Injury Lawyer: Choosing the Right One
When you or your family/friends are injured in an accident or through someone else’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated to the maximum extent possible. For this, you will need to choose the attorney who can secure the best remedy and also ensure that you are protected from any retaliation from the other party.
Choosing the right injury lawyer may seem easy when you take a look at the Yellow Pages, whose columns are full of lawyers offering their services. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before making your choice.
Word of Mouth – Even in the high-tech age, word of mouth referrals are still one of the surest ways to find the right injury attorney. Friends, co-workers, and family members can suggest names from their experience or from those they know and trust. Although you may not have any luck the first time, the lawyer you refer to may suggest someone else who can handle your case. Since lawyers also get referral fees from their peers, they are motivated to refer your case to someone else who is competent.
Legal Organizations: Local bar councils, state bar associations, law school alumni, local bar directories, and members of legal associations and organizations are some places where you can find legal help. These are reliable sources but do not provide evidence of the lawyer’s competence.
Internet Websites and Directories/Yellow Pages/Ads: These are useful for evaluating the qualifications and experience of attorneys; however, they may not provide information on competition, ethics, etc.
Specialization: It is best to hire an attorney who is knowledgeable and experienced in the particular area. For example, some attorneys specialize in spinal cord injury, workers’ compensation, medical/dental/psychiatric, etc. therefore, they have all the knowledge/resources at their fingertips.
In addition to these broad areas, you can also keep a checklist of things to ask a lawyer when you meet them, such as exact experience in similar cases, fees, whether they will represent you personally or turn the work over to someone else at the firm. , how long they expect the process to take, updates and when they are provided, if the settlement offered is inadequate, if they are prepared to sue, if they are not available or on vacation, who can take over the work, etc. You should also be sure of the attorney’s background, such as if they have ever faced debarment or been under ethics committee proceedings.
Once you have secured these issues and possibly many more, you can enter into a written agreement with the attorney and retain them to proceed on your behalf.
