Questions to Ask a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Pedestrian Accident,Personal Injury - March 28, 2024 by Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates

If you or somebody you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident in the state of Illinois, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses. If the accident was caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver, you should seek assistance from a skilled attorney who can help you recover the compensation you are entitled to. However, it is crucial for you to find the right attorney for your case. Here, we want to offer several baseline questions that you should ask your Chicago pedestrian accident attorney when you are considering working with them on your particular pedestrian accident claim.

1. How long have you been practicing personal injury law?

There is nothing wrong with asking a lawyer how long they have been practicing law. In fact, you want to ask your attorney how long they have been practicing personal injury law in particular. Not every lawyer practices personal injury law. Additionally, even though there is nothing wrong with new attorneys, if your case is even somewhat complex, you want to have an experienced lawyer by your side.

2. Have you handled complex pedestrian accident cases?

Ask your prospective attorney whether or not they have handled any pedestrian accident claims. Ask them about the outcome of those cases. Pedestrian crashes can become incredibly complex, particularly when working against aggressive insurance carriers. You want to make sure you have an attorney who has handled these particular claims before.

3. How much do you think my claim is worth?

When you ask your attorney how much they think your claim is worth, please understand that they are not going to be able to give an exact dollar amount. However, an experienced lawyer should be able to give you a ballpark figure of what you can expect moving forward.

4. Will you be working on my case?

Ask the attorney you are talking to for your free initial consultation whether or not they will be the one directly handling your case. It is not uncommon for more experienced attorneys to get clients in the door and then hand the case off to more junior attorneys. Make sure that you know who is working on your case and that you establish a face-to-face relationship with them.

5. Will you try to settle quickly?

You need to know whether or not your attorney is just going to go for a quick settlement in your case. Often, the quick settlements are not in the best interests of the injury victims. You need an attorney who is willing to take your case all the way to trial if necessary to ensure that you recover maximum compensation.

6. How much are your services going to cost?

It is important that you know how much an attorney is going to cost you. In general, you will find that an attorney will take a pedestrian accident claim on a contingency fee basis. This means that the attorney will handle all of the upfront and out-of-pocket costs related to the case. You will not be responsible for paying any legal fees until after the attorney secures the compensation you are entitled to. If you do not win your case, you will not have to pay legal fees under a contingency fee arrangement.