What to Look for in an Auto Accident Lawyer

How to Choose the Right Auto Accident Lawyer in Wyoming

One of the most difficult decisions to make after a car accident is whether to hire an attorney to assist with your recovery or not. If your accident is minor, with little damage to you or your vehicle, and you feel confident in your negotiation skills, you may choose to go it alone by haggling with the insurance company without any sort of legal help. However, if you suffered injury in an auto accident, it is almost certainly in your best interests to hire a skilled lawyer to help you win the compensation your situation deserves. No one wants to be cheated out of a settlement they are entitled to according to Wyoming law.

Once you do decide to hire an attorney to help with your case, the real work begins. What sort of attorney should you hire? Will any attorney do? How much experience should they have? In order to ensure you hire an attorney perfectly suited to the particular needs of your situation, you should take the following qualities into consideration.

Your Car Crash Needs a Personal Injury Attorney

Unfortunately, if you’ve been involved in a car accident any old lawyer simply won’t do. Auto accident injury claims can quickly become complex and one of the biggest mistakes you can make is entrusting your case to a lawyer with little or no experience with personal injury law. Different fields of law don’t always translate well with one another. Just because an attorney may be at the top of their field in, say, Constitutional law doesn’t mean they will be successful in settling your case.

In order to maximize your case, you will need an actual personal injury attorney. Preferably one with years upon years of experience. Think of it this way. You wouldn’t hire a gardener to fix a plumbing problem. Or a dentist to perform heart surgery. Your best bet in winning the best possible settlement is to find an attorney well-practiced in personal injury law. So, no, it’s probably not wise to hire your fresh-out-of-law-school cousin to help with your auto injury case.

Negotiation Experience Matters

When it comes to auto accident claims, the simple fact is that the vast majority are settled through negotiations between a victim’s attorney and an insurance adjuster. In order to maximize the size of your potential settlement, you will need an attorney who is skilled in the art of negotiation. Insurance providers are in the business of making money and, as such, they train adjusters to do whatever possible to only pay out small settlements, and the fewer the better. Only an attorney who is a practiced negotiator is able to maneuver around stubborn adjusters and avoid the various loopholes they use to deny liability and, in general, trip up poorly constructed injury claims.

One of the most important qualities a personal injury attorney can have is simply knowing how to appropriately value your auto injury claim. After a cursory review of your situation, an experienced attorney will be able to estimate the potential value of your case and then negotiate with the adjuster for a settlement approximately in this amount. Nobody wants to leave money on the table. When vetting an attorney, be sure to ask about their case history and previous successes. Find out if they have handled cases similar to yours and question them about the final results.

A History of Litigation

You should also question any prospective attorney about how much experience they have had in a courtroom setting. While the chances your case might go to court are rather low, with only 5% of personal injury claims require litigation, you don’t want to run the risk of hiring a law firm that is ill-equipped to go before a judge and jury. Unfortunately, too many personal injury law firms operate with a turn-and-burn mindset. These law firms will act tough with the insurance companies right up until it is time to file a lawsuit. They will then drop your case and leave you without a dime to use toward your recovery.

The last thing you want is an attorney who is afraid of defending your case in court. It is best to find a law firm that has a seasoned litigation attorney on their staff. There’s no denying that litigation is tough. A personal injury law firm with a dedicated litigation team typically means they are fully committed to guiding their clients through the entire legal process and won’t cut corners to help them make the best recovery possible.

People Over Profits 

Easily the most important quality you should look for in an auto injury attorney is a commitment to your recovery over putting money in their pocket. You’ll never be more than just a case number to a lawyer who is just in it for the money. What you need is an attorney who truly cares about you and your family. The last thing you want is a law firm which drops your case if it becomes more trouble than it’s worth.

No other personal injury law firm operating in Wyoming cares more about their clients than The Advocates. Our attorneys will go the extra mile to ensure you make the best recovery possible and win maximum compensation for your injuries and losses. The Advocates have decades of experience helping accident injury victims recover what they are legally owed. Don’t wait contact our office today for a free consultation. You deserve an Advocate!

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