Columbia, SC Attorney for Car Accident Case Referrals
Getting help after a car accident is often confusing for laypeople. They might not be aware of how car insurance rules in their state work, and they might turn to a lawyer for help. However, they might also be unaware that attorneys must be barred in a particular state and that many lawyers focus on particular areas of the law.
If you have a client who is seeking help with a South Carolina car accident, but you are either not licensed to practice in South Carolina or you work in a different field of law, consider referring your case to our attorneys. Often, the best advocacy you can provide for a client who needs help in a different state or a different area of practice is a referral to an experienced car accident lawyer.
To discuss referring a case to our attorneys for car accident case referrals, call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers today. Our phone number is (803) 451-4000, and we offer free initial case evaluations.
Why Refer Your Car Accident Case to Our Columbia, SC Attorneys
Often, when you are unable to handle a client’s case, referring them to another attorney who has the right experience and licensure to help them is the best thing you can do for them. More concretely, South Carolina’s Rules Governing the Practice of Law imply that an attorney should be able to competently handle cases before them in an expedient manner and that they must be admitted to practice in South Carolina. This means that if you are an attorney from another state, have minimal experience with car accidents, or have too many cases to handle right now, you should consider referring your case to our lawyers.
Attorneys from Other States
For attorneys in other states, our attorneys are prepared to handle South Carolina car accident cases from our office in Columbia. Often, people are injured in car crashes while on vacation or business trips, and they might not know that their attorney back home might be unable to handle their case in the state where the crash took place.
Attorneys in Other Practice Areas
Alternatively, suppose you are a practitioner in another field of law. In that case, our attorneys for car accident case referrals can assist by handling any car accident or injury aspects that might be related to your client’s needs. People often turn to an attorney they already have a working relationship with for help without looking at their area of practice as a limiting factor. If you have business clients, criminal defense clients, or divorce clients who need help with a car accident lawyer, our attorneys are prepared to handle their cases on a referral basis.
Attorneys in Other Practice Areas
Lastly, we understand the difficulties and time commitments that many cases involve. Especially if you are part of a small practice or work as a solo practitioner, it might be impossible to provide prompt and diligent representation to an additional client. If you simply do not have space to take on another case right now, referring a potential client to our firm can help ensure they get the professional, diligent representation they deserve.
Columbia, SC Car Accident Laws
It is important to understand how South Carolina’s laws might differ from other neighboring states when questioning whether you should try to handle your client’s case in another jurisdiction or hand the case off to local counsel. The following are a few of our South Carolina laws that might affect the outcome of a car accident case in very different ways than what you are used to in your state.
Comparative Fault Rules
South Carolina employs a modified comparative fault rule with a so-called “51%” rule. These rules are often confusing to even trained attorneys who are unfamiliar with them. With a 51% rule, plaintiffs can be partly liable for their accident as long as the other driver shares more fault than them.
This rule differs from neighboring Georgia and North Carolina, which use more restrictive rules. For example, Georgia’s 50% bar blocks compensation when the plaintiff and defendant share fault 50/50. Furthermore, North Carolina’s pure contributory negligence scheme prevents the victim from claiming damages even when they share slight fault for the accident. Sending your case to an experienced car accident attorney in South Carolina can help ensure that your client does not miss out on their chance to file a lawsuit because of your expectations about how the case might work in your home state.
Fault Insurance System
Drivers and lawyers unfamiliar with a tort insurance system might not know how to deal with the immediate aftermath of a car accident, let alone the ongoing claim for damages. In South Carolina’s tort/fault insurance system, each driver must carry at least $25,000 per person for injury, $50,000 per accident for injury, and $25,000 per accident for property damage. However, drivers have no obligation to file through this insurance. Instead, they retain the right to file a lawsuit against the at-fault parties after a serious accident.
If you are used to the rules of a state with an at-fault system, you might be used to drivers initially filing with their own insurance rather than the at-fault driver’s insurance. Cases can also become more complex if your client has no-fault insurance from their home state but seeks to file with the South Carolina driver’s at-fault insurance.
In addition, drivers must carry uninsured motorist insurance matching the same minimums listed above and must be offered underinsured motorist coverage. These can help drivers injured in accidents where the at-fault driver was uninsured, where there was a hit and run, or where the other driver’s insurance is too low to cover their needs.
Call Our Columbia, SC Attorneys for Car Accident Case Referrals
If you have a client who was injured in a car accident in South Carolina, consider referring them to our experienced local attorneys. For a free case review with our attorneys for car accident case referrals, call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000.
