If you’ve been injured due to the recklessness or negligence of someone else, the best thing you can do for your future is to hire an experienced Daytona Beach personal injury lawyer to help you recover compensation for the incident. After an injury, you will likely be facing costly medical bills and lost wages from missing out on work — all while you’re in pain during your recovery period. At Zimmet & Zimmet, we want to help you get your life back on track as soon as possible, and we understand that part of that process is choosing the right lawyer to represent your case.
Before hiring a Daytona Beach personal injury lawyer, you must first get to know them and determine if they will be a good match for you. Consider your first consultation as an interview, and ask them these important questions.
What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do You Focus On?
The umbrella of personal injury cases is a broad one, and it covers car accidents, slip and fall accidents, dog bites, defective products, negligent security, wrongful death, and several more. Some of these case types may have specialized laws. In order to ensure the best results for your particular case, you will want to know if your lawyer has handled similar cases in the past.
In addition, you will want your lawyer to have the experience in handling cases in the state where you’re filing your claim — if you were in Daytona Beach on vacation but you’re originally from Georgia, you should hire a lawyer from Daytona Beach, not Georgia. Laws can vary from state to state, even if the concepts they follow are similar.
You can also ask your lawyer if they have any reviews from past clients or references from other lawyers. This can help you gauge their credibility, expertise, and reputation. If your lawyer has a good reputation in the local legal community, then other lawyers will trust them to help their clients obtain the best result for their case.
What Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
Every personal injury case is unique, so no lawyer will ever be able to give you a clear-cut answer out of the gate. However, an experienced Daytona personal injury lawyer should be able to provide you with a rough estimate after reviewing your case. You should be able to ask them for a breakdown of this estimate, which should include your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, as well as damages for losses without a direct financial cost, such as your pain and suffering.
Aside from helping you understand what your case might be worth, your lawyer should also be able to provide you with a roadmap for the future of your case. The legal process can be long and complicated, so having a lawyer that is willing to explain your rights and any possible complications or outcomes that they foresee.
Are You Willing To Take Cases to Court?
Most personal injury cases are settled out of court, but you still want to be prepared for the possibility that your case will go to trial. Some lawyers may have little to no courtroom experience or even be hesitant about appearing in court and will not be able to represent you properly. You want a personal injury lawyer that is not afraid of using the fullest extent of the law to secure the compensation you deserve even if the defendant refuses to settle.
Who Will Be Handling My Case?
As large law firms frequently handle several clients at a time, they typically have a team of paralegals and other legal assistants to support their lawyers and attorneys, which might mean that your lawyer will not be the only one working on your case.
Working with smaller law firms might mean that a single lawyer will handle your case from start to finish. You will want to be aware of who will be handling the bulk of your case so that you can be assured of their skill and experience. If other paralegals or legal experts will be assisting your lawyer, you should take the time to meet and get to know them as well.
Learning about who will handle your case is also important for learning who you can contact if you have any pressing questions. Take note of when you can call, when you can expect them to call you back, and what their policies on weekend meetings and after-hours appointments are.
What Are Your Legal Service Fees?
Because you will already be facing expenses from your accident, it is understandable to be concerned about how much you will have to pay your lawyer.
Nearly all personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, which means that you will not have to pay any fees upfront and they will only get paid if you win your case. Payment will typically be a percentage of the settlement given to you.
In Florida, the contingency fee is generally 33.3% of the settlement, up to $1 million, if the case was settled before the filing or answering of an arbitration demand. If the case was settled after, the fee goes up to 40% of the settlement, up to $1 million. Some lawyers may have additional fees depending on your case, so make it a point to discuss your lawyer’s fee structure before hiring them, in order to avoid any disputes after the case.
Even if your lawyer takes your case on a contingency basis, you should also make it a point to clarify if you will have to pay any out-of-pocket costs (e.g. court filing fees, costs for evidence gathering) if they do not win the case.
Protect Your Rights With the Assistance of Experienced Daytona Beach Personal Injury Lawyers
After an accident, you only have a limited amount of time before the statute of limitations runs out and you are unable to seek compensation. Trust our team of Daytona Beach personal injury lawyers to handle your legal matters while you focus on recovery. We have extensive experience in handling all types of personal injury cases and we pride ourselves on making sure our clients know exactly what’s happening during every step of the process. Call us at 386-202-1412 or contact us online for a free consultation today.
