How to Choose Your Truck Accident Lawyer
March 10, 2020 | By Colombo Law
It might seem counterintuitive for a law firm to be writing about how to find the best truck accident lawyer for your case. Nevertheless, it is a difficult problem that many truck accident victims face. Lawyers vary in their experience, and choosing the right lawyer is a really big decision that can have a significant impact on the rest of your life.
It is important to trust your gut. However, you should be informed about what to look for in an attorney before making a gut decision.
At Colombo Law, it’s our mission to be the kind of law firm that educates clients so they fully understand their rights after a truck accident. In our minds, when our clients win, we win. We’ve been at it for decades now, and we’ve helped secure many tremendous victories for our clients. We’d be more than happy to discuss your situation to determine if we think we can do the same for you.
So, before you make a decision, take a quick look at our tips on what to look for when hiring a truck accident attorney, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Truck Accident Lawyer
Part of what makes evaluating attorneys difficult is that most people don’t have a frame of reference for what makes an attorney a good fit for their needs. Some attorneys are very good at talking about themselves, but they tend to fall short when it comes to connecting with prospective clients.
So how do you cut through the endless stream of promises, accolades, and taglines to find what really matters?
There are a few key qualities that can help you find the right truck accident attorney.
How Much Do They Cost?
A good place to start is understanding how accident victims can afford to hire an attorney. How a lawyer charges can tell you quite a lot about their approach to truck accident cases.
At most personal injury law firms, including Colombo Law, we use what’s called a contingency fee arrangement. This means that you don’t have to pay any legal fees upfront. Instead, you only pay your attorney if – and when – they win your case, at which point it will be a percentage of your total compensation amount.
This arrangement is generally accepted as the best in accident and injury cases, since it works great for both lawyers and accident victims. If an attorney has an upfront fee, it could mean that they either don’t understand how these types of cases work, or they don’t think they can win your case. Either way, you should find another attorney.
To learn more about how contingency fees work, check out our post How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
Experience and Depth of Knowledge
Imagine a scenario: You’re negotiating with an insurance company for a settlement, and they throw back a counteroffer at you. They say that their lawyers reviewed your case and some of your claims are baseless or aren’t covered by the policy, so this reduces the amount that you requested.
What do you do?
Sometimes insurance companies will pull these kinds of maneuvers, which can blindside someone who doesn’t understand how insurance companies work or whether their arguments are legitimate. But consider all that’s at stake. There might be thousands of dollars on the line that you need to pay your bills and get back on your feet. So maybe it does make sense to reject the offer and threaten to go to court.
On the other hand, if the insurance company is right and you lose your lawsuit, you could end up with little to nothing to show – in fact, you could end up worse than you started.
The point being, there are a lot of difficult problems that come up during a truck accident case that need to be handled with speed and confidence. There’s a lot on the line, and the only way to be truly prepared is if you’ve done it many times before.
So, when you’re looking for a truck accident attorney, make sure you can find information that shows their breadth of experience.
Track Record of Success
Of course, experience is only useful if it’s relevant experience. There are a couple of things to look for to determine if an attorney’s experience and success align with your case:
- Number of Verdicts and Settlements: When it comes to how many awards, the more, the better. If an attorney only has a few, it’s probably not a great sign. Either they aren’t good at consistently publishing results or they simply don’t have many. Regardless, you’ll generally want to find a firm that lists dozens of significant verdicts and settlements on their website.
- Verdicts and Settlement Amounts: Beyond the number of settlements, you should also look at the quality. Are there few high-dollar compensation amounts? If so, it might mean an attorney is quick to settle for less than they should. This is especially important if you expect your claim to be substantial. You’ll want to make sure you work with a truck accident lawyer who is confident pursuing maximum compensation after a serious accident.
- Client Testimonials and Reviews: While it can sometimes be hard to trust online reviews, they can still be a really helpful indicator of the quality of an attorney. Testimonial videos are nice as well because they show that the clients are real people who were willing to get on camera to talk about their experience. But check out reviews on Google as well. If you don’t see very many reviews or there are a lot of negative reviews, it’s obviously a bad sign.
Together, these three factors should give you a pretty good sense of an attorney’s track record. While you shouldn’t decide on an attorney based on these answers alone, it can help you eliminate some options and narrow down your search.
Do They Go To Trial?
Generally speaking, a truck accident case doesn’t immediately go to court. That only happens if you and your attorney can’t reach a satisfactory agreement with the insurance company. On the other hand, if the insurance company does provide a good offer, accepting the settlement could save you a lot of time.
However, it’s of the utmost importance that you and your lawyer are ready to go to trial from day one. If an insurance company knows that an attorney isn’t willing to go to court, they are much less likely to offer maximum compensation.
Some attorneys prefer to work this way. They can get to more cases in less time because they take a quantity-over-quality approach. Or maybe they simply aren’t comfortable going to court and prefer to avoid it.
Regardless of the reason, this could hurt your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve. An attorney that has his or her clients’ best interests in mind will always be willing to take a case to trial if it comes to it; that is the kind of attorney you want on your side.
Our Truck Accident Lawyers Are Here to Help You
If you’re trying to find a truck accident attorney in West Virginia you can trust to fight for your rights and pursue the maximum amount of compensation you deserve, Colombo Law is here for you. We are a team of highly experienced lawyers with a long track record of success for our clients, which has led to a 99% win rate.
We have an in-depth understanding of how difficult it can be for truck accident victims, and we pride ourselves on being true client advocates – against insurance companies and negligent drivers alike.
If you would like to discuss the details of your situation over a FREE case review, reach out anytime by calling (304) 599-4229. We never charge any upfront fees, and we only get paid once we have won your case.
