After a car accident, most people look for an auto accident attorney. However, what many do not realize is that not just any personal injury attorney will do. It is crucial that you hire an attorney experienced in handling insurance companies, especially in a no-fault state. Otherwise, you could end up leaving money on the table – lots of money.
Choosing the Right Personal Injury Attorney
Not all personal injury attorneys are the same. Even worse is choosing a jack-of-all-trades – those attorneys who handle criminal law, family law, bankruptcy and personal injury. When choosing an attorney, you need someone who has experience with the type of case you have.
For example, if you were in an accident caused by a commercial truck, you need someone who has experience handling truck claims because of the insurance and state and federal regulations involved in that type of case.
Even regular car accidents have complex insurance laws that your attorney must deal with. If the attorney doesn’t understand how insurance works, it can cost you money – lots of money.
Listen to Paul and Jason discuss this case on the LiveFeedReed podcast
How an Inexperienced Attorney Can Affect Your Case
Paul discussed the inequities of an inexperienced attorney in a case he came across in the Florida Law Review recently in the latest #LiveFeedReeds video (starting at minute 3:00). The case exemplifies the importance of hiring someone with experience in dealing with insurance companies. In this case, the victim had uninsured motorist insurance – let’s say for $25,000. The at-fault driver had insurance for $25,000. The attorney decided to go after only the victim’s insurance company.
However, with no-fault insurance, there is a set-off. If the jury awards you less than what your insurance will cover, the at-fault driver’s insurance has to pay the victim’s insurance company. If you don’t sue the at-fault driver’s insurance company, there is no set-off, and you’re left with no money.
Even worse, if you have a proposal for settlement that states if you don’t recover a certain amount, you don’t recover attorney’s fees, which leaves you with a balance to pay your attorneys. Talk about leaving money on the table!
The Best Way to Deal with a Bad Attorney
If you have an attorney who makes such an egregious error, you may have to sue the attorney – and that’s the last thing you want to do when you are trying to recover from car accident injuries. Instead, choose an attorney who has experience with handling auto accidents. During the case evaluation, be sure to ask the attorney how many cases he or she settled and litigated, along with how much money they recovered for their clients for cases like yours.
Contact Reed and Reed today if you suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a car accident.