Have A Personal Injury Claim From A Car Accident In Canada? How To Choose The Right Lawyer.

Overview

With the current pandemic and accompanying lockdowns, one would presume that there were far fewer vehicle accidents. Unfortunately, this appears not to be the case.

According to the Ontario Public Police, in 2020, although collisions fell by 26 percent, fatalities rose by 22 percent. In 2019, the total number of drivers involved in fatal and personal injury collisions in Ontario numbered 64,222.

Although it’s not something we like to contemplate, every time you get in your car and drive somewhere, you face the risk of a potentially serious car accident.

How to Choose Best Solicitor for Personal Injury Claims?

Let’s look at how you should choose the right lawyers for personal injury cases to file a claim on your behalf.

All Lawyers Are Not Equal

Personal injury claims are often very complicated, vary by region, and have become a highly specialized field of law.  

You would not appoint a general medical practitioner to give you a heart transplant, would you? No, you would seek out the best specialised heart surgeon and request that they perform the surgery.  

Matt Lalande, a lawyer for personal injury claims in Hamilton, Ontario, tells us you should find a law firms for personal injury claims, preferably one that has an excellent track record in litigating car accident claims.^[1]

You should also ask to see their case results. For example, Mr. Lalande’s firm won over 1 million for a Cambridge driver suffering from spinal cord damage after being struck by a drunk driver.

Law firms should be more than happy to share past damages won with you, and a specialized firm will have garnered the experience over the years to handle your matter with the care and attention it deserves and with the requisite skills.

Use Your First Consultation To Assess The Law Firm

Typically, at your first consultation, which is usually free, you have an excellent opportunity to suss out the law firm and the lawyers.

One of your goals for this meeting should be to decide whether this particular law firm will be good for you and your case. It is not simply a consultation to assess whether you have a worthwhile claim or not.

Use the opportunity to assess the firm for yourself. It is also a good idea to see more than one law firm before deciding on your representative firm.

Experience Counts

The “new kid on the block” may have all the enthusiasm you think they may need, but it’s important to find a nice mix of enthusiasm and competence when choosing your firm.

Do not be afraid to ask how long the firm has been specialising in personal injury work and ask for examples of awards they have secured for clients in similar circumstances to your case. Nothing can substitute for a good old-fashioned experience.

Check The Lawyers’ “Bedside Manner”

Your personal injury claim may take a long time to settle. Therefore, you will need to work closely with the lawyer handling your case.

During your initial consultation, try to determine whether the lawyer is someone you can work with; are they empathic; and do they explain issues to you simply?Do they listen attentively? Do they appear to be in a hurry to move on to their next appointment?

At the end of the day, you should choose someone you feel comfortable with and who you believe has your best interests at heart and will fight for you tooth and nail as your appointed lawyer.

It’s About The Money Honey

A professional law firm will be open and transparent about the fee model they use, and they should cover the element of fees without you having to pry it out of them.

Although they cannot provide you with an exact figure, they should be able to provide you with an approximate range.

After all of their fees and other expenses are settled, you should ask them what final “take-home” award you can expect.

Any contingency fee should be agreed upon in advance at the beginning of the case. If the firm seems hesitant to discuss fees or fails to bring up the discussion, move on.

Conclusion

A personal injury claim may be a long haul. Choose a firm that shows you empathy for your case, has a proven track record over time, is a specialist in this field, and is a partner you feel you can work with.