why and How to Choose an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer

When you're in a car accident, you need professional help from several different realms. First, you'll likely need some sort of medical attention, as thousands of car accidents in Washington every year involve either minor or serious injuries. Additionally, it's quite possible that you'll need help from a car accident lawyer if you've been injured and you need to pursue a justifiable recovery.
Below are some basic ideas to consider as you search for an experienced car accident lawyer in Washington.

Do Not Handle this Yourself
If you're one of the 56,00+ people who suffers minor injuries in a car accident in Washington every year, it's likely that you'll think that you'll save yourself some time and money by negotiating with the insurance companies involved on your own. If you do this, it's quite possible that you will save neither time nor money.

Insurance companies are staffed with in-house defense attorneys whose job is to limit the financial liability that their companies face. If you get involved in this situation, you'll soon be buried in paperwork and you'll be inundated with legal jargon and other steps that will not be familiar to someone without relevant legal experience. In the end, this could cost you a large portion of your justifiable recovery.

Ask Questions
If you've made the wise decision to speak to a car accident attorney, a good place to start would be to ask around. As mentioned above, tens of thousands of people are injured in Washington car accidents every year, so chances are that you'll know someone who's needed legal help as a result of such an occurrence. This personalized perspective is valuable and can offer you much more insight than simply looking at the phone book or responding to an advertisement.

Own the Consultation
After you've decided to meet with a car accident attorney, come prepared with questions as well as with all the information that pertains to your accident. The attorney will need to review your situation in order to provide you with sound recommendations, and you'll need to ask some questions to make sure that you're working with someone you feel is the proper fit. Below are some examples of questions you should ask during this meeting:

• How long have you been practicing law?
• How long have you been handling car accident cases in Washington?
• How many cases have you handled?
• How many cases have settled?
• How many have gone to trial?
• What were the results?
• How does your fee structure work?

Aside from the answers to your questions, you should also pay attention to the dynamic that exists between you and the attorney across the desk. The reason is that you will be working with your attorney closely throughout this process, and you'll need to feel comfortable discussing potentially uncomfortable subjects.