How to Find the Right Lawyer for a Motor Vehicle Accident Case

Reliable legal advice is a priority when someone injures you in a Connecticut car accident. You must first seek treatment for your injuries. You should also contact your auto insurer, but consult with a lawyer before you make that call. When you establish an attorney-client relationship, a legal team begins working on your behalf immediately. They protect your legal rights, intervene with insurers, and determine if a negligent driver owes you compensation. We prepared “How to find the right lawyer for a motor vehicle accident case” to help you find a law firm to provide the legal representation you need.  

Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor motor vehicle accident?

You should consult with a lawyer, even if you’re involved in a minor accident. When you’re recovering from accident-related injuries, every aspect of your life can become unpredictable. Even if you sustained only minor injuries, you may end up dealing with costly medical care, lost income, and unforeseen disabilities.

When you work with a lawyer, they investigate your accident, address any liability issues, and deal with insurers. They resolve claim complications while you get the rest you need to recover. When you’re ready to settle, your attorney can evaluate your injuries and work to resolve your claim.

How can a lawyer help with my motor vehicle accident claim?

Accident attorneys work with vehicle accident cases every day. They understand what they need to do for their clients, and they work with a legal team to get it done. When you and a motor vehicle accident lawyer formalize an attorney-client relationship, they begin working for you immediately. A legal team works to protect your legal rights, resolve your claim, and maximize your compensation. To accomplish this, they perform a long list of services and tasks. 

• Discuss the accident with you: Attorneys begin their involvement by discussing all facets of your accident. Of course, you provide basic information during your initial consultation, but once they accept your case, they need more comprehensive details. They prompt you to respond to multiple questions, you reveal more details about what happened during the crash. They identify responsible parties, insurance companies, and potential legal issues they need to address in their investigation.
• Your attorney doesn’t charge a fee until they resolve your case: The engagement agreement you sign explains how your lawyer bills for their services. In Connecticut, motor vehicle accident lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means they only get paid if they recover damages for you. Connecticut law establishes the percentage your lawyer can recover as their fee. Whether it takes months or years, your attorney won’t send a bill until they resolve your case.
• Provide an initial assessment of your injuries: Until you recover from your injuries, your attorney can’t predict how well you will recover or what your case might be worth. You can discuss your injuries and your physician’s thoughts on your potential for recovery. Your attorney will document your diagnoses, current treatment, medical expenses, and income losses. With enough information, they may be able to give you a preliminary opinion as to whether they can recover damages on your behalf. They will also request your written permission to obtain your medical records, bills, and reports. 
• Investigate your accident: Attorneys don’t simply accept a police department’s or insurance company’s conclusions. They assess liability issues by conducting their own independent investigation. Law firms often work with professional investigators. They know what information attorneys need and how to get it. 
  • Police reports
  • Driver & witness statements
  • Site inspection: diagrams, photographs, traffic control devices
  • Experts as necessary: accident reconstruction experts, data recorder analysis

• Assess liability: When a negligent driver crashes into your car, you believe they’re at fault. Even though this is true, your attorney must demonstrate that the evidence supports your belief. When they complete their investigation, they evaluate the liability issues. They assess the driver’s negligence and determine if anyone else contributed to the accident and your injuries. 
  • If the driver didn’t own the vehicle, they examine the owner’s potential for negligence.
  • If a commercial vehicle caused your accident, they may evaluate the employer’s, shipper’s, trailer loading contractor’s, or other entity’s negligence.
  • If the evidence shows that you were negligent, they must take this into account when assessing contributory negligence.

Ultimately, your attorney evaluates the evidence in crafting a negligence theory that supports your liability claim. 

• Place responsible parties on notice: Your lawyer sends a letter to the negligent driver and other responsible parties. Their initial correspondence accomplishes the following:
  • Places all potentially negligent parties on notice of the injuries they caused
  • Advises them of your intent to make a liability claim
  • Identifies their law firm as the only contact for everything related to your claim
  • Requests that they confirm their liability insurer’s information 
  • Demands that they contact their liability insurer to file a liability claim 

• Place liability insurers on notice: Once an attorney confirms the responsible party’s insurers, they send a letter of representation explaining your intent to make an injury claim. They also ask the insurer to confirm their policyholder’s Bodily Injury liability limit. Connecticut statutes require a liability insurer to confirm their limits upon request. 

Some commercial entities self-insure their liability exposures. This means they pay any claims from their own resources. When this is the case, the attorney continues dealing with the company or their on-site claim administrator. Some self-insured companies outsource their claims to independent claim handling services and/or attorneys.

• Evaluate your injuries: Your attorney will conduct a preliminary evaluation based on your initial treatment. They contact your medical practitioners seeking confirmation of your injuries, prognosis, and potential for disabilities. When you reach maximum recovery, your attorneys may request narrative medical reports to document the following: 
  • Treatment: to document your long-term prognosis, unresolved conditions, permanent disabilities, and future treatment 
  • Psychological issues: to assess any accident-related psychological issues 
  • Rehabilitation: to document your rehabilitation progress and outcome
  • Income: to confirm lost income and the potential for future lost income
  • Economic projections: An economic expert projects future losses when treatment and disabilities are ongoing. 

As every injury case is different, your attorney evaluates your injuries based on how they affected your life and altered your lifestyle. They review prior cases with similar injuries and results. They also examine recent court cases to evaluate jury awards for similar injuries. 

• Negotiate a settlement: When the timing is right, a motor vehicle accident attorney initiates settlement negotiations. They prepare and present your claim in a way that proves their liability theory and maximizes your compensation. Success usually depends on the insurance carrier’s willingness to negotiate fairly.  

• File a lawsuit: When an insurer negotiates fairly, attorneys settle many injury claims without filing a lawsuit. Often, litigation becomes unavoidable for several reasons: 
  • You are still undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation.
  • The statute of limitations is close. A lawsuit is the only way to protect your right to make a claim. 
  • The insurer denies liability for your injuries

• Alternative Dispute Resolution: Even with a pending lawsuit, an attorney will try to settle your case. They may continue informal negotiations or participate in a  Connecticut court-approved ADR process:
  • Arbitration
  • Attorney Trial Referees
  • Judicial-ADR (J-ADR)  
  • Fact-Finding Program for contractual cases: typically uninsured or underinsured motorist claims filed against your auto insurer

• Final Paperwork: When an attorney resolves an injury claim, the process doesn’t end until they complete the formal paperwork. The process varies depending on whether a case is in litigation.   
  • Prepare final settlement documents for execution
  • Obtain appropriate signatures
  • File a court dismissal for litigated cases
  • Calculate contingency fees
  • Obtain and distribute settlements

How do I find a lawyer for a motor vehicle accident case

Your search for a motor vehicle accident attorney will be less intimidating as long as you remember that you’re in control. You don’t have to sign an agreement with the first attorney you talk to, unless you believe they can meet your needs. You have multiple options for finding an attorney with whom you feel comfortable. 

• Ask friends and family members for the names of attorneys they know firsthand. 
• Check your mail. Some attorneys monitor police reports, looking for injured people.
• If you feel drawn to a lawyer on a billboard or TV ad, give them a call. 
• Do an online search for car accident attorneys near your town.

Don’t wait to begin contacting the attorneys on your list. You might hear from the liability carrier within days of your accident. You should have a legal representative to intervene on your behalf. You should also seek legal guidance before you contact your own insurer. A lawyer can help you avoid saying something that sounds like you may be at fault. 

When you contact a car accident attorney, they should be willing to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. Some attorneys don’t require that you come to their office. They will consult with you at your convenience: in your hospital room, at your home, on Zoom, or on another online platform. 

Should I hire a local motor vehicle accident attorney in Middletown or a larger law firm?

It’s usually more convenient to work with a local law firm in Middletown, CT. You’ll have easier access to your lawyer, and you won’t have to travel a long distance to get an in-person update. You may also notice these differences. 

• Smaller, local law firms give you more personalized attention.
• Small firms have smaller caseloads. They’re more likely to remember you and your circumstances. 
• Small firms have more time to focus their energy on fighting for you and your legal rights. 
• When contacting a large law firm lawyer, you may encounter a complex messaging system or multiple gatekeepers. 
• In a large firm, non-attorneys may perform day-to-day handling tasks on behalf of a busier attorney. 
• Large law firms sometimes train new attorneys on smaller cases.

What should I look for when choosing a lawyer for a motor vehicle accident case? 

Before you “interview” an injury attorney, make a list of questions that address the issues most important to you. Here are a few questions to consider:

• How long have you handled auto accident injury cases?  
• How often do you deal with serious injuries claims?
• Can you share some of your successes?
• Do you have client reviews you can share?
• What’s your claim handling process?
• Do you negotiate your own claims?
• Do you prefer settling cases or filing lawsuits?
• If my case goes to trial, will you represent me in court? 
• How easy is it to contact you when I need to discuss my case?

You should also consider your comfort level. While you were asking your questions, how did they make you feel? Did they truly listen to you, or did they seem too busy or distracted? Did they answer your questions or at least explain why they couldn’t? Did they show empathy and make you feel respected? Most importantly, do you trust them? Before you form a working relationship, you should believe they have your best interests in mind.

How do client reviews and success rates impact the choice of a motor vehicle accident lawyer?

If you need an unbiased opinion about a particular attorney, search for their online reviews and ratings. As with other businesses, legal clients have no problem revealing whether their experiences were positive or negative. These sites also allow reviewers to assign a one-to-five overall star rating based on service. Legal peer review sites are slightly different as they post lawyer-to-lawyer reviews. 

Here are a few review sites to consider.

• Google Reviews
• Yelp.com 
• Lawyers.com
• AVVO.com
• Superlawyers.com

Attorney reviews give you other criteria for judging the law firms on your list. As they come from actual client experiences, positive reviews should encourage you to contact the law firm. If a lawyer’s former clients consistently post bad reviews, they should make you think twice before engaging their services.  

Contact a Motor Vehicle Accident Attorney

If a negligent driver injured you, you shouldn’t handle your claim without legal assistance. When you contact a motor vehicle accident attorney to schedule a free consultation, the discuss your case and explain your legal options. When you schedule a consultation, you don’t have to make a commitment to take action. You decide when or if you should make a claim or file a lawsuit.