A Google search term like “San Jose car accident lawyer” produces millions of results. At first, pretty much all these lawyers look the same. But upon closer inspection, there are some big differences.
A quick note about Google searches. Many of the top results are paid results. The law firm paid for a top ranking or paid to join a lawyer referral service. Anyone can pay for these top spots. So, position doesn’t always mean quality.
Just like Goldilocks tried to find a bowl of porridge, a bed, and something else we can’t remember which was “just right,” you need a “just right” lawyer to handle your car accident claim. Hopefully, this brief guide will help.
Experiencia
It sounds trite, but there really is no substitute for experience in car wreck claims. These claims are quite complex, and many of the procedural or evidentiary rules in Santa Clara County courts are unwritten. Your claim is no time for on-the-job training. Insurance company lawyers are so aggressive that you need a representative who comes out swinging and not one that comes out reading a manual.
Victims should also know how to evaluate experience. Years of practice are often deceptive. Many lawyers focus on other areas of law. If your chest hurts, you don’t go to a podiatrist. You visit a cardiologist.
Furthermore, some personal injury attorneys handle these cases for years and seldom see the inside of a courtroom. Instead, they take the insurance company’s first settlement offer. You do not want a take-the-money-and-run lawyer.
Dedicación
As mentioned, not all lawyers are dedicated to a particular area of practice. Their clients sometimes pay the price. The late Grant Cooper, who represented convicted Robert Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, is a good example.
Cooper was an experienced lawyer when he handled Sirhan’s case in the late 1960s. But Cooper was a celebrity lawyer as opposed to a criminal lawyer. He was Shirley Temple’s divorce lawyer when she split from B-movie actor John Agar. So, Cooper missed some weaknesses in the state’s case. If he had been more diligent, Sirhan might not still be in prison today.
Apropos of nothing, one of the latest Kennedy conspiracy theories is that Cooper threw the case so the Los Angeles County District Attorney wouldn’t indict him on some unrelated charges.
So, your personal injury lawyer should be dedicated to personal injury law. Car crashes should not be a sideline.
Accesibilidad
Finally, your attorney should be accessible on several levels. However, there can be too much of a good thing, so be careful.
Think twice before you work with a lawyer who is on the other side of the Bay Area. Especially on a bad day, injured victims often have a hard time getting around. A long trip to and from the lawyer’s office is usually not a good idea.
Your lawyer should also be personally accessible. Your case is not an order number. Furthermore, at very large firms, a junior associate or even a paralegal will probably do most of the work. However, if your lawyer always personally answers the phone, that usually means the lawyer isn’t very busy. There might be a reason for that.
Reach Out to an Energetic Attorney
Choosing the right car accident lawyer might be one of the most important choices in life. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Jose, contact Solution Now Law Firm. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
Recurso:
latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-09-mn-129-story.html
