one or more free consultations.