A personal injury lawyer can help you file a lawsuit against the person responsible for your injuries after an accident or altercation. In many scenarios, you’ll be entitled to compensation from your claim. But how do you make sure you hire the right personal injury lawyer for your needs?
Why Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
There are several important reasons for hiring a personal injury lawyer. First, your lawyer will help you understand the circumstances of your case and the legal options available to you. They will educate you about the nature of the law, available forms of legal action and compensation, and the likelihood of winning compensation if you proceed.
Second, your lawyer is going to serve as your representative in any personal injury claim you bring forth. They will assist you with filing paperwork, give you advice and guidance on how to follow the appropriate steps of the process, act as your representative in negotiations, and even represent you in the trial if the process gets that far.
Overall, it’s important to hire a personal injury lawyer to maximize your chances of winning compensation and maximize the amount of compensation you receive. Lawyers have a fiduciary duty to you, so they will act in your best interests at all times.
Starting Your Search
There are many ways to start a search for a personal injury lawyer. It’s a good idea to seek a lawyer in your area, as they’ll be intimately familiar with state and local laws that apply to your case. However, there are probably many practicing personal injury lawyers in your area, so you should review several candidates before making a final decision.
These are some of the best places to start:
- Referrals. Ask around in your personal network to see if anyone knows a good personal injury lawyer. Referrals are very strong, as they are usually indications that the lawyer in question does excellent work.
- Legal directories. Legal directories can be another excellent source for finding lawyers. When searching for lawyers here, you can compare apples to apples and review a multitude of different candidates.
- Searches. You can also perform traditional online searches. Just make sure you do your due diligence before hiring anyone.
Making the Right Decision
When reviewing candidates, these are some of the most important factors to consider:
- Credentials. Pay close attention to credentials. You need to make sure that your lawyer is qualified, competent, and ready to represent you in this type of case.
- Area of expertise. Your lawyer should have a focus in personal injury law. Technically, any lawyer can represent you in this type of matter, but it pays to work with someone who has existing knowledge of personal injury law.
- Years of experience. As you might expect, more experienced lawyers are more knowledgeable and capable than their inexperienced colleagues. Pay attention to how long they’ve been practicing and, if you’re working with a law firm, how long that firm has been in business.
- Access to resources. You may also want to consider the resources available to the lawyers you hire. Working with bigger firms and more experienced lawyers may cost more money, but this may also entitle you to more resources and support.
- Past results. It’s a good idea to study past results as well. What types of personal injury cases has this lawyer or law firm handled in the past, and what were the results of those cases? Keep in mind that every personal injury case is different, and you may not be entitled to the same compensation as someone else, even if they suffered a very similar personal injury to yours.
- Personality and communication. Finally, consider the personality and communication of the candidates you’re reviewing. Most personal injury lawyers will give you an initial consultation for free to get to know you and understand the details of your case, so take advantage of this. Some lawyers will be better and more empathetic communicators than others, and you may prefer working with someone who puts you at ease in this stressful and challenging situation. There’s nothing wrong with turning down a candidate because they give you a bad vibe or because they aren’t clear and concise in their communication. In some situations, personal injury cases can stretch for months or even years, so it’s important to work with someone you like and trust.
Your choice of a personal injury lawyer bears significant weight. With a good attorney at your side, you’ll have more options, you’ll gain a more thorough understanding of your situation, and you’ll have better representation for negotiations and trials.
Do your research, keep an open mind, and try to be as objective as possible when reviewing candidates.
