Whatever is the cause or reason for seeking legal help in the case of personal injury, the victim and his family has to be exceedingly cautious while choosing and finalizing the San Antonio personal injury lawyers to represent him or her because he will be responsible for ensuring that the individual receives the maximum compensation he or she may be entitled to. This is where it is very important to check some of the most important details with regards to the lawyer before hiring them to fight your compensation case.
Check Track Record: Since the victim and his family’s short and long term interested would depend on the outcome of the amount of compensation that is received; it would be practical to do a complete background check of the lawyer. His percentage of success at similar cases and whether or not the lawyer has been held up for disciplinary action in courts are of the aspects that need to checked and clarified beforehand.
Objective evaluation of Lawyer’s staff and resources: Certain personal injury cases may involve complicated ligation and may need everything from assistance with criminal charges and counter claims to investigators and auditors to locate witnesses and evaluate medical and financial records. Ask and confirm that the lawyer and his team have all the necessary manpower and resources to cover large investigative ground.
Fee Schedule and other hidden charges: Most personal injury lawyers work on “contingency fee” wherein the client or victim is not required to pay anything unless the lawyer is able to win the compensation on behalf of the client. There may however be additional cost apart from the fees that the individual may have to bear. Clients should insist on receiving a list of these additional costs so that he can arrange for the required funds well in advance. It would also be advisable to confirm from the beginning what percentage of the compensation amount would be taken by the lawyer as contingency fee.
Back up lawyer: Even after a final choice has been made, one should also have an alternate lawyer option available at all times. If proceedings of the claim are not being followed as per the client’s expectations, one should have another ready option. This is to ensure the claim procedure is not delayed at any stage.
Review the Agreement: The proposed agreement should be clearly, written, complete and understood. All questions should be asked and answered before the signing of any legal documents. The agreement should clearly specify the terms and percentage of payment of fees. It should mention the scope of the lawyer’s involvement in the case. If the agreement mentions that the lawyer will only negotiate with the insurance company and the case goes on trial then the client maybe required to-pay the trail cost.
It is also vital for the agreement to specify the termination clause for both parties involved. This would be important in the unfortunate situation wherein the lawyer and the client do not see eye to eye on a particular topic. Depending on the stage of the case, such termination of services may require the court’s permission.