Following an injury in a Fontana car accident, what you do after the accident will make a major difference in your outcome. Where does a Fontana accident victim find the right lawyer to help them recover compensation for their injuries and losses? There are many lawyers advertising and are willing to handle your case. Fontana has so many lawyer billboards, mostly from lawyers that are located outside of San Bernardino County. Many are mega law firms with significant overhead and expenses. These firms require volume to cover their overhead and have a never ending need to quickly generate fees from their clients. Some firms will entice injury victims with introductory “low fees” that are seldom realized by the client.
This article is intended to help educate injury victims and their loved ones on how to best select the right attorney following a Fontana, CA, car, truck or motorcycle collision. Some, but not all, of the most important considerations you should go through before hiring a law firm for your Fontana car accident case will be reviewed.
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Experience Matters
A skilled personal injury trial lawyer or reputable law firm can make a world of difference. Insurance companies know which attorneys or law firms will fight for their clients and try cases if the insurance company is being unfair. If you choose an attorney that caves under the pressure during negotiations, your recovery will be adversely impacted. Insurance companies have detailed information on the lawyers handling injury cases and they share that information with other insurance companies.
It is important for you to know your legal counsel’s reputation and experience is going to work to your benefit, not work against you. Ask your lawyer or law firm who is going to handle your case. Ask how many cases they have tried and if any were similar to your case. Ask about their years of experience and if they will be supervising the handling of your case from beginning to end. Ask if they refer the case to other law firms for handling, and if so, when do they do that. Get to know your legal counsel before you make your commitment and place your trust with that lawyer’s office.
You should understand that in many law firms there several layers of individuals that will be involved in handling your case. Initially, paralegals and secretaries will often start the process of handling a straightforward injury claim. They will order medical records, assist with managing healthcare appointments and issues, establish the file, setup communications and establish the claim with the insurance company. They will be your initial point of contact throughout your case. Depending on the difficulty of the case, in some instances, your case does not require a substantial amount of time from the attorney.
In those instances, you want to know the skill set of those who will be handling your case. Do they know what they are doing and will they take the time to review the case with the supervising attorney before making critical decisions? Check out the online reviews to see the experience others have had with the law firm. Most importantly ask lots of questions and make sure you feel comfortable with those who will be handling your injury claim. Ask yourself, whether you can trust them to fight for you and put your interests above all else.
Legal Fee Structure and Costs Matter
Personal injury lawyers generally work on a contingency basis. This means the get paid from the recovery and if they don’t recover they don’t get paid for their services. The amount of the contingency fee and costs charged by your lawyer will impact your bottom line recovery. Simply put, the more the fees and costs the law firm charges the less will be available to you, the injured party.
Let’s look at a sample fee and cost structure charged by a billboard law firm. The fee structure is set up as follows: 25% if settled within 90 days of signing the contract; 33.33% after 90 days; 40% upon filing suit; 45% when the case is assigned to trial and 50% if trial starts. Additionally, there are flat fee costs imposed at the commencement of the case and thereafter variable costs imposed due to expenses incurred. These costs are taken from the recovery after the legal fees have already been deducted. Other firms have fee structures of 40% upon signing, 45% upon filing and 50% at trial.
The 25% fee seldom applies because few cases can settled within the time limits applicable for this fee. The remaining rates are easily manipulated to benefit the law firm. If you end up paying 45% of your recovery instead of 33.33%, on a $100,000 settlement you are paying $45,000 vs $33,333, or nearly $12,000 more, not including additional costs. Carefully review the legal services agreement and compare it with the costs and fees offered by other law firms. Consider whether it is worth the cost of paying substantially more with one law firm verses another.
You want to hire a law firm that is straightforward with you about its fees and costs. You also want to hire a law firm that is ethically dedicated to your success and financial recovery and make that their highest priority.
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Location of the Law Firm
While office location of your law firm is less important than before the available technology, location still matters. If your lawyer’s office is located in the Inland Empire, and the legal team lives and works locally, they are going to be personally invested in your success as your neighbor and fellow Inland Empire resident.
The second reason location matters is that it makes it easier for you to visit your attorney should the need arise.
Finally, having a local attorney handling a local case, it is likely the lawyer is more familiar with the judges and court staff and their particular rules, habits and tendencies. This inside information shortens the learning curve and gives you additional comfort that the attorney will be able to handle your case in that court room.
Don't Leave Your Choice of Attorneys to Chance After a Fontana Car Accident
The legal team at the Inland Empire Law Group will check off all the boxes for the type of firm you want handling your Fontana accident case. We offer skilled and experienced legal counsel with nearly four decades of service to Inland Empire residents. We have handled thousands of cases and have successfully tried, arbitrated, mediated or settled the vast majority of those cases. The insurance companies know we are a formidable adversary to their adjusters, lawyers and experts.
The Inland Empire Law Group presents straightforward and simple legal service agreements. We do not charge unnecessary or fixed costs. Rather, we charge only the costs that are incurred for your case to maximize the amount recoverable to our clients.
Finally, everyone working at the Inland Empire Law Group live and work in the Inland Empire and its local communities. We care for our neighbors and want to do the best for them.
Contact Our Fontana Car Accident Attorney for a Free Case Evaluation
If you have had a Fontana car, truck or motorcycle accident, or you were hurt anywhere in Southern California, give us a chance to earn your business by showing you how we can help you get the recovery you deserve. Press the button below or call/text (909) 481-0100 to review your case with our team. We hold firm to our motto: “Every personal injury case is personal to us.”
Visit www.davidrickslaw.com for our free online resources to help educate yourself about the legal process and learn more about us.
