If you suffered serious injuries, then you need an accident lawyer. Always remember: insurance companies are a business. Their main goal is to make money, period. Frankly, they only care about their bottom line, not your wellbeing. Their employees are trained to make lowball offers or deny your claim if possible, regardless of the extent of your injuries.
Be aware that serious car accident injuries can cost a victim six and even seven figures over a lifetime, especially if the injuries are permanent. That original offer from the insurance company for $50,000 or even $75,000 will be woefully inadequate in just a year or two. And there’s no going back and asking for more money, regardless of how serious your injuries are.
Instead, let the auto accident lawyer at The Dominguez Firm deal with the insurance companies. Our accident lawyer are skilled negotiators who know all of their attorneys’ tactics. You most likely don’t.
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Allow us to fight for your right to the maximum compensation allowed for your injuries so you have one less thing to worry about while you recuperate.
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The 5 Most Common Scenarios for Firing Your Auto Accident Lawyer
When you hired your current accident lawyer, it seemed like the right decision. You liked what you heard and thought the worse was behind you. Now, however, you’re having second thoughts and maybe even think you’re stuck with a bad accident lawyer. But your attorney works for you, not the other way around. You’re not stuck with anything. In fact, you have the right to fire them and hire a new accident lawyer.
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Here are the 5 most common reasons why people fire their auto accident lawyer:
A lack of communication – Does it take several calls and emails to get a response from your accident lawyer? Are they or their assistant never available? While we all know law firms are busy, they should still return client calls promptly. If you can’t get a hold of anyone and don’t know what’s happening with your case, it may be time to move on.
They have no experience with personal injury cases – You may have hired a family friend or relative to represent you for your car accident case. The problem is, they don’t specialize in personal injury cases. Just as you wouldn’t go to a pediatrician for dental work, you shouldn’t have a family law or general practice attorney handle a personal injury claim.
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Your case was referred out – Initially, your current firm promised you top-notch representation. Then, they referred your case out, maybe even without telling you. Some law firms operate on quick turnover. Others don’t even have any trial lawyers on staff. Either situation can hurt your case considerably. You want a full-service law firm that won’t take the first settlement offer so they can close your case out and move on to the next one. One that has its own in-house trial accident lawyer ready to fight for the maximum compensation you’re entitled to.
Your accident lawyer displays unethical behavior – All accident lawyer are required to act ethically and with the best interests of their client in mind. When they breach their code of conduct, you have every right to fire them. Examples of this kind of behavior include making decisions regarding your case without informing you or having a conflict of interest.
They’re abrupt or even berate you – Attorneys are people too. Some are shy, others are sociable, like in any profession. However, if they’re impatient, won’t answer simple questions, or even scold you and make you feel uncomfortable, it may be time to look for new representation. After all, you are the client and you shouldn’t feel bad or be talked down to when asking any questions.
Before firing anyone, consider making one last effort to communicate with your accident lawyer to try and sort out the problems between you. If that doesn’t work, then it’s probably time to hire a new accident lawyer or at the least seek a second opinion regarding your car accident case.
Will I Owe My Previous Accident Lawyer Any Money If I Fire Them?
If you make the switch early on in your case, it shouldn’t be a problem. The vast majority of personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis. That means your accident lawyer gets paid at the end of your case from a percentage of the proceeds of your final settlement or verdict.
However, some accident lawyer will charge you for the hours they spent working on your case if you fire them after a certain period of time.
Look over your client representation agreement closely to see the exact terms regarding payment. You don’t want any surprises. While you can legally switch accident lawyer, the last thing you need is more legal fees cutting into your settlement or verdict amount.
When searching for a new accident lawyer, ask them whether switching firms will reduce your final compensation amount. If they feel they can help you, they will be deal with the other firm without costing you anything.
