5 Things to Consider When Choosing a California Car Accident Lawyer

In a California car accident involving two parties, liability will most likely be with either of the two. In rare cases, it may be on a third party. 

If you are the victim in an accident, you have a right to compensation from the liable party or their insurer. 

However, it takes employing the right strategy to win a favorable settlement, and the quality of your personal injury lawyer plays a big role in it. Below are five major considerations when choosing a car accident in California.

Experience and Specialty

There is no profession where experience is not a critical consideration. However, the significance of experience is greater in some professions, such as the legal sector. Experienced lawyers will often flaunt their experience on their websites. If you can't find it there, it's okay to ask. 

Besides general experience, you will want to consider car accident specialization. You can go deeper to investigate if they have handled cases with circumstances similar to yours and how they performed in it. 

Soft Skills

The primary role of a lawyer is to build a case that will guarantee better outcomes for your case. However, you will also need to work with a lawyer you can get along with; that is where their soft skills come into play. 

The soft skills you may want to pay attention to include communication and listening, time management, interpersonal, empathy, and organizational skills. 

The best way to identify these skills' presence or lack thereof is by meeting the lawyer in person. So, no matter how convincing a lawyer's online persona is, visit their physical office before hiring them. 

Their Reputation

The law has avenues for removing unethical lawyers from the legal practice, so you will be generally safe when working with lawyers. However, it is important to exercise caution to ensure you do not land in the wrong hands. 

There are several ways of looking up a lawyer's reputation before hiring. For example, you could ask around among friends and relatives. If you can't find information from the people you know, check reviews and testimonials online. 

Social media can also be a great place to look up a lawyer's reputation by checking mentions. 

"A few negative comments mentions or reviews don't necessarily mean the lawyer is unfit. However, many negative sentiments, especially if they involve dishonesty, should be a red flag," says Attorney Kyle Valero of Valero Law Group.

Legal Fees

Most California personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. Under this arrangement, you pay a fraction of the settlement figure and do not owe the lawyer anything if you do not recover compensation. 

So, when considering a lawyer's legal fees, you will need to look at the percentage they set as a contingency because it will determine what they take home. The contingency fee often ranges from 25 to 40 percent of the settlement. 

There may be additional fees, which you should ask to get the most accurate idea of the costs. 

Financial Muscle

Considering that lawyers only get their pay after winning a case and that they could have several cases running concurrently, a law firm or lawyer must have adequate resources to handle the costs. 

The surest way of accessing a lawyer or law firm's finances is by looking at their audited financial records, which should be provided to you upon request. If a firm is not upfront about its finances, it probably has something to hide. 

Other considerations when determining financial health are their online presence, website qualit, and past client sentiments.