There are numerous personal injury attorneys in every city, so choosing the right one can be quite challenging.
Some attorneys are famous in practice, and you can hear their names on the lips of people. Some others are not so famous but have a track record of success with personal injury cases.
The area of practice or expertise is also another matter. Some of them focus on work accidents, car accidents, falls, and slips, others take up cases about medical malpractice, grave injuries, and wrongful deaths. It is tasking to choose the perfect legal representative if you have been injured.
Here are some major tips to help you choose the best personal injury lawyer.
Explore Your Network
One way to get a personal injury lawyer is to ask friends and family who have worked with one. Get them to recommend an attorney they had a positive experience working with, and book an appointment.
You can also contact a legal representative you have hired before for civil matters, family disputes, or work-related issues. Although they are not in the field of expertise, they can refer their colleagues to you.
Your friends will also know one or two attorneys who can make referrals as well.
Trust is Important
Getting a lawyer from a family, friend, or colleague is one assurance that you will find a trustworthy person. That confidence is essential because you cannot work with an attorney comfortably if you don’t guarantee their accountability.
Asides getting trustworthy attorneys from your network, you can visit relevant social media platforms, attorney advertisements, and legal firms’ websites.
A legal website will contain lawyer’s names, the cases they handle, and some will even provide the nature and amount of compensation recovered on behalf of their clients.
As helpful as websites might be, you should also consider other things before making a final decision.
Consider Ratings and Reviews
Whether you find the attorney on an advertisement, social media, or on a website, ensure to find out about their rating and standing, especially in their association.
Experts from AmericanCourthouse advise to check with a local, state, and more significant bar association to make sure they have a good rating and go through the attorney referrals list available at some bar associations.
Online ratings also offer an objective review of the attorney’s skill and standing. Visit legal rating sites and go through the information you find there.
Use the recommendations you got, check the ratings of the lawyers recommended, and cut down to 3 or 4 who you will set up appointments with.
First meeting with an Attorney
After narrowing down your options, the next thing is to make an appointment and have a personal encounter with the specialists you are considering.
You have to depend on your judgment to choose the lawyer you will proceed with.
At this meeting, you need to look out for several things that will give you the conviction and confidence that the lawyer can defend you with the best results.
Remember the fact that you will be working with this lawyer for months or even years. So, you need to consider if you can have a fulfilling professional relationship with them.
Your first meeting should give insight and help you honestly evaluate your experience to decide what attorney is best for you.
When attending your first meeting with the lawyer, go along with all the materials connected to your case. It will help him to study, and assess your case to see how to handle the case if you both choose to work together.
Most reputable specialists make the first appointment free and then charge for further consultations.
Factors to consider when comparing lawyers
After you must have met with all the lawyers you are considering, there is a need to compare them based on some criteria. This comparison will help you get the best and most viable option.
Professional experience
Different attorneys have varying lengths of professional experience, which comes into play in their practice and availability.
A lawyer with fewer years of professional experience will be more eager to take up your case to improve his experience level and prove his abilities to win cases. Such an attorney will likely dedicate time and effort to your case because they have a stake in your success.
Lawyers with fewer years of experience will also have a lighter caseload and will be available for more consultations, face, and phone meetings than a very busy one.
On the other hand, an attorney with more professional experience may have a load of cases and not be available at your beck and call. You might need to work around their schedule instead.
However, the experienced lawyer will have a reputation for winning such cases and getting the best settlement for his clients.
Insurance companies may well know an experienced expert for fighting to the end, and they won’t want to take their chances in court with him. This reputation will work in your favor and help you get your full claim without a fuss.
Educational Qualification
Educational qualification might not be as relevant as professional experience. While it might come into the discussion, experience, ability, and results should trump a lawyer’s graduating position, or school.
A specialist might graduate from an Ivy League law school but might like the experience and skills you need to get the best compensation.
You will find many great and renowned lawyers who didn’t attend the best law schools or graduate top of their class.
Financial Capacity
A lawyer might need to spend a lot when pursuing your case, especially if it concerns medical malpractice or product liability issues. Such cases are often expensive to investigate, so an attorney who will handle them efficiently will need to have the financial strength to undertake investigations.
Complicated cases will need medical reports to be reviewed by experts, accountants to give estimates, specialists to review products and several other professionals.
Office Location and Appearance
Avoid rating an attorney based on the size of their office or any physical appearance. The fact that a lawyer has his chambers in a big and expensive building might mean they are financially stable, but it doesn’t guarantee that they will win your case.
Attorneys choose their locations for different reasons that have nothing to do with their finances or abilities to put up a good defense.
