How To Find The Right Personal Injury Lawyer
Whether you wish to settle a personal injury claim or handle an injury lawsuit, you need to hire the best lawyer available. Finding an experienced, trustworthy personal injury attorney is a daunting challenge; some lawyers handle injury lawsuits successfully, while others fail to deliver. It is best to know their track record.
You should consider hiring a lawyer specializing in personal injury who will represent you most professionally in court. To ease the burden of searching for representation, here are some useful tips on how to choose an attorney.
How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Not every lawyer is knowledgeable in personal injury law. Just because a lawyer is experienced in representing insurance companies doesn’t mean he will be good at fighting for individual claims. Look for a specialist and someone who has a dedicated practice (or a portion of) in this niche.
1. Decide Which Personal Injury Lawyers Handle Your Case
First of all, the lawyer you plan to hire should want to deal with your case. Most of them don’t want to handle cases without signing a contingency fee agreement.
They often are not interested in handing claims with a small amount in compensation because that will affect their fee as well. Even if have been seriously injured in a car accident and you’re likely to get a high payout, some attorneys will still avoid taking your case if there are low chances of obtaining full compensation.
Don’t give up. You will still be able to find many personal injury attorneys who are willing to take over the claim and charge by the hour. This can come in useful for small cases involving low compensation.
2. Reach Out to a Lawyer You Already Know
If you already know an attorney who has worked on your claim with success, then you should consider hiring him or her again. Make sure he/she has extensive experience in personal injury cases.
Many attorneys who regard themselves as personal injury lawyers or trial lawyers don’t have relevant experience in jury trials. In that case, you need to ask the attorney to refer you to a personal injury attorney who will be a better fit.
3. Contact Acquaintances and/or Friends Who Have Hired a Personal Injury Attorney
Contact an acquaintance, friend, or coworker who has hired an attorney in his/her personal injury claim. Add that attorney to the list of candidates if your friend/coworker has good experience working with this lawyer.
You should not rely solely on your friends’ recommendations, though. Be sure to meet with the lawyer personally and discuss your case before deciding whether you will enter a working relationship or not. Think of your meeting as a ‘you interviewing them’ arrangement. This person will play a role in your life – sometimes for quite a while – so it is very important to have trust and confidence in them.
4. Read Though Reviews and Websites
Many websites contain useful information about a wide range of legal issues from wrongful death to car accidents and medical malpractice. There are platforms where you can get advice from qualified attorneys in particular areas. Take the time to read through reviews and use the case evaluation tool if available.
What Should You Know Before Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney?
Did you find a personal injury attorney for your case? Great! However, there are some things to consider before making up your mind. Don’t rush into signing anything.
There are also many other things to discuss with the personal injury attorney and questions to ask him during the first interview before making the deal.
- Who will be working on your case?
- What percentage of the attorney’s practice will involve your personal injury case?
- Does the lawyer run a large or small law firm?
- How many years has the attorney been in practice?
- Does the attorney usually represent defendants or plaintiffs?
You want the lawyer to have 10+ years of experience representing claimants in his/her personal injury practice. What percentage will the personal injury attorneys get in the end? Well, it depends on several things.
Most agreements enable the lawyers to receive a percentage from 33%-40%. Ideally, your attorney won’t charge more than one-third of the settlement. Even so, you should try negotiating an alternative agreement or a reduced percentage.
When it comes to the size of a law firm, remember that smaller personal injury cases are more likely to get lost when working with large law offices. Many plaintiffs are tempted into thinking that insurance companies will give them better settlements if they are represented by a big law firm. This is not always the case.
Finally, you should have a clear idea of who will be working on your case. Personal injury attorneys often work together on law cases in their practice. If you will pay by the hour for a smaller case, it is better to steer clear of expensive senior lawyers. Most less experienced lawyers can successfully handle routine paperwork without breaking the bank.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’ve been injured in a car or a slip and fall accident (in some other way), the attorney of your choice should support you from filing a lawsuit to winning full compensation.
Read their reviews. What percent of them are satisfied clients? Are there any patterns of dissatisfaction? Take into account how much you will eventually receive in compensation. Pay attention to how they are responding to your requests. Are they listening to you?
A settlement should cover the expenses of your medical treatments and medical bills besides other costs associated with your injury. The attorney should help you obtain as much as possible, resulting in a higher-than-expected settlement. This is, of course, the ideal scenario.
Cain & Herren Personal Injury Attorney can help. Contact them today! They can help you if you were:
- injured in a car accident
- injured in a motorcycle accident
- injured in a boating accident
- injured in a bicycle accident
- injured in a public transit
- recreational activity accidents
