Hiring a Coachella Valley personal injury lawyer to handle your auto accident case should require a decision making process that takes at least as long as shopping for a new car. I am constantly amazed at how little research and effort some accident victims expend in choosing a lawyer who can potentially provide legal assistance that may or may not be the best legal help available. I recently received an email message from my answering service informing me that a certain individual called seeking a free consultation about a motorcycle accident involving a family member. The call was made to the Law Firm of Barry Regar at 11pm on a Sunday night. I called back early Monday morning and spoke to the potential client. He told me he had already hired a lawyer at midnight. I found that rather odd. I wondered why he was so anxious to hire a lawyer without taking the opportunity to at least speak with me since he had called my office. Having interviewed thousands of clients and potential clients I have learned that many clients pick a lawyer by chance. They may have just opened the yellow pages to an ad for lawyer, "X", and liked the graphics and colors. Some accident victims go through the phonebook and start calling a random list of lawyers and hire the first lawyer to return their call. I know that fact is true because I always ask new clients how they were referred to my office. Many times I am told that they chose me because I took their call or was the first lawyer to call them back. I appreciate the business; but I am a strong advocate for potential clients doing their homework about a lawyer's qualifications before signing the contract for legal representation.
All lawyers are not equal in ability, experience, and determination. I am not certain that the average victim of a careless driver fully appreciates that the choice they make about the lawyer they hire can and will determine whether they receive fair compensation for their injuries or a lowball settlement recommended by an inexperienced lawyer. It also must be understood by potential clients that all accidents don't result in identical injuries to different classes of people. A car crash that totals a car will result in a more serious injury pattern for an older occupant with pre-existing arthritis than will be experienced by a young healthy college football player. I make this point to emphasize the fact that as different as victims of accidents are in physiology so are lawyers different in talent and experience.
I recommend that those persons seeking the legal help of a lawyer to handle their injury claim spend a reasonable amount of time researching the experience and reputation of a lawyer they are thinking about hiring for their case. Use the web for research. Read what the lawyer includes in their website about the lawyer. Look for proven experience. Read about case results and client testimonials. Look at the badges that are displayed showing awards and ratings from prestigious lawyer rating services. Don't get lost in links to other sites that provide news, and research sources that tell you nothing about the ability of the lawyer whose website you are viewing.
Last but not least, you must meet the lawyer before you sign a contract. Don't sign a contract provided to you by an attorney investigator or paralegal. Have a face to face with the lawyer you want to hire. Ask questions that you want and need to know about this lawyer and how his or her legal ability and experience can serve your interests. Do you buy a car without seeing it and driving it? The answer to that question is obvious. Don't be afraid or intimidated to let the lawyer know you have questions they need to answer before you hire that lawyer.
At Barry Regar APLC we are ready, willing, and able to answer