7 Considerations When Hiring a Lawyer After a Serious Accident in Louisiana

7 Considerations When Hiring a Lawyer After a Serious Accident in Louisiana

After a serious accident, it can be difficult to know where to turn. You need help, but you also need to make sure that the insurance companies treat you fairly. You need to recover the financial compensation you deserve—not only so that you can cover the immediate costs of the accident, but so that you can manage the accident’s long-term costs as well.

While figuring out what to do can be challenging, there is help available. If you hire an experienced personal injury lawyer, your lawyer will advise you with your best interests in mind. Your lawyer will help you make smart decisions; and, if you are entitled to financial compensation, your lawyer will fight to recover the maximum compensation available under the circumstances at hand.

What You Need to Know About Hiring a Lawyer After a Serious Accident

Here are seven important considerations when hiring a lawyer after a serious accident in Louisiana:

1. You Need a Lawyer if You Have Been Seriously Injured in an Accident

First and foremost, if you have been seriously injured in an accident, you need an experienced lawyer on your side. Your costs will continue to accumulate, and your injuries will continue to impact all aspects of your life—potentially for decades to come. Even if you are clearly entitled to financial compensation, the insurance companies aren’t going to pay voluntarily; and, even if they acknowledge liability, they aren’t going to calculate your financial and non-financial losses for you.

A serious accident lawyer can take all of the steps that are necessary to help you recover. This includes conducting a comprehensive investigation, identifying all viable claims, calculating your losses, and dealing with the insurance companies on your behalf.

2. Not All Lawyers Handle Personal Injury Claims

When choosing a lawyer, you need to choose someone who handles personal injury claims. Just as there are different types of doctors, there are different types of lawyers. While a lawyer who handles divorces or contracts might be very good at his or her job, his or her job is not to help accident victims recover the financial compensation they deserve.

3. Not All Personal Injury Lawyers Handle Serious Accident Cases

Beyond choosing a personal injury lawyer, you should focus on hiring a lawyer who specifically handles serious accident cases. Many personal injury lawyers handle a high volume of cases and focus on settling with the auto insurance companies. Handling a serious accident case requires a lot of time, and it will often involve filing multiple claims against multiple parties. The processes involved in handling serious accident cases are different, and you need a lawyer who knows what it takes—and who is prepared to do what it takes—to recover the full financial compensation to which you are legally entitled.

4. Experience Matters After a Serious Accident

As the victim of a serious accident, it is important to put experience on your side. You need sound advice and effective legal representation—and you need them immediately. As a result, you need a lawyer who has represented accident victims in your situation many times before. Not only will an experienced lawyer know what needs to be done to protect you, but an experienced lawyer will also be familiar with the insurance companies’ tactics and be able to accurately assess the value of your claim (or claims).

5. It Also Matters that You Feel Comfortable Talking with Your Lawyer

While experience matters, it also matters that you feel comfortable talking with your lawyer. You will need to share personal information with your lawyer, and you will need to be able to understand and apply your lawyer’s advice. If you aren’t comfortable discussing your injuries’ financial and psychological effects in detail, or if you have trouble understanding what your lawyer is trying to tell you, your legal representation won’t be as effective as it could be.

These are important factors to consider during your free initial consultation. While you should be prepared to move forward when you find the right lawyer, you also should not hesitate to try again if you aren’t comfortable. You will be working closely with your lawyer for months—and your choice of legal representation could truly impact the rest of your life—so it is worth putting in the effort to make an informed decision.

6. All Lawyers Should Handle Serious Accident Cases on Contingency

All lawyers should handle serious accident cases on a contingency-fee basis. While many accident victims have concerns about the cost of hiring a lawyer, you should not have to pay anything out-of-pocket for your legal representation. When you hire a lawyer on contingency, your lawyer does not charge any up-front or monthly fees, and your legal fees (if any) are determined based on the amount of your financial recovery. These contingency fees should be clearly disclosed at the outset of your case.

7. It Is Important That You Speak with a Lawyer as Soon as Possible

Finally, while it is important to make an informed decision about your legal representation, it is also important that you speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. When you have a serious accident claim, there are several steps that need to be taken right away. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner your lawyer can investigate the accident and give you advice, and the better your chances will be of recovering just compensation.

Request a Free Initial Consultation with Serious Accident Lawyer Chris J. Roy, Jr.

Chris J. Roy, Jr. is a serious accident lawyer in Alexandria, LA who has been representing accident victims and their families for more than 30 years. If you need help recovering your losses after a serious accident, we encourage you to contact us promptly to learn more. To arrange a free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible, give us a call at 318-487-9537, or send us your contact information online and we will be in touch shortly.