People who are injured in a car, truck, motorcycle or some other type of CT accident generally have questions about their case that are commonly asked of lawyers. Generally speaking, you should contact an experienced personal injury lawyer if you have been injured in any type of an accident so you can have your rights explained to you and so you can be advised as to what you should do and just as importantly, learn what you should not be doing. If you do not need the services of a lawyer then a reputable and experienced accident lawyer can tell you how you should proceed with your case. Often times, an injured party will first speak with an insurance adjuster who will attempt to greatly compromise the injured person's case by pointing out potential liability problems, will down play the injuries or will try to convince the injured party that they do not need  the services of a lawyer. It is very important that you first speak with a lawyer so you do not make any critical mistakes in the handling of your claim that can otherwise greatly reduce the value of your case.

Another question that is frequently asked is how much the lawyer will charge to give advice to the injured party. At Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP we never charge for an initial consultation for any injured party. If we decide to take your case then it will be handled on a contingency fee basis which means we are not paid unless we collect money for you. We also understand that many injured people do not have the money to pay for expert opinions, investigative work, medical records and reports and other expenses which need to be paid to develop the case which is why our firm advances all costs. Those costs are repaid to us at the conclusion of your case out of your recovery. If there is no recovery then you will not owe us for our costs and you will not owe us any legal fees. There is no financial risk for you as our firm takes all of that responsibility so you can concentrate on getting better.

If you cannot leave the hospital, a rehabilitative care facility, your home or some other location then we can meet with you. One of our attorneys can drive to a location selected by you so you can tell our attorney the facts of your case so we can determine how we can best help you. If we decide to take your case we can get started on our investigation immediately and will keep you updated as to our progress. We are very accessible and can be reached at our office, via email and on our cell phones after hours and on weekends if you need immediate answers.

Many times people want to know if they will have to go to court and the answer is statistically; no. Most cases settle without the need to go to trial. In many instances, this will be determined by how well your case is investigated and developed, the strength of your case, your injuries and damages, the experience and reputation of your lawyer or law firm and a number of other factors. You will have many questions as you proceed with your recovery and need to get prompt answers to your important questions. We pride ourselves on being very communicative and responsive. We realize this is a very difficult time made worse by physical pain, economic pressures and fear related to uncertainty. We have been doing this for decades and we know what to do and will be there every step of the way to guide you through this process.

We are sometimes contacted by injured people who are unhappy with their current lawyer or who want to switch lawyers and we are asked if this can be done. This answer is; yes, of course. An injured victim of an accident is free to discharge their current lawyer and hire a new lawyer at any step of the case. If our firm decides to take your case where you were represented by another lawyer, we will have you sign a retainer agreement with our firm and we will then deal directly with your old lawyer to get you file transferred over to our office. You will not have to have any further contact with your prior lawyer. Any fee owed to your old lawyer will be paid by our firm without you having to pay any more money than you would have paid your old firm if you left your file there. In other words, if you later hire our firm it will not cost you any extra money than if you kept your old firm.

If you are looking to hire a lawyer and want to get a sense of who might be a good fit for you then you should do some or all of the following: if the firm offers a free book on injury law, get it and read it (our firm offers such a free book); read the lawyers bio; see what awards or recognition the lawyer or firm received; are any of the lawyers  published authors who have received awards (one of our lawyers is a bestselling author); call the firm and speak with one of the lawyers you are interested in hiring and ask all of your questions; schedule a free consultation and get a feel for whether or not this is someone that you want to work with; and conduct whatever other due diligence you deem appropriate.

The most important thing to remember is to contact an attorney as soon as possible so you are protected.