Accident lawyers · Choosing
Short answer: to choose an accident lawyer, check three things before you sign. First, that they are licensed and have no public discipline: every state has an official way to check, linked below. Second, that they regularly handle cases like yours, and who in the office will actually do the work. Third, the written fee agreement: the percentage, whether it rises if the case goes to trial, and how costs are deducted. Billboards, ad budgets and “top lawyer” badges tell you little.
Search “accident lawyer” and you get ads, map listings and directories that rank lawyers partly by who pays. None of that tells you whether the lawyer is licensed, has been disciplined, or will hand your file to someone else. This guide gives a short process, the questions to ask, and the official place to check every lawyer in every state. Last checked: October 17, 2026.
A five-step process
- Make a short list of two or three. Personal recommendations from people who used the lawyer, your state bar’s lawyer referral service, or lawyers who handled a case like yours.
- Check each license in the official lookup for your state (table below). Confirm the lawyer is active, and look for public discipline.
- Book free consultations with at least two. Bring the police report, photos, medical records and any letters from insurers.
- Ask the same questions to each (next section), and compare the answers, not the offices.
- Take the fee agreement home before signing. A good lawyer will not pressure you to sign on the spot.
Questions to ask at the consultation
| Ask | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| How many cases like mine have you handled in the last few years? | A specific answer about your type of crash and injury, not “we handle everything”. |
| Who will work on my case day to day, and who do I call? | A named lawyer, plus the staff member who answers routine questions. |
| Have you taken cases like this to trial? | Insurers know which firms never go to court. A lawyer willing to file suit has more leverage. |
| What is the fee, and does it change if we file suit or go to trial? | A clear percentage for each stage, in writing. |
| How are costs handled if we win, and if we lose? | Who pays filing fees, experts and records, and whether you owe them after a loss. |
| What could make this case hard? | An honest list: your share of fault, gaps in treatment, low insurance limits. |
| Roughly how long will it take, and how will you keep me updated? | A range, not a promise, and a contact routine. |
Be wary of anyone who names a settlement figure at the first meeting. No one can value an injury claim before seeing the medical records and knowing how treatment ends.
Reading the fee agreement
Under the ethics rules every state follows in some form, a contingency fee agreement must be in writing, signed by the client, and must say how the fee is calculated, including the percentage at each stage (settlement, trial or appeal), which expenses come out of the recovery, whether they are deducted before or after the fee, and which expenses you must pay even if you lose (ABA Model Rule 1.5(c)). Check:
- The percentage at each stage. Some agreements charge one rate if the case settles before a lawsuit and a higher one after filing or at trial.
- Costs before or after the fee. Taking the fee after costs are repaid leaves you more. The fee calculator shows the difference.
- Costs if you lose. Some firms absorb them, others bill you.
- Medical liens. Who negotiates the amounts owed to health insurers and hospitals, and whether that costs extra.
- Ending the relationship. What you owe if you switch lawyers.
- State caps. Some states limit injury fees. Michigan, for example, caps them at one third of the net recovery (MCR 8.121).
Signals that mean little
- Advertising. Billboards and TV ads show a marketing budget. Some heavily advertised firms refer cases to other lawyers; ask whether yours would stay in-house.
- “Top lawyer” badges and paid directories. Many are sold or depend on self-nominations. Ask what the award required.
- Total amounts won. Large past verdicts depend on the facts and insurance limits of those cases, not yours.
- “Specialist”. This one can mean something. A lawyer may call themselves a certified specialist only if certified by an approved body, such as a state board or an ABA-accredited program (ABA Model Rule 7.2(c)). Ask who certified them.
The lawyer, or someone working for them, contacted you uninvited right after the crash, offered money or gifts to sign, guaranteed a result, or would not give you the fee agreement to read before signing. See the rules on soliciting crash victims.
Check a lawyer’s license: official lookup in every state
Each link below goes to the official source in that state: the state bar, or the court office that licenses lawyers. Search by name, then confirm the status is active. Where public discipline is listed separately, the last column links to it.
| State | Official lookup | Run by | Public discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Find a Member (Member Search) | Alabama State Bar | Discipline records |
| Alaska | Lawyer Directory (Member Search) | Alaska Bar Association | Discipline records |
| Arizona | Member Directory (Find a Lawyer) | State Bar of Arizona | Shown in the lookup |
| Arkansas | Attorney Search | Arkansas Judiciary (Supreme Court of Arkansas, Administrative Office of the Courts) | Discipline records |
| California | Attorney Licensee Search | State Bar of California | Shown in the lookup |
| Colorado | Attorney / LLP Search & Disciplinary History | Colorado Supreme Court, Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel | Shown in the lookup |
| Connecticut | Attorney/Firm Look-up | Connecticut Judicial Branch | Discipline records |
| Delaware | Attorney Search (Active, Inactive, Emeritus) | Delaware Supreme Court (hosted by vendor doeLegal; page links back to Delaware Courts) | Discipline records |
| District of Columbia | Member Directory | District of Columbia Bar | Discipline records |
| Florida | Find a Member (Lawyer Directory) | The Florida Bar | Shown in the lookup |
| Georgia | Member Directory | State Bar of Georgia | Discipline records |
| Hawaii | Member Directory | Hawaii State Bar Association | Discipline records |
| Idaho | Attorney Roster Search | Idaho State Bar (Licensing Department) | Discipline records |
| Illinois | Lawyer Search | Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Supreme Court of Illinois | Shown in the lookup |
| Indiana | Roll of Attorneys | Indiana Supreme Court, Roll of Attorneys | Discipline records |
| Iowa | Search Lawyers Licensed in Iowa | Iowa Supreme Court, Office of Professional Regulation | Discipline records |
| Kansas | Online Attorney Directory | Kansas Supreme Court, Attorney Registration | Discipline records |
| Kentucky | Directory of Kentucky Attorneys (Find a Lawyer) | Kentucky Bar Association | Discipline records |
| Louisiana | Membership Directory (Member Directory Verify) | Louisiana State Bar Association | Discipline records |
| Maine | Attorney Search | Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar | Discipline records |
| Maryland | Attorney Search | Maryland Judiciary (Client Protection Fund / Supreme Court of Maryland) | Discipline records |
| Massachusetts | Attorney Lookup | Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers | Shown in the lookup |
| Michigan | Member Directory | State Bar of Michigan | Discipline records |
| Minnesota | Attorney Search (MARS) | Minnesota Judicial Branch, Lawyer Registration Office | Discipline records |
| Mississippi | Find a Lawyer / Member Directory | The Mississippi Bar (tool hosted by a vendor) | Discipline records |
| Missouri | The Official Missouri Directory of Lawyers | The Missouri Bar | Discipline records |
| Montana | Attorney Directory | State Bar of Montana | Discipline records |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Attorney Search | Nebraska Supreme Court, Attorney Services Division | Discipline records |
| Nevada | Find a Lawyer | State Bar of Nevada | Discipline records |
| New Hampshire | Attorney verification / good standing request | New Hampshire Bar Association | Discipline records |
| New Jersey | NJ Attorney Index | New Jersey Courts (Supreme Court of New Jersey) | Discipline records |
| New Mexico | Online Bar Directory | State Bar of New Mexico | Discipline records |
| New York | Attorney Directory Search | New York State Unified Court System (Office of Court Administration, Attorney Registration) | Grievance committees (by department) |
| North Carolina | Membership Directory | North Carolina State Bar | Shown in the lookup |
| North Dakota | Lawyer Search | North Dakota Supreme Court | Discipline records |
| Ohio | Attorney Search | Supreme Court of Ohio, Office of Attorney Services | Shown in the lookup |
| Oklahoma | Find A Lawyer Search | Oklahoma Bar Association | Discipline records |
| Oregon | Membership Directory Search | Oregon State Bar | Discipline records |
| Pennsylvania | Look Up an Attorney | The Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania | Shown in the lookup |
| Rhode Island | Attorney Search | Rhode Island Supreme Court (Rhode Island Judiciary) | Discipline records |
| South Carolina | Attorney Search | South Carolina Judicial Branch | Discipline records |
| South Dakota | No public online search: call the State Bar | State Bar of South Dakota | Discipline records |
| Tennessee | Online Tennessee Attorney Directory | Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee | Shown in the lookup |
| Texas | Find A Lawyer | State Bar of Texas | Shown in the lookup |
| Utah | Licensee Directory | Utah State Bar | Discipline records |
| Vermont | Attorneys in good standing (PDF list) | Vermont Judiciary (Vermont Supreme Court, Attorney Licensing) | Discipline records |
| Virginia | Virginia Lawyer Directory (Lawyer Search) | Virginia State Bar | Disciplinary actions page |
| Washington | Legal Directory | Washington State Bar Association | Shown in the lookup |
| West Virginia | Membership Directory Search | The West Virginia State Bar | Discipline records |
| Wisconsin | Lawyer Search | State Bar of Wisconsin | Lawyer status and history (court) |
| Wyoming | Member Directory (Lawyer Search) | Wyoming State Bar | Discipline records |
Each link was opened on October 17, 2026. Some official sites block automated checks, and a few (Alaska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee) could not be loaded that day; their links come from the official court or bar website. In many states the bar association is voluntary and the state supreme court licenses lawyers, which is why the lookup is often run by a court office.
A lawyer must normally be licensed in the state where the case will be filed. A lawyer from another state can sometimes appear in a single case with a local court’s permission, usually with a local lawyer.
Questions
Should I choose a big firm or a small one?
Size matters less than experience with your type of case and how much attention your file will get. Ask both kinds who will handle it and how often you will hear from them.
Can I change lawyers in the middle of a case?
Yes. You can end the relationship at any time. The first lawyer may claim part of the eventual fee for the work done, usually settled between the lawyers out of the same percentage.
Is a lawyer from a referral service any good?
Bar referral services check that lawyers are licensed and meet the service’s own requirements, which vary. A referral is not a judgment of skill, so still ask the questions above.
What if a lawyer does something wrong?
You can file a complaint with the state’s disciplinary office, which the lookup links lead to. A fee dispute often goes to a separate fee arbitration program run by the state or local bar.
Related guides
General information, not legal advice. This site does not refer clients to lawyers and receives nothing from them.