If you or a loved one have experienced damage to your property caused by someone else's actions, you are probably looking for  property damage lawyers "near me."  But being near you is not always the essential factor in handling your legal matter.

Dispute offers you the tools to handle your own legal disputes.  Using the tools on Dispute's website, you can do everything that needs to be done with just a few clicks of your mouse.  

Where to Start With Your Problem

First, by using the Dispute platform, you can generate and send a demand letter to the party who damaged your car, asking for compensation.  A demand letter is usually a mandatory prerequisite to suing someone for money owed to you, so taking this step and doing it correctly is critical to your case.  A similar letter will be produced if you are suing for property damage under a contract.  

After the Demand Letter

In either case, after you've sent your demand letter, and assuming you had no success with it, you can consider going to small claims court - where you do not necessarily need a lawyer - to recover your damages.  If, for example, your car was towed and the towing company damaged your vehicle, you can sue in small claims court.  You should be aware that filing a suit or even the idea that you might file a suit will often motivate the defendant to compensate you for your damages without a trial.  

What to Know about Small Claims Court

You can sue in Small Claims Court for up to $10,000 (in most states) without using a lawyer.  In Small Claims Court, you can explain what happened to a judge who has the power to order the other side to pay you compensation for your damages.  For those who want to recover their damages without using a lawyer, Small Claims Court offers valuable advantages:

  • Simpler procedures and processes than in more formal courts
  • Less expensive filing fees and costs than in other courts
  • Relatively fast - you can expect a hearing within a few months of your filing, compared to the years that a civil court property damage case may take to come to trial.
  • Generally, lawyers are not needed or permitted

Dispute can help you generate a small claim filing in minutes on our platform.

Solutions Beyond Small Claims

Perhaps, however, your damages exceed $10,000, or you just don't want to handle your case on your own.  In that event, you will want to find a lawyer whose practice is focused on property damages cases like yours to handle your case.  You will want to look at your candidates' experience because most lawyers informally specialize in a relatively narrow band of cases.  If your case involves someone setting fire to your kitchen, you don't particularly want to retain a lawyer who primarily handles cases involving tow truck damages to towed cars.  

How to Find a Lawyer

Once you've decided to retain a lawyer, there are several ways to find one near you.  The first place to start is as simple as running an online search for "property damages lawyers near me."  Of course, this search has the disadvantage of forcing you to allow the browser to see your location, so you may want to search "property damages attorneys in MyTown, State (filling in your information).  In either case, you will receive a large number of answers, the majority of which will be ads for lawyers and law firms.  You can look through their websites and schedule an initial consultation with any attorneys who may be suitable for your case.  Most initial consultations include a case evaluation and do not cost you anything. 

Other ways of finding an attorney near you include contacting your local bar association (usually state or county) for references, speaking to friends and relatives who've used lawyers recently, and even through television, radio, or online advertisements.  Try to see what kind of cases the lawyers focus on and, again, arrange for an initial no-cost consultation about your case with anyone who might appear suitable.  

Finding an attorney can be challenging.  You will need to work with and communicate with your attorney for what could be a long time.  You also need to trust your attorney to do the right things and to come to you whenever necessary.  Finding "property damage lawyers near me" is a daunting task, but using an attorney can significantly increase your ultimate recovery.  Plus, property damage cases are usually handled on a contingency fee basis (you only pay if we win), so your financial risk is limited.