The best thing to do when you are injured in a car accident, is hire a personal injury attorney, such as those at Barker, Rodem, & Cook, PA, The Law Offices of Weinstein, Scharf & Dubinsky, PA, Waggoner Legal Group or Standridge Law Firm,  to help you get the proper care you need, and to make sure the guilty party doesn’t get away and leave you with potentially high medical bills and other expenses.

When looking for a car accident attorney, the first thing you should do is conduct some research and make a list of attorneys in the area who do personal injury work, and who are categorized as auto accident attorneys. You can find a listing of attorneys either through the court system in your area or use the Internet for information. So when choosing the right auto accident attorney, you must know some information about their practice and how long they have been in practice. You want to make sure to hire an attorney who has experience representing your type of claim, who has dealt with many clients, who is certified to practice by the state bar, has great reviews by others who have used their services in the past, and someone you feel comfortable working with.

Early on, you will need to consider what kind of damages you may be eligible to recover. Your car accident attorney should have knowledge of the industry, so they should know what damages you may legally seek compensation for. To demonstrate the financial impact your injury has had upon your life, you will have to come up with: hospital bills, show that you had to take time off work (lost wages), whether you are taking medication (to be reimbursed), and whatever other financial hardships you suffered due to the liable driver’s negligence. You may also be compensated for pain and suffering.

When you are injured in a car accident, you don’t want to have to deal with all this work on your own. Therefore, the best thing to do to save the headaches and to ensure you get the proper recovery is to hire a personal injury attorney.

When hiring a personal injury lawyer, do not rely on the attorney with the biggest or prettiest advertisement on the radio, television, newspaper or Yellow Pages. These attorneys may not be best-suited to handle the particulars of your specific claim. Instead, you should carefully investigate several personal injury attorneys before choosing one to represent you. To generate your list, it is best to ask for any referrals from people you know who have had claims similar to yours. Also, consult your local Yellow Pages or online directories such as AttorneyLocate.com to generate a list of potential attorneys.

There are several things you should consider when researching personal injury lawyers. First, do they have experience representing the type of claim that you have? Personal injury lawyers tend to focus on specific types of claims and are very good at representing cases within that scope of practice, but may not be particularly suited to handle other types of claims. For example, a personal injury lawyer who has handled a large number of car accident cases, may not be best suited to handle your medical malpractice claim. Different laws govern different types of torts (see What is a Tort?) and you want to choose an attorney who is not only familiar with the laws that will help you receive compensation for your damages, but an attorney who is an expert at handling your type of case.

Second, how successful has the attorney been at recovering damages for their clients? You want to select a personal injury lawyer with a proven track record for helping their clients receive the compensation they are entitled to. Some things you will want to consider when determining the attorney’s success rate are how many cases the attorney has brought to trial (and the success of those trials) and how many cases the attorney has settled out of court. Even if you are planning on settling out of court, you want an attorney with courtroom experience in the event that a trial is the only way to receive fair compensation for your injuries.

Third, does the attorney they belong to any professional organizations like their state’s Trial Lawyers Association and/or the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America)? Belonging to professional organizations like their state’s Trial Lawyers Association and/or the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) may be indicative of a commitment to promoting fair and effective justice.

Fourth, what type of fee does the attorney charge for your type of claim? Many personal injury lawyers will work on a contingent fee basis (see Understanding Attorney Fees). That is, they do not receive any payment for their services unless they recover money for you in settlement or court proceedings. The money an attorney receives when working on contingency is a percentage of the amount he or she recovers for you. It is a good idea to ask what percentage of your recovery the attorney will take and receive the terms of your fee arrangement in writing.

Finally, be sure to ask how many years of experience the attorney has, where they went to law school and if they have any additional training or experience in your type of claim. The more information you receive about your potential personal injury lawyer, the more likely you will be able to choose someone who can help you recover the money you are entitled to.

Not only do you want to hire an attorney with a proven track record with cases like yours, but you will want to consider the attorney’s personality and legal philosophy as well. Over the course of your case, you will be spending a lot of time with your attorney and placing a lot of trust in their character and ability. Therefore, it is important that you are comfortable with your attorney’s personality and philosophy.

It is important that you compare all of the information you have received about potential attorneys so you can select the one who not only has the most experience handling your type of claim, but the one who will work with you to help you receive fair compensation for your injury. Not all attorneys will be able to help you recover the maximum amount of money you deserve for your damages; therefore, it is important to take the time to research several attorneys and select the one with the highest qualifications. You can research attorneys online by viewing the attorney’s Web site and utilizing online attorney directories, like AttorneyLocate.com.