How To Hire The Best Lawyer For My Car Accident Injury Case
Selecting the Best Lawyer
After your serious car accident selecting the right attorney for your injury case may be the most important decision you ever make.
Before you hire a lawyer, find out what will make the biggest difference in your case.
Experience
Reputation
Systems
Organization
Find a lawyer who you feel comfortable with. One who takes the time to explain how your case is best settled for full and fair value.
Call me, Matt Powell at MattLaw™ to discuss your personal injury car accident case. It is a free, confidential consultation.
By doing your homework, you can save yourself a lot of headaches, wasted time, and feel better knowing your case is being handled by a law firm that focuses on car accident injury cases like yours.
How To Hire The Best Lawyer For My Car Accident Injury Case
#37 Hire the Right Lawyer The First Time
#37 HOW TO SELECT A CAR ACCIDENT INJURY LAWYER FOR YOUR CASE
#38 How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Car Accident Injury Lawyer
#38 WHAT IS A CONTINGENCY FEE AND HOW DOES IT WORK
#39 HOW MUCH IS THE CONTINGENCY FEE
#40 I Want A Board Certified Lawyer
#40 SPECIALIZATION - WHAT ADDED VALUE DOES HIRING A BOARD CERTIFIED CIVIL TRIAL LAWYER GIVE TO YOU
#41 Your Lawyer's Reputation Matters With The Insurance Company
#41 REPUTATION OF YOUR LAWYER WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS A MAJOR IMPACT ON HOW YOUR CLAIM WILL BE EVALUATED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY
#37 HOW TO SELECT A CAR ACCIDENT INJURY LAWYER FOR YOUR CASE
#37 Hire The Right Lawyer With Experience for your Car Accident Injury Case
Selecting the right attorney for your case is a very important decision.
What are the factors you might consider:
Cost of hiring an experienced lawyer (all the same cost)
Specialization through Board Certification (not many lawyers are board certified)
Reputation with Insurance companies (does the lawyer every go to trial)
Experience in trying cases (does the lawyer have a winning track record)
Yes, all of these matter, and let’s look at each one separately.
But keep in mind, many of my clients come to MattLaw after they hired a lawyer, but the first lawyer could not get the job done.
Don’t cause needless delay in your case, start off by selecting an attorney who can handle your case from the beginning to the end.
Imagine for a moment that you are going to buy a new car. And you find out that no matter what car you purchase, the price for any car is the same. Yes, any car you want with any option is still the same price.
Does the COST of the attorney matter in selecting the right personal injury attorney for your car accident case?
The COST OF ALL PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME PRICE!
Because most car accident injury lawyers charge the same fee, the cost is essentially the same.
If you hire a specialist, or you hire an attorney who lacks the experience, focus and skills of a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, the cost is the same, however the Outcome of your case might be quite different.
Why is the cost the same whether I hire a specialist, or a general lawyer?
Because most personal injury attorneys will handle your case on a Contingency Fee Basis.
A Contingency Fee means your attorney works for free unless and until the attorney recovers money for you.
If we are able to make a recovery for you, then we are paid a contingency fee, which is a percentage of the total recovery.
So, if Cost does not matter, what does matter when you hire a lawyer for your car accident case. The lawyer’s ability to get you the full and fair result quickly and efficiently. This is why specialization, reputation and experience are so important when selecting the right attorney.
#38 WHAT IS A CONTINGENCY FEE AND HOW DOES IT WORK
#38 How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Car Accident Injury Lawyer
After a serious car accident, our clients can’t afford to pay an attorney by the hour to protect their legal rights.
You may be unable to work, you now have medical bills, there is no way you can afford to pay out of pocket for legal help.
Contingency fees level the playing field by allowing you to hire a top rated personal injury lawyer without having to pay any money upfront.
Under a contingency fee arrangement, MattLaw™ takes on the risk of not getting paid for our work, in exchange for the potential of a larger payout if your case is successful. This allows you to have access to experienced legal representation to fight for your rights.
Contingency fees have become a common way for personal injury lawyers to represent the clients of MattLaw™ and we have helped thousands of people to have access to justice who may not have been able to afford it otherwise.
Only the rich can afford to pay an attorney $650.00 an hour.
But with a contingency fee agreement, you get a lawyer who is Board Certified, and who has received Court Awarded Attorney fees of $650.00 an hour for your case.
Keep in mind, we turn down cases unless we think we can win on your behalf.
#39 HOW MUCH IS THE CONTINGENCY FEE
#39 One Third
How much is the contingency fee?
Contingency Fees are regulated by the Florida Bar.
⅓ if the case settles prior to filing a lawsuit
40% if a suit is filed and the defendant denies liability for the negligence of their insured.
ARE THERE COSTS ON TOP OF THE CONTINGENCY FEE
Yes, there are costs in most cases, such as:
Getting your medical records
Filing Fees paid to the clerk of court to file suit
Deposition costs paid to court reporters
Expert witness fees
And many other costs.
Does the client pay the costs of bringing the case? Yes, but ONLY if a recovery is made.
If your case goes all the way to trial, and you lose, and do not recover any money, then you do not owe MattLaw™ anything for attorney fees or costs.
Because the costs are paid only if a recovery is made.
#40 SPECIALIZATION - WHAT ADDED VALUE DOES HIRING A BOARD CERTIFIED CIVIL TRIAL LAWYER GIVE TO YOU
#40 I Want A Board Certified Lawyer
SPECIALIZATION – WHAT ADDED VALUE DOES HIRING A BOARD CERTIFIED CIVIL TRIAL LAWYER GIVE TO YOU
When you hire a specialist you are represented by:
A lawyer who is certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist,
Or a Lawyer who is certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy,
you have a much better chance of making a full and fair recovery.
For example,
if you try to settle your case on your own,
or your attorney is not fully aware of the complexities of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages,
you or the attorney can easily make a mistake and cause you to waive,
yes totally waive your uninsured motorist benefits.
There are some conditions that must be met by you and your attorney before you can take the bodily injury limits.
If you skip one step, you may cause yourself to lose a lot of money.
Also, by hiring an experienced Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, you can rest assured that your lawyer will be able to take the necessary steps to properly ask for the insurance limits from all of the insurance companies that may be liable to pay you for your injuries.
The Board Certified Trial Lawyer will protect your rights in such a way that if one or some of the insurance companies don’t evaluate your claim fairly and make full offers to settle your case, then your experienced attorney will know what steps to take to protect your interests.
Your attorney will know when the at fault insurance company acts in bad faith.
Your Board Certified Attorney will also know when your uninsured motorist company fails to fairly evaluate your claim, your attorney knows how and when to file a complaint against your own insurance company with the Florida Department of Insurance to protect your interests. By filing a proper complaint with the Department of Insurance, your Board Certified Trial attorney may allow you to recover the full value of your claim, even if it exceeds your uninsured motorists policy limits.
#41 REPUTATION OF YOUR LAWYER WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS A MAJOR IMPACT ON HOW YOUR CLAIM WILL BE EVALUATED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY
#41
Insurance Companies Track Everything and Everyone. Some Attorneys have a reputation for not filing suit:
When insurance companies are dealing with an attorney who won’t file suit, the insurance company has no motivation or reason to pay fairly.
This is because when the insurance company makes a substandard settlement offer, the attorney will pressure their client to take the low offer.
When the attorney knows when they sign up the case they will NOT file a lawsuit, they may pressure the client to take low offers.
This is sad, but happens too often.
Some law firms make a lot of money by signing up a lot of cases and then taking whatever offers are made.
Who can blame the insurance industry for treating these attorneys this way?
The insurance companies are in business to make profits for their shareholders.
The insurance companies do this by carefully evaluating how low of an offer they can make and still get the case settled and not face a jury trial.
Some attorneys who have a reputation for filing suit but later settling:
When an insurance company is evaluating a claim, they factor in the history and reputation of the attorney who is representing the injured victim.
The plaintiff’s attorney’s reputation is a critical factor in the amount of money an insurance company will authorize as payment for claims.
So, in the scenario where an attorney may act tough and file suit for their client, but have the reputation of settling the case and not going to trial, well the insurance companies may take advantage of that attorney and his or her client.
Consider this real life example.
The policy limits are only $50,000.00. The claim is clearly worth $100,000.00.
The attorney demands the full policy limits ($50K), the insurance company refuses, and only offers $45,000.00.
Even though the insurance company knows your case has a value over the $50K policy limits, they try to save money and only offer $45,000.00.
The insurance company decides that the lawyer may be tempted to take the $45,000.
Or the client may be desperate and take the $45,000 offer.
And the insurance company also figures in their evaluation that the attorney, even though they may file suit, never goes all the way to trial.
So, the insurance company weighs the risk of a trial, and makes a low offer.
If the $45,000 offer is accepted the Insurance Company celebrates and puts a note in their file that the attorney took less than the case was worth.
And if the attorney files suit, the insurance company knows from experience that many injured people give up, become frustrated and are willing to take less than the $50,000 policy limits.
The Insurance Company knows this because they force you to undergo a deposition by the insurance defense lawyer, answer written interrogatories (questions) from the defense lawyer, and undergo an examination by the insurance company doctor (CME) who will say you are not hurt. At this point, the insurance company has run you and your attorney through the wringer. They are also hoping you make some mistake and hurt the value of your case by saying something wrong, or posting on social media, or other things that lessen the value of your claim. And if you keep refusing to take less than the policy limits they eventually say, Okay, you won, here are the policy limits. They know from experience that many attorneys will take the policy limits of $50K now. The attorney can always justify this by saying, well, they offered us the policy limits, there is nothing else we can do. When your attorney talks to you about taking the policy limits, they are not telling you to take the policy limits because they never go to trial, or they are not equipped to try your case, or they are afraid of trying your case. More likely than not, the attorney will talk the client into taking 50K rather than going to trial and seeking more than the policy limits. When you think about this scenario, it makes perfect business sense for the insurance company to manipulate their offers and finally pay the policy limits. They get to keep your money longer, they feel comfortable that your attorney will cave in at some point and take the policy limits, and they know that they have beaten the attorney to some extent by making him or her spend money on the filing fee, and doing the extra work of taking your case into litigation.
Let’s look at the fee if the attorney got you to settle your case for $45K. The fee would be 1/3 for the lawyer, or $15,000.00. His costs in your case should be very low, probably just the cost of your medical records, lets say $100.00.00. His time investment was probably just a few hours. Now lets look at his fee if he files suit but takes the policy limits at mediation. The fee is now 40%, or $20,000.00. His costs now include the following: Filing Fee for the case $410.00. Service of process on the defendant $50.00. Court Reporter fee to take the deposition of the defendant driver $350.00. Cost of the transcript of the deposition the insurance attorney took of you $200.00. Cost of hiring a videographer to attend your CME $150.00. Costs of paying for copies of records obtained by the insurance defense lawyer $150.00. And assume that your attorney did not hire any experts, tried to keep costs down, and the next expense is mediation. Mediation fee $350.00. If and when your attorney caves in at mediation and takes the 50K, his fee is $20K, plus what he spent and now gets back, and the costs add up to $1,610.00. And the attorney has now invested close to 40 hours in your case.
$45K at 1/3
Fee $15,000
Costs $100
10 Hours
Effective Rate $1,500 per hour
$50K at 40%
Fee 20,000
Costs $1,610
50 Hours
Effective Rate $400 per hour
As you can see from the pure economics of settling your case, and or filing suit, the lawyer is highly motivated to settle before filing suit, and the insurance company knows they can create financial stress on you and your attorney by fighting you, with the knowledge that when your case comes down to the wire, your attorney will pressure you to avoid the risk of trial and take the policy limits. You have to ask yourself this question, who is at risk of you go to trial? Well, you certainly may be at risk for going to trial and losing. You might have to pay costs and fees. But your attorney’s risk is close to 100 hours, plus the added cost of trial (easily $15,000.00 for expert witnesses and court reporter fees).
Attorneys who have a reputation for filing suit, turning down policy limit offers, and taking your case all the way to a jury trial and obtaining verdicts in excess of policy limits:
These are the attorneys the insurance industry hopes you never meet. Because attorneys who are dedicated to the jury system have the power to obtain full justice for their clients. These attorneys are happy to file suit when the offer is unfair. These attorneys are happy to turn down the insurance policy limits when they are not enough and the insurance company forced you to file suit. Once the injured victim and the attorney are forced to file suit, the attorney knows that if he goes all the way, he, and his client will be vindicated by the jury system. Now the numbers look a little different. Imagine a judgment of $400,000.00
Judgment $400,000.00
Fee 40% = $160,000.00
Costs = $17,110.00
100 hours = Effective Rate of $1,600 per hour
And if your skilled trial lawyer and you agree to make a proposal for settlement against the at fault party, and you succeed in triggering the offer, then your attorney may be paid for his time prosecuting your case from the insurance company who made the low offer. This results in you putting more money in your pocket because some or all of your attorney fees may be paid by the at fault insurance company.
Hiring the Right Personal Injury Lawyer For You And Your Family May Be One of The Most Important Decisions of Your Life - Choose Wisely
To break this all down when it comes time to hiring the best personal injury lawyer for your car accident, know this:
- All attorneys charge about the same fee of ⅓
- Since the fee is about the same you want to hire the most experienced lawyer you can.
- You want an attorney who has a strong reputation with insurance companies.
- You want to hire a lawyer who is Board Certified
- You want a lawyer who actually takes cases to trial
- You want a lawyer who you feel comfortable with
- You want a lawyer who teaches other lawyers how to be a better trial lawyer
When it comes time to select the right lawyer for your car accident injury case, call me, Matt Powell for a free consultation. If MattLaw™ is able to accept your case we will use our skills, experience and resources to help you get the best result for you and your family.
Sincerely,
Matt Powell, Esq.
Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar
