If you need to hire the services of a Riverside Personal Injury Lawyer, contact us now at 951-530-3711 for a Free Case Evaluation to discuss your legal options.
Riverside personal injury attorney Brian Chase and team are seasoned trial lawyers. They know what it takes to win big cases and also know what you should avoid.
Finding the right lawyer is a huge challenge as there are so many personal injury lawyers practicing in Riverside County. It can be hard to know where to start.
In addition, you’re probably not all that happy about having to find an attorney in the first place and it makes sifting through all of the possibilities even more difficult.
How do you find a good lawyer and what do you do once you have one? Don’t worry, we did all the hard work for you.
This website will make the process of hiring a lawyer an easy one. We’ll tell you what to keep in mind, what to avoid, what questions you should be asking and how to know when you have found the right one for you.
Continue reading to learn more.
What to Look For When Hiring an Attorney in Riverside
Not all lawyers handle all types of cases.
If you or your loved one has been injured in an accident, you need a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Personal injury attorneys specialize in cases dealing with injury or even death caused by negligence on the part of a product, company, group or individual. These attorneys are highly specialized and they know how to build your case, how to negotiate your case with the responsible parties or insurance companies, and, if necessary, how to take your case to trial and win it.
Not all personal injury attorneys are created equal. Just because someone calls themselves a personal injury attorney, this does not mean he fits the bill. You need to talk to the person and ask a lot of questions concerning your accident. (See below for a list of questions to ask your attorney).
Don’t get caught up with fears about money prematurely. There are a lot of people out there who have been injured because of someone else’s fault but decide not to seek legal advice because they think they cannot afford it.
Worry not about money because many personal injury lawyers operate on contingency basis, meaning if they lose your case or do not deliver you an adequate settlement, you do not pay a dime.
What to Avoid When You Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
Choosing a personal injury attorney based off proximity to where you live is never a good idea. Convenience is always nice to have, but it should never take priority over skill, experience, expertise, professionalism, integrity, compassion and the ability to effectively represent your case. These factors should take priority over all else when deciding who you will pick to represent you in a court of law.
Referrals can be great way to find a lawyer fast, but you have to make sure you’re choosing someone that can truly represent you in court. More than likely your friend’s circumstances were different than yours and that may change your potential outcome all together. You need to find the attorney that is best for your situation alone.
You should also avoid picking an attorney from a generic advertisement. Just because someone advertises on TV or has a huge ad in the yellow pages or has a catchy song, it does not mean that this lawyer is right for you. Most of the biggest and most successful firms never advertise on TV.
Now that you know what’s important to keep in mind and what to avoid, now it’s time to get out there and find several that you can interview. Here are three of the best and easiest ways to start building your list of options.
How to Tell if an Attorney is Right for You
Ask your friends or family if they know any attorneys. This is not because you want to use the one they did necessarily but because you want more options to choose from. Attorneys know other attorneys, so if you start with one, you’ll more than likely be referred to others.
Tell them what happened and that you are looking for a personal injury attorney who specializes in your type of case. Most attorneys are happy to refer you to others because they rely on referrals for their business as well.
- Search the Web. Most attorneys and firms have a website. Do a search for your geographical area and the type of attorney you need.
- Call your local bar association and tell them what you are looking for.
Once you have a list of a few attorneys you think match your needs, get your questions together and make some phone calls.
At Bisnar Chase, we offer free consultations. This means that we’ll meet with you wherever it is convenient (in your home or hospital room if that is best for you) and we’ll listen to your story and talk about all of the options you have. At your consultation, you are free to ask us any questions you have about your case and our firm.
Questions You Should Ask Your Potential Riverside Personal Injury Attorney
- What are your credentials?
- Do you specialize in personal injury law?
- What is your experience in handling cases like mine? How much of that experience has been in the last few years’ What were the outcomes of those cases?
- What percentage of your cases are personal injury cases?
- How long have you been practicing personal injury law?
- Do you have former clients that would be willing to speak with me?
- How big is your caseload? Where would my matter fit with your priorities?
- Will you be the primary attorney handling my case?
- How many other people will be working on it and what is their level of experience?
- What are the chances that my case will go to trial?
- Do I have a say in how my case progresses?
- What can I expect over the next few weeks or months, How long does it take to resolve a case like this?
- Based on your experience, what is the likelihood of a positive outcome in my case, What problems do you see?
What Can I Expect For My Case?
Be aware that most personal injury attorneys concentrate their efforts in a value range. At Bisnar Chase, we rarely ever take a case to trial that has a realistic value under $50,000. Our firm is geared to handle the larger cases. Some firms handle smaller cases because they don’t have the resources to handle the larger ones.
We can, however, help you reach a settlement with the at-fault party if the dollar value of your case is below $50,000. The best way to determine the value of your case and if it worth it to settle would be to discuss the detail of your case at our free consultation.
The majority of Riverside County personal injury law firms are going to charge a fee based upon a percentage of the money they recover for you. It is important that you check to see specifically what their fee percentage is because this in turn will affect the amount of compensation you will receive.
Make sure the fee structure is spelled out clearly in the retainer agreement before you move forward. Our fee structure is graduated, meaning that the easier and quicker the case, the lower the fee and the more challenging and time consuming the case, the higher the fee. Most cases start with a fee of 25%.
How Much Will My Case Cost?
Most attorneys will advance the costs of pursuing your claim (which could be in excess of $25,000). However, if your case is not successful, the best attorneys won’t make you repay those costs. Make sure you know upfront how your attorney will handle this issue. It is well-advised to ask these questions to your potential attorney during your consultation:
- What is your general estimate of how much this will cost me when it’s all said and done?
- How will we communicate about my case?
- Will you keep me updated on my case’ How often can I expect updates?
- Will everything be kept confidential?
- Is there anything that might get in the way of you being able to represent me?
Once you’ve gotten all of your questions answered, ask yourself: are you comfortable with him or her and do you trust them?
Trust your instincts. If you are not comfortable or if you do not clearly trust the attorney, that’s your signal to keep looking. If you feel good about the attorney and trust them, you have found the attorney for you. Once you have chosen an attorney, take that next step and get started on pursuing legal action. You deserve compensation for your injuries and the sooner you get going, the sooner you can move on.
If you’re looking for a firm with dedicated, experienced, compassionate, and honest attorneys, Bisnar Chase may be the perfect fit for you. Give us a call right now so that you can tell us your story. Remember, our consultations are free and there’s absolutely no risk to you. Our Riverside Personal Injury Attorneys have been serving clients in Riverside County for over 45 years since 1978.
Call us today at 951-530-3711 for your free case review. We will fight for you!
