Archives December 2021

Immediately following an auto accident, your first thoughts flash to your safety, that of your passengers, and the condition of your car. Sadly, other distractions come into play that you must deal with, from insurance claims to impaired drivers. If you feel as though another party wronged you in some way, causing your injuries as a result of a car accident, hiring an auto injury attorney may be yet another task you have to tackle. No one wants to even be in this situation in the first place. The last thing on your mind is money, as you try to heal and return to normal.

Seek Out a Trusted Resource

If there is an attorney who has represented you in the past, it’s wise to keep his or her business card handy such as in your glove compartment or your wallet. You really never know when you will need access to someone you can trust – fast. That way, if you are involved in a car accident, you can inform the office that you require legal assistance in a timely manner. Having a dependable and experienced auto injury attorney ready to fight for you can be comforting.

Create a List of Questions

If you don’t already have an attorney in your corner, you’ll need to find one. That means you have to do some research. Most lawyers offer a free initial consultation, during which you can ask questions. Create this list ahead of time so you don’t miss anything. Outline the details of your auto accident and keep notes.

Inquire About Background

Ask about education and professional experience. Some good questions to ask include:

• For how many years have you practiced personal injury law?
• How much of your practice is made up of auto accident claims?
• How many car accident victims do you represent annually?
• How many do you settle? How many go to trial?
• What is your success rate?
• Do you frequently handle cases similar to mine?
• Where did you attend law school?
• How many years have you been in business?
• Are you a member of any bar associations or professional organizations?
• Have you represented victims of auto accidents who suffer from injuries like mine, such as back and neck injuries, TBIs and any other injuries that may result in long-term medical issues?

Don’t be afraid to ask all of these questions. The answers you receive will allow you to make the most informed decision possible in hiring an auto accident attorney to handle your case – and indeed your future.

Inquire About Case Assessment

After discussing the details of your case, ask the lawyer what his or her opinion of your case is.

• What is your assessment of my case?
• What kind of financial settlement can I realistically expect?
• What are some of the factors that work in my favor? What factors work against me?
• Do you think we will have to go to trial?
• Do you think arbitration or mediation is a better option?
• How long do you expect my case to take?

No matter how good your lawyer is, sometimes the answers to these questions just can’t be said with certainty. However, good auto injury attorneys should be able to give you estimates based on their knowledge, experience, skill and nature of similar cases.

Gather Information

Once you have secured representation, do your part to ensure a successful claims process. That includes showing up to all appointments with your lawyer and doctor, keeping all documents pertaining to your case organized, and answering letters and phone calls regarding your case promptly. Follow the instructions of your lawyers and doctors, show up on time, and be respectful in all meetings with other lawyers and the judge.

Doing your part in the matter can contribute to a seamless process with a successful outcome.

Contact Kuzyk Law

Don’t let the aftermath and confusion of an auto accident cloud your better judgment of calling an auto accident injury attorney sooner rather than later. We are here for you whenever you need us. Call us for more information.

Choosing a lawyer for your personal injury or wrongful death case is a decision that is similar to picking a partner for marriage. It may be a long relationship and it is always one that commands the two parties, the attorney, and the client, to trust each other. If one party does not trust the other, the common goal of justice cannot be obtained. This is because justice without trust in the result is no justice at all.

I am writing this entry to encourage face-to-face interaction with those seeking legal representation and the actual lawyer who would be trusted with that case. My biggest competitors are out-of-town, big-city lawyers who, in my estimation, rarely actually meet with the injured/aggrieved parties in my area. So it is no surprise that I often get calls from nearby clients of these lawyers telling me that they are not happy with their lawyer because they don’t know what is going on with their case and they do not trust in what they are being told. I always encourage these folks to try to work it out with these lawyers and I do press them to seek a face-to-face meeting, as that nearly always satisfies client concern, at least for the short term.

I know a lot of my competitors, and I will say that most of them are very good lawyers and that their firms are usually reputable. But, to me, there is no substitute for the old-fashioned face-to-face meeting. And I do believe there is still something important in the ability to look someone in the eye.

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” – Albert Einstein

Before I talk about the benefits of personal interaction for personal injury clients, I want to stress the benefit of the lawyer to meet with the client. I nearly always demand to meet with my potential clients face-to-face before my attorney-client relationship begins. I’ve been doing this long enough to be able to identify most potential trust issues early on. For example, when I ask a potential client if they’ve ever had the medical condition that they are complaining of now and they either look down or away, fidget, leave moisture on my glass table, and they answer “no,” then I know to pause and inquire further. I advise them that it does not usually matter if they did have prior issues and that I value trust over preexisting injuries in my clients. If they persist in their denial, I have other methods of verifying the truth, but if I get a bad feeling about a potential client, I will turn down cases on that alone. If I can’t trust my client in the initial meeting, I realize that a jury may have a hard time trusting them at trial.

For injured victims of negligence in Ohio, choosing a personal injury lawyer is easy. If you are in a car accident, your mailbox will likely be flooded with mailings with catchy phrases, DVDs, and all kinds of letters from lawyers all over the state. You can be in Portsmouth, call a lawyer in Toledo, and have a lawyer at your doorstep in a matter of a few hours, or less. But choosing a personal injury lawyer you trust is something entirely different. In the instance of this traveling Toledo lawyer, you will likely never see this person again. He or she is probably just a runner, paid to sign you up as a client. Who is actually handling your case – – at all stages, is a whole other story. While you may still get quality representation, you won’t be able to lock in trust because you will likely feel a void in the relationship.

When new clients don’t meet with the actual lawyer will end up handling their case, they are many times deprived of judging sincerity, which goes directly towards how that person can rely on the lawyer. Meeting with the actual lawyer on your case can also give you the opportunity to judge for yourself that lawyer’s commitment to your case, which goes hand-in-hand with whether you believe that person has integrity. Lastly, by meeting face-to-face with your lawyer, you can judge for yourself their competency and whether you feel they will be consistent in providing results.

If you don’t like the lawyer you meet with, move on to the next one. Because if you don’t like them, a potential juror might not, either, and it is important that you find someone you feel comfortable talking to. And to me, there is no substitute for sharing a cup of coffee with the folks I’ve asked to trust me.