There are two good reasons to ask this question. One reason is that you want an honest assessment of what your injuries and pain and suffering are worth. The answer to this question may help you determine whether or not you want to retain an attorney to deal with the case in the first place. To get a more accurate reading of what your case is worth, you may want to take advantage of free consultations from multiple attorneys. In this way, you will get a better idea of how to proceed. Under no circumstances should you allow a lawyer to pressure you into signing on after your first conversation.
The second reason to ask this question is to get a basic idea of the tactics that your attorney will use in your case. For example, you should proceed with caution if the attorney tells you that the value of your case depends on the bodily injury limits on the at-fault party’s insurance policy. There are two reasons for caution here. First, your injuries should be worth the same amount of compensation whether a person with high limits or low limits hit you or your vehicle. Second, you want to make sure that the attorney will treat your case the same regardless of the potential reward.
What percentage of cases do you settle out of court?
There is one thing that you, your attorney and the insurance company should all have in common; all of you should want to settle out of court if possible. When a case settles out of court, you get your compensation faster, your attorney gets their compensation faster and at lower cost, and the insurance company often saves some money as well. Ask for a percentage of cases settled.
Who will represent me? How much experience do they have?
Experience does matter, both in terms of reputation and expertise. However, the person who conducts your initial consultation is often not the same person who will represent you. Try to find out who you will be working with before your agree to be represented by any firm. In the best case scenario, the person who represents you will not be based on the limit on the bodily injury portion of the at-fault party’s policy. It is reasonable, however, to expect that more minor injuries will be assigned to less experienced lawyers. That is often the way that cases are assigned at the insurance company as well.