After being hurt in a car accident one of the most intimidating tasks you face is choosing an attorney to represent you. Accident victims are bombarded with television ads, billboards, yellow page ads, and in some instances, even direct mail advertisements. All of these ads have a few things in common. The attorney usually states they will “fight aggressively” for you, or that they’ve gotten their clients large settlements, and sometimes they even have flashy nicknames or catch phrases. Ignore the ads.

When looking for a personal injury or car accident attorney the best way to ensure you are going to be getting good representation is to ask questions and watch out for red flags. The first red flag is whether or not you get to meet with an lawyer for an initial consultation. Many firms tell you that the case is screened by a “case manager” or a “case specialist”, or sometimes even a paralegal. These firms will sometimes try and get you to sign up over the phone without even letting you talk to an attorney. They will send an “investigator” to bring papers for you to sign and will work hard to get you to sign up as quickly as possible. Ignore these firms. If the attorney will not even give you the courtesy of an initial consultation, imagine how much time the attorney will spend on the case. These firms generally assign huge numbers of cases to each lawyer and consequently, the attorney’s cannot dedicate very much time to each case.

The second red flag is that the attorney tries to have you pay some up front costs or retainer. Unless you elect to pay the attorney hourly, personal injury attorney’s work on contingency, meaning that they are paid their fees out of the settlement or verdict. Sometimes, an attorney will request you give them a certain amount of money to cover the costs of the case. This may be a red flag; in that it may indicate that the attorney doesn’t have enough capital to front the costs of the case, which brings me to my next topic: Ask questions.

It is important to be an advocate for yourself, and in being an advocate, you must ask questions. Ask the lawyer how many cases each attorney handles at any given time. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the lawyer handling that many other cases on top of yours. Also, ask the attorney if they will be personally handling your case, and if they will not, ask to meet the attorney who will be handling the case. Make sure that you are comfortable with that lawyer. Ask how frequently you can expect to hear from the attorney, not the paralegal or case manager, but the lawyer. Find out how much trial experience the attorney handling your case has, and more importantly, the percentage of cases that the firm files a lawsuit on. This is important because, while most cases settle before going to trial, it is imperative that insurance companies know the lawyer is willing and capable of filing a lawsuit if necessary, it is the only way they are willing to offer top dollar on the case. Simply filing a lawsuit doesn’t mean that the case will go to trial. Finally, don’t limit your questions to the lawyer. Ask around. Ask friends or family members who have used an attorney if they would recommend their lawyer. If you know any attorneys ask them, or ask your doctor who they would recommend. The bottom line is that you must trust your lawyer, if at any point you don’t feel as though you are connecting with them move on.

Choosing a lawyer is a decision that should not be taken lightly. It’s good to visit a few before making your selection. Don’t be pressured into hiring a lawyer until you are confident you are selecting the attorney who will get you the best recovery and treat you respectfully throughout.

Steven Rodemer is a Colorado Springs personal injury lawyer at the Law offices of McDowell Laybourne and Rodemer, LLC. His practice includes Colorado car accidents truck accidents, slip and fall cases, medical malpractice and all other personal injury cases.

Tags: accident, car injury, cars, choose lawyer, find an attorney, law, lawsuit, lawyer, legal, personal injury

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Ever since the invention of the automobile people have been drinking and driving. There are many people that think they can drive if they have only had a couple drinks but this is far from the truth. There is never an excuse for drinking and driving, no matter how little you had to drink.

When you take the risk and drive will drinking there are many things that may go wrong. You could end up spending the night in jail and having to pay a large fine for a DUI if you are caught driving drunk. Not to mention all of the people you are putting in danger. A DUI is the best case scenario because you could end up taking someone’s life.

You run the risk of losing a lot when you are drunk and driving. If you drive after you have been drinking you take the risk of killing yourself or someone else. You will go to jail if you wreck and the result is someone’s death. You absolutely can and more than likely will be arrested and charged with the crime of man slaughter if you kill someone will driving drunk.

Most people would have a hard time living with the fact that their bad choice caused someone to die. Of course going out and having a few drinks is perfectly fine as long as you do not drive after you drink. If you are planning to have a drink make sure you plan on a safe way to get home like a friend or taxi.

There is never a reason to drink and drive when a cab can get you there safely for only a few bucks. The few dollars you pay the cab driver to take you home could save someone’s life and it may even be yours. Never think that you can drive because you have only had one or two drinks. Many people have said that they can drive as well or better when they have been drinking but this is never true.

There is no one who can drive better while being drunk. When you and your friends go out drinking, be the responsible adult and suggest everyone take a taxi cab home. When leaving after a night out drinking ask the smart question of “what is the number for the cab”? Never ask who is sober enough to drive us home.

When you have had a couple or drinks you may not make the most rational decisions. This is why planning ahead is so important. If you plan for a cab to drive you to the club or bar then you will more than likely be taking a cab home. Ask a friend to drop you off if you plan to drink this way your car will not even be there for you to drive. This country also has a problem with teenagers driving drunk.

Set a good example for your teens and talk to them about drinking and driving. Make sure they know that drinking is harmful and that driving drunk could ruin their lives or get them killed. Too many teens have lost their lives due to drunk driving.

For those charged with drunk and driving Toronto, affordable legal services are readily available . An experienced criminal lawyer Toronto has the expert information regarding impaired driving and commercial vehicle offences.

Tags: alcohol, autos, cars, drivers, driving, drunk, drunk drivers, drunk driving, dui, lawyer, legal, speeding, tickets, Vehicles

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