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Jul 2, 2020
When someone is injured, personal injury law provides an opportunity to file a lawsuit seeking financial restitution for damages incurred from the accident such as medical bills, lost wages, or pain and suffering. Personal injury law covers a wide range of accident types including: dog bites, slip-and-falls, product liabilities, car accidents, and much more.
A look at the steps involved in researching and hiring a top-rated California personal injury lawyer to help you win your car accident lawsuit.
Suffering an injury is a difficult, often traumatic experience no one should have to endure. In addition to the pain and suffering resulting from the actual injury, the financial burden of medical bills and lost wages can lead to increased tension and stress. Following an injury, reducing worry so you can focus on your recovery should be the first priority. Part of reducing that worry entails finding the best attorney to serve as your tireless advocate in handling the inconvenient details (e.g. tracking down the at-fault party, reimbursement for medical bills, haggling with insurance companies, etc.). So, how do you find a top-rated personal injury lawyer with experience winning your specific type of case (in the least amount of time)?
Given how expansive the personal injury law arena is, finding the best attorney to represent you following an unfortunate car accident can be challenging. A simple Google search for ‘personal injury lawyers near me’ will generate nearly a hundred million results. Navigating through the advertisements and the countless websites in search of the best lawyer for your car accident case can be overwhelming. How do you separate the dog bite specialists from the car accident specialists? Without knowing what to look for, the search process can be unnerving, unsettling, and detrimental to your recovery process.
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Finding the perfect attorney who will recover the largest possible financial award for your car accident can involve extensive research and fact-checking, and can be incredibly time consuming. There are thousands of personal injury lawyers in California, many with at least some experience handling car accident cases. You don’t have the time to interview each and every one before making a final decision and proceeding with your case. Moreover, even if you did have the time, you could certainly spend it on something more enjoyable than searching for the best car accident lawyer in Los Angeles.
We’ve put together a checklist that includes some basic guidelines for the most effective way to search and find the best personal injury lawyer in your area (and by “best” we mean one who will win your car accident case and recover the largest possible financial award you deserve). Let’s look at some steps that will ensure your search separates accurate information from misinformation, and you ultimately end up finding and hiring the best car accident attorney for your specific needs.
The key to hiring a top-rated personal injury lawyer specializing in car accidents involves not only knowing what to look for, but also how to find it. Our ‘Smart Search Checklist’ for doing just that includes the following steps:
That may seem like a lot of steps involving an inordinate amount of time and effort. However, once you know what you’re looking for and how to look for it, it’s actually a fairly straightforward process. Moreover, given how important it is that you find and hire the best personal injury attorney to handle your car accident case, it will be time well spent. This blog is here to help you find that perfect attorney without spending a minute more than is necessary. With that said, let’s look at the first step on our checklist: understanding the difference between advertisements and webpages before beginning your search.
Following a car accident, the process of finding the most experienced, competent, and savvy lawyer to handle your case often involves an online search. The goal of any online search should be to find non-biased and accurate information. Given the importance of the end result that comes from conducting such a search (e.g. the attorney who will have your case in their hands), accident victims need to be able to recognize the many red flags that exist. Knowing how to differentiate between ad-based pages and legitimate, independent pages (commonly referred to as organically generated results) is a critical step in finding the best lawyer for you.
When you Google a search term like ‘Best personal injury lawyer for car accidents in California,’ the first links you will see are actually advertisements (ad-based pages will have a black ‘Ad‘ designation above the blue webpage link, while general pages will not have the ‘Ad’ indicator). These ads are paid for by law firms or marketing companies that match prospective clients with attorneys. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s important to realize that these types of pages are, for the most part, inherently biased. They rely on the assumption that, because of their listing at the top of the search engine results, you will automatically click on them, believing that they are non-biased and trustworthy.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident please call 866-GO-SEE-SAM to set up a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your case and a potential financial award for damages.
But ad-based pages are basically just like commercials on television, where a service is being sold to you. Their sole focus is to attract a high volume of clients, with no obligation to provide you with high quality attorneys who are capable of high quality results.
As you scroll down through the search listings underneath the advertisements, you will likely come across multiple pages that are either law firms or marketing companies that law firms hire to help promote their image – depicting them as top attorneys in their respective field. The problem is that it can be difficult to distinguish between a marketing page and a law firm page, as they both provide similar types of information, attempting to persuade you to ‘call now’ or sign up for a free consultation. These pages can be quite misleading, and it’s nearly impossible that you will ever find any negative information or feedback if such information exists (such as win-loss records, specific types of experience, reviews from dissatisfied former clients, etc.).
But that’s the exact type of information that is so important and must be included in your decision making process. Therefore, it’s good to be aware that the information found on advertised sites can be sanitized to create the perception that you’ve magically found the best option for a lawyer. Simply being conscious of the difference between ads and organic search results puts you at an advantage and helps you differentiate between fact and fiction.
Additionally, it’s important to be aware how marketing companies that sell law firm advertisements operate. These marketing companies make their money through connecting lawyers with potential new clients. They’re merely a ‘middleman’ between the injured party and the lawyer seeking new business. Again, that’s not inherently a bad thing, but you must realize that to such companies you, and your case, are viewed as a commodity.
If you hire a car accident lawyer in this way, after you provide your information on the marketing website (which may look exactly like a law firm website) your case is then sold to the highest bidding law firm (a process which in no way guarantees you will be paired with a reputable or experienced lawyer to help you secure the largest possible settlement). Law firms pay millions of dollars to such marketing companies, and it’s imperative that they recoup those millions as soon as possible. In order to recoup their expenses, law firms that rely on securing new clients via marketing companies typically attempt to close (or settle) their cases as quickly as possible (meaning your case could potentially be rushed and not fully presented through to trial). Once a case is closed or settled, these firms receive a portion of any award you might receive to cover those high costs.
Whether or not you decide to hire a lawyer via an advertisement or through a marketing company will not ultimately determine the success of your case. However, we feel it’s important that car accident victims simply realize the difference between advertisements and organic search results so they’re better informed and able to understand the information they’re viewing. From there, you’ll be able to make an educated decision and hire the best attorney for you.
Although personal injury law is expansive, whether or not a personal injury lawyer’s expertise is equally expansive is by no means guaranteed. Just because a personal injury lawyer’s website lists several different practice areas – slip-and-fall, car accidents, medical malpractice – does not mean he or she has experience handling (let alone winning) those types of cases. In fact, simply listing or advertising practice areas does not necessarily mean a personal injury lawyer solely accepts those types of cases. This leads us to the second item on the checklist for hiring the best car accident lawyer – confirm whether he or she will be handling your case directly.
That may sound self-explanatory, but it’s an issue many potential clients unfortunately don’t realize prior to hiring an attorney, and it needs to be addressed from the outset. Before you decide on an attorney to represent you in your car accident case, it’s a good idea to simply ask if said attorney will be handling the case individually, or with the aid of outside counsel. Hiring an attorney who requires outside assistance to handle your car accident case isn’t necessarily a disadvantage, and you may very well win your claim and recover a substantial financial settlement. It simply means the attorney felt additional assistance was needed in order to have the best chance of winning, which is something you, the client, deserves to know from the beginning (before making any decisions).
Whether you choose to be represented by an attorney from a singular firm, or multiple attorneys from multiple firms, it’s imperative that someone on your team has experience successfully handling car accident cases similar to yours. This leads us to the third item on the checklist for hiring the best car accident lawyer – confirm he or she has past experience handling and winning your specific type of car accident case.
That means that if you were involved in a hit-and-run collision and sustained catastrophic injuries, your personal injury lawyer should have experience handling hit-and-run cases where clients sustained similar catastrophic injuries. If you were involved in a rollover accident with a commercial vehicle and are no longer able to work because of your injuries, your personal injury lawyer should have experience winning cases against commercial vehicle companies on behalf of clients who sustained debilitating injuries.
Again, this may sound self-explanatory and obvious, but it can mean the difference between winning and losing your car accident case, which can mean the difference between millions of dollars. Given that the stakes involved in hiring one attorney versus another are so great, it can be helpful to compare the process from a similar perspective, as you would when searching for any specialist in a particular field.
When you’re looking to hire a wedding planner, it’s important to ensure the candidate has experience handling weddings of a similar size, in a similar location. Additionally, it’s important to ensure the person you’re directly communicating and working with will indeed be handling the planning and decision making so the wedding is a success.
Similarly, when you’re in need of a knee replacement and searching for the best surgeon, it’s important to ensure you find a doctor with specific experience successfully completing knee replacements (as opposed to a knee replacement and hundreds of heart transplants), and that this individual will be performing the actual surgery (as opposed to a colleague with unknown experience).
The same is true when searching for a personal injury attorney to win your car accident case – experience and success in similar cases is critical.
Once you’ve found a car accident lawyer who appears to have the experience you need, you’ll want to ensure that you’re able to get along and work together. This leads us to the fourth and final item on the checklist for hiring the best car accident lawyer – determining whether or not you feel working together would be a “good fit.”
After conducting a smart and effective online search, it’s always advisable to meet with your prospective car accident attorney at least once before making a final decision. Firstly, requesting to meet with the attorney for a consultation will give you a good sense of whether or not they will prioritize you and your case (if they can’t make time for you before taking your case, chances are they won’t be inclined to make much time for you after being hired).
Additionally, due to the amount of time you will likely spend communicating and meeting with your attorney throughout the legal process, it’s important that you have a general rapport and get along well. Being able to interact one-on-one without any undue conflict will help ensure you have the best chance of winning your case. Again, this likely seems quite straightforward, but before making the final decision and hiring a car accident lawyer, be sure to realize the amount of time you will be spending together, and how important the relationship will be.
Since you’re here, you may want to take a moment to review Dordulian Law Group’s experience pertaining to car accident cases as well as some testimonials from our satisfied clients. For over 20 years we have been winning all types of car accident cases for our clients including: hit-and-runs, rollover accidents, commercial collisions, crashes resulting in catastrophic injuries, and much more.
But that probably sounds like a lot of firms you may have encountered throughout your search for the best, top-rated, most successful car accident lawyer in Los Angeles. So, what separates Dordulian Law Group from the competition?
The Dordulian Law Group advantage for car accident victims is simple: we combine the personalized care, support, and discretion that is expected from smaller ’boutique’ law firms with the resources and results that can normally only be found from larger ‘mega firms.’ We view each client as a member of our extended family, and we ensure the entire team of experts at Dordulian Law Group is available 24/7/365.
But unlike traditional boutique firms, Dordulian Law Group clients also have access to the type experience, resources, and results they deserve (but can typically only find through a mega firm). Take a look at three quick facts that should help convince you why Dordulian Law Group is the best Los Angeles car accident firm, and the right choice for you.
1. DLG founder and president, Samuel Dordulian, is a former Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County who has successfully handled countless car accident cases, helping clients recover millions of dollars. Dordulian has experience on both sides of the law when it comes to car accidents – successfully representing victims as well as prosecuting criminals who have broken traffic laws.
2. DLG’s chief investigator, Detective Moses Castillo, recently retired from the LAPD after a decorated career spanning nearly three decades. Castillo uses his extensive experience as a former detective in the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Central Traffic Division to help our clients obtain justice following a car accident. Over the years Castillo has successfully investigated and closed hundreds of serious car accidents, including hit-and-runs and wrongful death cases.
Between Samuel Dordulian and Detective Castillo, there is virtually no type of car accident we haven’t handled or investigated. That’s the type of experience you can’t find at most law firms – and our unique resources lead to results. Every DLG client can be confident in having the best shot of winning their case and collecting the largest possible award settlement because of our expert litigator and investigator team.
3. We care about our clients, and we get them the results they deserve. DLG clients never have to worry about being just another number, or that their case will not be treated with care and dedication. Each DLG client receives personalized support and attention from our team of experienced specialists. Additionally, we win for our clients. We have a 98% win record in trials and have recovered over $50 million through the years. We are ready to fight for you to secure the largest possible financial award for your car accident case.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, you don’t need to spend another minute searching for the best car accident attorney in the state of California to help you win your case. Dordulian Law Group is a different kind of law firm, providing clients personalized service and support without sacrificing anything. With Dordulian Law Group you have access to every available benefit and advantage – vast experience, proven success and results, the resources to ensure you succeed, and the personalized service, care, and attention you deserve.
Contact us today to set up a free consultation.
Sam Dordulian is an award-winning sexual abuse lawyer with over 25 years' experience helping survivors secure justice. As a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for L.A. County, he secured life sentences against countless sexual predators. Mr. Dordulian currently serves on the National Leadership Council for RAINN.
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