How to Hire a Motorcycle Accident Attorney: The Complete Checklist

Hiring a Motorcycle Accident attorney: the checklist

Hiring the right attorney for a Motorcycle Accident case is the single highest-leverage decision you will make in your claim. Lane-splitting, helmet laws, and rider-specific damages. The wrong firm — one that takes the case for volume, never tries it, and settles cheap — costs claimants tens of thousands of dollars in lost recovery; the right firm pays for the contingency fee many times over. This checklist gives you the questions, the credentials, and the red flags to evaluate every firm you interview.

Threshold credentials

• Active license in your state, in good standing with the state bar.
• At least five years of practice focused on plaintiff-side personal injury.
• Demonstrated trial experience on Motorcycle Accident cases — not just settlements.
• Membership in the American Association for Justice or a state plaintiff bar association.
• Verifiable malpractice insurance.

Questions to ask in the consultation

1. How many Motorcycle Accident cases have you personally handled in the past three years?
2. What was the largest verdict or settlement you obtained in a similar case?
3. What percentage of your firm’s cases go to trial, versus settle pre-suit, versus settle post-filing?
4. Will you personally handle my case, or will it be passed to an associate or paralegal?
5. What is your contingency fee, and how are case expenses handled if we lose?
6. How are case expenses tracked and reported to me throughout the case?
7. How will you communicate with me — and how often?
8. Who will be the day-to-day point of contact on my file?
9. What is your strategy for negotiating my health-insurer, ERISA, or Medicare liens?
10. Have you been disciplined by the state bar in the past ten years?

Red flags that should end the interview

• Pressure to sign a fee agreement on the spot.
• A guarantee of a specific settlement amount.
• Refusal to put the contingency fee, expense reimbursement, or termination terms in writing.
• Vague answers about who will actually handle the case.
• No verifiable trial experience in Motorcycle Accident cases.
• An aggressive request for an up-front retainer (personal injury cases are taken on contingency).

Contingency-fee math

Almost every Motorcycle Accident attorney works on contingency: a percentage of the recovery, paid only if you recover. The standard fee is one-third of gross recovery if the case settles before suit is filed, and 40% if suit is filed or the case goes to trial. Case expenses (filing fees, expert reports, deposition transcripts, medical-record charges) are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery before the contingency fee is calculated, or after, depending on the agreement. Insist on a written fee agreement that explains both.

Verifying credentials

Before signing, verify everything: state-bar license status, disciplinary history, AAJ or trial-bar membership, and at least three published verdicts or reported settlements in Motorcycle Accident cases. Most state bars publish disciplinary records online. Avoid attorney directories that pay for placement; rely on independent verification.

Your next step

Interview at least two firms before signing. Free consultations cost nothing, and a 30-minute conversation reveals more than any website. Bring this checklist with you.

Frequently asked questions