Nobody anticipates accidents so when you suffer a personal injury accident, you want to choose a good lawyer who will help you get the compensation you deserve.
Picking the right lawyer is not as easy as it sounds mostly because there are many to choose from. That calls for you to be meticulous about how you go about picking yours.
Here is everything you want to keep in mind as you begin your search for that workers comp lawyer that will make you come out victorious.
What is a Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who specialize in the area of tort law and represents people who have been hurt in accidents. Tort law’s principal purpose is to make the injured person whole again while also discouraging others from committing the same wrongdoing.
How to Find the Right Attorney
You may be at a loss as far as where to source a lawyer. Luckily, there are several methods you can use to ensure that you land the right one.
Ask Friends and Acquaintances
Your first course of action would be to ask your friends and family members if they know any lawyer that can be of help. Usually, one or two people in your circle will have a reference for you. However, you do not want to pick an attorney purely on a recommendation because what may have looked and sounded good to one person, may not look and sound good to you.
Moreover, the recommended attorney may have less interest or zeal to handle your case. Schedule a meeting with the lawyer and find out if you want to take the relationship further or not.
Search Online
In a digital world like the one we are living in, you would be playing yourself if you didn’t search online for a lawyer.
Visit websites like Nolo.com and AllLaw.com to get useful information about your case as well as search for a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases.
Chances are that you will find one or two that may work for you.
Level of Experience
During your consultation, endeavor to find out the lawyer’s background and level of experience in the field. Ask about things like what school they graduated from and how long they have been practicing.
From their answers, you will be able to gauge if they are experienced enough for your case or not.
Law Firm Size
Your attorney is going to be from a law firm. Now, the size of the firm will not necessarily determine how your case will be handled but you need to keep in mind that a large law firm is likely to make an insurance company give you a better deal.
That said; a trivial personal injury case will easily get lost in a big firm that handles bigger cases. Besides, a larger law firm is likely to spend on expenses that may take up a huge chunk of your compensation.
Weigh your options and decide what will work best for you.
Communication Flow
Communication is key in any legal case so how well you and your attorney communicate will determine whether you get the compensation you are seeking or not.
Consider things like how well your lawyer listens and responds to your wishes regarding the case. How well do they explain and answer your questions? Are you able to tell that they will promptly keep you in the loop once the case begins? If communication between you and the potential lawyer flows smoothly, chances are that you will win your case.
Consider the Lawyer’s Fee
As we have previously mentioned, most personal injury lawyers operate on a contingency basis meaning that they will not be paid until the case is over.
As a client, you will probably not read the fine print in the payment agreement with your lawyer and this may be detrimental to you in the end.
Because of that, you would want to know what percentage of your compensation a prospective lawyer will charge.
Some lawyers charge hourly for certain tasks while others charge a percentage for cases. Take your time to understand all the fees that your lawyer charges and be comfortable with it. Ultimately, you need to trust your gut feeling when you pick an attorney to represent you. They need to make you feel like you are receiving quality services from someone who cares about the outcome of your case.
Tips for Picking a Quality Attorney
Here are some tips to help you pick the right attorney for your personal injury case.
Go to the Right Doctors
After suffering injuries in an accident, the next thing to do will be to seek medical help. If you intend to get compensation for the damage done, you want to see a doctor that specializes in the kind of injury you got.
That way, they will be able to give you a medical report that will be considered credible by the courts.
Interview Several Attorneys
When you hire a housekeeper, you wouldn’t think twice about asking for their credentials. The same should apply when picking an attorney.
In that regard, you want to interview several lawyers that you feel may be a good fit for your case and narrow your options down until you get the one who will handle your injury case.
Consider the Reputation
Most of the time, an attorney with a good reputation will handle and resolve your case fairly and quickly because they are used to doing it. That way, you get the compensation you deserve promptly.
You may also want to note that a lawyer’s reputation may provide additional value to your case not only from the plaintiff’s point of view but from the court’s and defendants as well when it comes to doing the right thing.
Of course, this puts you in a better position to get the compensation owed to you.
Get a Specialized Attorney
Did you know that personal injury law is extremely intricate and involves unique rules and regulations? Some attorneys handle criminal law, family law, etc. Such lawyers can be described at jacks of all trades but they are certainly masters of none. You don’t want that. A lawyer’s focus of practice can make or break your case so you want to go for one who specializes in personal injury law.
This is because they will have the skill required to determine the cause of the accident, and the liability involved. Simply put, such a lawyer is better equipped as far as valuing the extent of damage to your body and what you deserve in terms of compensation.
Do your Due Diligence
You don’t initiate a case hoping to come out with nothing. Therefore, you want to ensure that your attorney can deliver a significant settlement.
Granted, there is no way you can guarantee that will happen but hiring an attorney who is known for sinning cases and helping their clients get awarded handsomely is a great start.
Research extensively before settling on a lawyer. You can go for a lawyer who is known for handling public and prominent lawsuits and with an impeccable record of accomplishment.
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Personal Injury Lawyer
Picking a car accident lawyer involves trusting a stranger to represent you and look out for you as far as your lawsuit or even getting reliable bail bonds.
Not all Florida attorneys specialize in personal injury cases nor do they have the same level of experience and qualifications.
Therefore, you want to consider the following factors in case you ever find yourself claiming compensation or personal injury.
Convenience
The law firm whose services you enlist should make it easy for you to hire lawyers particularly if you suffered a serious injury.
They should be willing to send someone over to your hospital bed or home as you recuperate to answer your questions and have you sign the necessary documents.
A good law firm should exhibit empathy and try to make things as convenient for you as possible throughout the case.
Trial Experience
Most people do not think that a lawyer’s trial experience matters when it comes to winning a case and getting the required settlement.
Are you aware that most insurance companies already know what law firms can take cases to trial and which ones will probably not? Imagine having to pay legal fees when you didn’t get any compensation or were awarded a mediocre settlement.
In that regard, you want to look for a law firm or an attorney that will not think twice about litigating cases in case their clients do not get fair settlements.
Level of Perseverance
As you claim compensation for personal injuries, you will be stepping on some toes. Sometimes, the party that is supposed to compensate you will not take things lightly because let’s face it, there are some unscrupulous people out there.
It shouldn’t surprise you then if you and your lawyer receive threat and intimidation attempts. You want a lawyer who can preserver such so that you don’t end up losing.
Creativity and Research Ability
You can get a regular lawyer or one who thinks outside the box. They need to argue your case and present evidence in a convincing way.
Similarly, they need to be able to carry out research effectively and quickly so that they can strategize in good time.
Judgment
An attorney who is worth their salt should be able to draw logical and reasonable assumptions or conclusions even from negligible information.
Besides, they should look at judgments with a critical eye to anticipate areas of potential weakness in your argument so that they can act accordingly.
Likewise, your lawyer of choice should be good at spotting weak points in the arguments of opposing parties. Keep in mind that decisiveness is a part of judgment as well. This quality is crucial seeing as there will be many instances where they need to decide and not sit on the fence.
Not Every Attorney Will Want Your Case
Lastly, you want to note that there are many lawyers in the market but finding one who will be willing to take up your case is another thing. Don’t be surprised if some of the attorneys you shortlist reject your case.
Why would a lawyer reject a case? Well, most personal injury attorneys get a contingency fee which means that they get a percentage of what you get as compensation.
If you are not looking at a huge amount as compensation, most lawyers will not take up your case.
Sometimes, your personalities will simply clash which is quite normal and because of that, the lawyer may simply opt not to represent you.
Unlike in the past, law practice is now highly specialized. That means that some lawyers know as little of personal injury law as the next common person. Of course, such lawyers will not be of help to you.
Your job is to find a lawyer who is highly experienced when it comes to the same. You should also avoid picking an attorney who has for the most part worked as a representative for insurance companies. Even if they are experienced, they are likely to gravitate towards the company’s side.
This article is designed to take the guesswork out of the selection process when it comes to choosing a personal injury attorney so make use of it the next time you are in the market for one.