What to Ask Your Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer About Your Injury Case
Although many people understand the importance of asking prospective attorneys questions during an initial consultation, the questions asked before you meet with the attorney can be just as important. There are over 62,000 lawyers in Illinois, and most clients only have time to meet with a few. Since you cannot interview all of the lawyers qualified to handle your personal injury lawsuit, pre-screening those you will take the time to interview in person can make your search for a lawyer more efficient and successful. In this blog, our experienced personal injury attorneys in Illinois suggest seven questions to ask a potential attorney before scheduling your initial consultation.
Do you have experience with my type of injury claim?
A personal injury victim can meet with attorneys that practice any area of law, there are advantages to meeting with attorneys who devote all or most of their practice to personal injury cases. General practitioners or attorneys who do not have a practice focused on personal injury law will tend to have less experience and expertise handling injury claims than a personal injury attorney. Patients with cancer typically do not seek an ears, nose and throat doctor, and the same principle applies when seeking out an attorney to handle a personal injury or wrongful death claim. Injury victims also should make sure the attorney has experience with their type of injury claim. Some personal injury attorneys have no experience representing clients in complex cases, such as medical malpractice lawsuits.
How much do you charge in attorney fees?
Our Illinois law firm like many personal injury law firms represent clients on a contingency fee basis. For example, our firm’s billing arrangement means that you do not pay any attorney fees unless we obtain a financial recovery. Our law firm charges a percentage of your recovery from a settlement or judgment.
Why should I select your law firm over other personal injury law firms?
Because there are so many law firms that handle personal injury claims, you should attempt to get a sense of what makes the firm you are considering special. The attorneys might have extensive experience, or the firm might have an exemplary reputation in the community. While the answer will vary depending on the attorney’s unique background, attorneys at our law firm would emphasize our history of large recoveries for clients, exemplary reputation in the legal -community, many 5-star ratings from former clients, and prompt communication regarding the progress of your case.
Will I have to come up with money to pay the costs of litigation?
Our law firm typically advances the costs of litigation so that injury victims do not have to come up with money to fund litigation over their legal claim. Our law firm covers the costs of experts, depositions, and other costs, which are deducted from the recovery obtained from the defendants.
How does the firm handle communications with clients?
The number one complaint to state bar associations about attorneys involves a lack of communication. When you are struggling with unpaid medical bills and living expenses during your period of disability, unreturned phone calls and ignored emails can be very frustrating. Our law firm has a policy of striving to return all calls the same day or by the next business day.
Are there any documents or information that would be helpful for me to bring to my consultation?
While you might not have to bring anything with you, there are items that can make your initial consultation more productive. If a car accident caused your injuries, you should attempt to obtain the police accident report to bring to the meeting. If you have pictures of your injuries, vehicle damage, or the vicinity of the collision, these pictures will provide evidence that the attorney can use to analyze fault in your case. If you have received medical bills and invoices, this information can be used in the process of evaluating the damages in your case.
Do you charge for an initial consultation?
Reputable personal injury lawyers offer to provide an initial consultation free of charge. If you are told that you must pay a fee for this meeting, you should be extremely cautious.
Call us at 312.422.0500 and schedule an appointment with our experienced car accident attorneys today. The free consultation is completely confidential and we will discuss your options and formulate a plan to help you obtain the compensation that you deserve.
Stein & Shulman, LLC
134 N LaSalle St, #820
Chicago, IL 60602
312.422.0500
Hours: We are Open 24/7
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