What To Expect From a Personal Injury Attorney

Everybody knows that personal injury attorneys collect money for accident victims.  Beyond that, it’s not always so clear how much they charge and what services they can be expected to provide.  Most personal injury attorneys take cases on contingency, meaning that you don’t pay anything until the case is settled or tried, and then only if the attorney is successful, but there are variations and loopholes that you should be aware of that are not always in the client’s best interest.  Here’s what to expect from a reputable Brooklyn personal injury attorney or Queens Accident attorney that is practicing ethically and properly.

Free Consultation

Virtually all personal injury attorneys offer a free consultation, so if you come across one that wants to charge for it – RUN!!  The purpose of the consultation is to determine whether there is a strong enough case to consider moving forward with a claim.  It’s important to understand that a Queens car accident attorney will not be handling your case “for free” or “pro bono,” but will expect to get paid out of the proceeds of the settlement, that’s why they won’t want to take the case unless they think it’s a winner.  If a personal injury attorney tells you that your case is not strong enough for him to risk handling it on contingency, but that he would be willing to handle it on an hourly rate basis, you should not agree to this without getting a second opinion.  There are some exceptions, but most of the time if a personal injury attorney doesn’t want to risk his money on your case, neither should you.

Gets The Insurance Company Takes Your Claim Seriously

Some insurance companies are very aggressive about contacting unrepresented personal injury claimants with low ball offers to settle their case.  The insurance representative will sometimes the person that their case is only worth $300 and mail them a release to sign.  It could be that the person’s injuries are not serious, but immediately after an accident, you can’t be sure, so it’s not a good idea to settle your case THAT fast.  Once there’s a lawyer, the insurance company can’t play this game, and will have to settle the case at it’s real value as there’s no way he’s going to convince a Queens car accident attorney to settle the case for $300.

Know’s How and When to Settle a Case

The best time to settle a case is usually after a person finishes treatment for their injuries because the value of the case is more clear.  Experienced Brooklyn personal injury attorneys know how to prepare settlement packages and which insurance companies to send them to.  If an insurance company doesn’t make an adequate offer, the attorney will commence a lawsuit, sometimes settling the case from the “bump” in the offer from beginning formal litigation.  Brooklyn personal injury attorneys are always aware of policy limits and sources of additional compensation such as claims against the City for a broken traffic signal or “underinsurance claims” with a claimant’s own policy.  If you are injured in an accident, and somebody else is to blame, you are always better off working with an attorney to collect compensation.  Wittenstein & Wittenstein has been handling personal injury claims for more than sixty years, and thousands of satisfied clients can tell you why.  Call 718-261-8114 for a free consultation.