Several attributes must be considered when choosing a pedestrian accident lawyer in DC. Your attorney will lead you through this challenging process and help you recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Pedestrian accidents lead to some of the most severe personal injuries of any that we have handled. Since our founding in 1954, we have handled over 10,000 personal injury cases, yet pedestrian cases consistently have the most severe injuries. Choosing a DC pedestrian accident lawyer becomes critical when your injuries are as debilitating as they are in pedestrian accidents.
So, how do we suggest selecting the correct pedestrian accident attorney for your case? Many personal injury attorneys in Washington, D.C., will handle your case effectively. The first goal is to determine who those attorneys are. We believe there are two potent ways to do this. The first is to evaluate the lawyer’s experience. For example, at Gelb & Gelb, P.C., our attorneys have been practicing exclusively personal injury law for 70 years. You should also assess the firm’s online reviews. We recommend checking the average and how many are posted.
Next, you will want to select a responsive attorney. This means when you have a question, your attorney is quick to respond efficiently and decisively. But those two things alone do not necessitate great legal representation. You should also select an attorney who is compassionate in their approach. A pedestrian accident lawyer who is effective and responsive is good; it means your case will be handled well. But you also want a legal team who communicates with you professionally.
A pedestrian accident lawyer in DC will handle every aspect of your claim. We make it so your only concern is your medical treatment. Recovering from a pedestrian accident can be a long and arduous process. Our role is to make it less stressful than it would be if you handled it alone. We will help organize your medical treatment. We will be in contact with the insurance carrier that insures you and the carrier that represents the defendant in the case. From the beginning of your case, we send a letter of representation to the various insurance carriers. This puts them on notice that you have an attorney, and they must go through us if they wish to speak with you. This can prevent you from saying something to the insurer that might later be used against you in court.
We also assist in your recovery of maximum compensation. Our attorneys work tirelessly to ensure a proper settlement for each client. We understand how a pedestrian accident can affect you. We add each way it affects you into our calculation of the value of your case and forward this in our demand to the adverse insurer. If we cannot settle your case, we will file suit to resolve it.
Preparing for your first consultation is simple. First, understand that a consultation with a Gelb & Gelb, P.C. pedestrian accident lawyer is free. If we consult with you, there is never any obligation to proceed with your case. This is because we do not charge a retainer fee. Most attorneys may charge an expensive retainer as consideration for the agreement that they will represent you in the matter. We do not operate this way. We realize that you are already facing financial troubles when you have mounting medical expenses related to your accident. Further, you may be unable to work due to your injuries. Hiring a lawyer should not be out of reach because of an upfront cost.
Contact our office, and you will immediately be forwarded to an attorney to discuss the merits of your case. Unlike other injury firms, you will not be navigated through a maze of assistants before being permitted to speak with an attorney. This is because we know your time is valuable. We will ask you some preliminary questions to ensure we can proceed with your case, even if there is merit in liability. Then, we will advise you on the following steps to increase your chances of getting maximum compensation for your injuries.
When choosing a pedestrian accident lawyer in DC, you must consider the legal fees and costs associated with that firm. At Gelb & Gelb, P.C., we are upfront about our fee. Our fee is simple. We only charge a legal fee if we win your case. If we do not win, there is no fee. If we win before filing suit on your case, our fee is one-third of the gross recovery. When we file suit on your case and resolve it by settlement or judgment, our fee is 40%. Note that we only file suit with your permission.
This is also explained in our brief retainer agreement. Whether you meet us in person for your consultation or we hold your consultation over the phone, we will give you time to read our retainer agreement independently. Our retainers are standard for all our personal injury cases and depend solely on your jurisdiction.
While you may understand what you want in an attorney, watching out for these common mistakes is vital.
For example, you may realize the importance of experience when choosing a pedestrian accident lawyer in DC. But did you consider that the attorney’s experience may not be handling pedestrian accidents? They may not even be experienced in handling personal injury cases. This may expose you to missing out on recovering the compensation your case is worth. While they might be an effective attorney, it takes several years of practice to learn each trick essential to maximize compensation for your client.
As alluded to earlier, the mere fact that your attorney is effective in personal injury law is not always sufficient. They must be responsive. We have had countless new clients contact our firm, informing us that their previous pedestrian accident attorney in DC would not return calls after over a month of waiting. This has caused the client to miss deadlines. In their case, they did not even realize they were missing. When hiring a lawyer, ensure you are working with them from the beginning. Ensure your attorney is handling your consultation and intake. If they immediately pass your case off to a paralegal, this may be a sign that they are not taking it as seriously as they should be.
There is nothing inherently wrong with advertising to improve a business. However, some of the bigger personal injury law firms are paid for by private equity funds and are being maximized for profit. This is not the way traditional law firms operate. While we cannot speak for all firms in this category, it may be safe to assume that these firms are more interested in their bottom line than helping out clients. At the very least, look beyond the aggressive advertising performed by these firms and review client testimonials in the aggregate.
Choosing a pedestrian accident lawyer in DC is not always easy. But it is a crucial first step in recovering the compensation you deserve for your injuries. If you believe you have a case worth pursuing, contact our office immediately for a free, no-obligation consultation at (202) 331-7227.