Car Accident Lawyers, Must Have Qualities

All accident attorneys handle claims on a contingency fee basis.  The standard contingency rates are 33% for claims resolved without the need for litigation and 40% for claims that must be litigated.

Most accident attorneys are unwilling to handle claims on a reduced contingency fee percentage.  At Swope Law, P.L., we frequently handle accident claims for reduced contingency fee percentages.  Our typical reductions are 28% for claims resolved without the need for litigation and 35% for claims that must be litigated.  On a $100,000 claim, a reduced contingency fee would mean an additional $5,000 going to the client.

All accident attorneys advance costs and expenses while handling their clients’ claims.  Some law firms require their clients to reimburse them for expenses even if there is no money recovered.  At Swope Law, P.L., we only recover our costs and expenses if we are successful in recovering money for our clients.  Additionally, many accident attorneys charge their clients for making copies, sending faxes, and long distance phone calls.  At Swope Law, P.L., we never charge our clients for those things.

Most accident law firms are willing to meet new clients at the client’s home or office.  At Swope Law, P.L., we gladly travel anywhere in the Tampa Bay area to meet with our clients.

Most accident law firms use “runners” to meet with new clients.  Many times, these runners are not trained to ask the right questions or conduct an appropriate investigation.  At Swope Law, P.L., our clients always meet with one of our attorneys at the initial meeting.  Our attorneys know what questions to ask and what investigation is needed to properly handle our clients’ claims.

Most high volume accident law firms use “case managers” or paralegals to handle accident claims with minimal involvement by the attorneys.  At Swope Law, P.L., we limit the use of support staff and paralegals.  Our attorneys are the individuals who are primarily responsible for handling our clients’ claims.

It is rare for an accident attorney to give his or her cell phone number to a client.  At Swope Law, P.L., we believe that our clients should be able to reach their lawyer any time, including evenings and weekends.  All of our clients receive the cell phone number of their lawyer and are encouraged to call their attorney directly with any questions they may have about their claim.

It is rare for an accident attorney to give his or her email address to a client.  At Swope Law, P.L., we believe that our clients should be able to reach their lawyer any time, including evenings and weekends.  All of our clients receive the email address of their lawyer and are encouraged to email their attorney directly with any questions they may have about their claim.

Scott Swope spent several years working as a traffic homicide investigator for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.  He received formal training on traffic accident investigation techniques and has personally investigated hundreds of auto accidents, many of which involved serious and fatal injuries.  Scott Swope uses his accident investigation training and experience to his clients’ advantage if an insurance companies falsely asserts that his clients were at fault.

Many accident lawyers never see the inside of a courtroom.  At Swope Law, P.L., our attorneys aggressively litigate accident claims when an insurance company refuses to pay a fair amount of money on a claim.  Our attorneys are experienced in handling lawsuits, taking depositions, mediating, and trying a case in front of a judge and jury.

Most accident law firms keep their files in their offices and away from their clients.  Many lawyers also charge their clients a fee to obtain a copy of their file.  At Swope Law, P.L., our files are maintained electronically in a password protected site on the Internet.  Our clients are able to access their files 24 hours a day so they can see what is happening with their claim.  Our clients are free to print out or download any portion of their file at any time, at no charge.

Most accident law firms only handle personal injury legal matters.  At Swope Law, P.L., our lawyers are experienced in handling a wide range of legal matters, including debt collection claims, foreclosure defense, contract claims and defenses, real estate litigation, business litigation, and landlord/tenant law.  Many times, our accident clients’ injuries prevent them from working which can result in a whole host of additional legal problems.  Most accident law firms will refer their clients out to other lawyers to handle these ancillary legal matters.  At Swope Law, P.L., we will assist our clients with any legal matter that is within our abilities.  Many times, we are able to handle these other legal matters without collecting a fee from our clients up front.