The reputation of a lawyer and his or her law firm can greatly affect the outcome of your car accident case – especially when it comes to dealing with insurance companies who don’t want to adequately compensate you for your injuries or compensate you at all.

Some attorneys reputations speak for themselves

Ira Slavit is a New York attorney who’s been in practice for over 20 years. His firm, Levine & Slavit, concentrates its practice in personal injury matters and medical malpractice litigation and has been practicing for 50 years. Slavit explained why he feels reputation really does matter. “We try our own cases. There are attorneys that will handle a case, but if it doesn’t settle, they’ll send it to somebody else to try. That’s important because the insurance companies know who the different lawyers are that practice in this field and law firms have reputations with insurance companies. The reputation of the law firm will definitely be a consideration in the ultimate resolution of the case, whether it’s by settlement or by verdict.”

Compensation issues

Slavit says that his firm handles motor vehicle accident cases on a contingency fee basis – which is one-third of the recovery after deducting expenses. He continued, “I will often tell someone who is calling me for the first time who isn’t really sure whether they have a case that it’s our firm’s preference to open up a file and see how the person does, see how he or she recovers, see what medical treatment that he or she needs to get and does get.

“We don’t charge for our time to open up a file or to do an investigation and initial inquiry. However, under the law, if we have expenses that we advance, such as to get a medical record, those are ultimately the responsibility of the client.”

Better safe than sorry

That seems to be a motto that Slavit lives by – and is likely the reason for his firm’s longevity. “We would rather open the file and make sure that the client’s rights are protected. We’re happy if the client only has minor injuries that can be resolved without litigation, but we also know that if it turns out that it’s an injury that lingers and interferes with a person’s ability to do their daily activities, they’ll want to be sure that they’re in a position to be able to recover.”

If you’ve been injured in an automobile accident in New York, contact an experienced New York car accident lawyer to discuss your situation confidentially.