Once you have been in some sort of accident where you sustained an injury, finding the right injury lawyer for your case is the most important decision you will make. With all the television commercials and internet sites, you can become overwhelmed. But the right lawyer for you means finding one that you know will make your case a priority.
Television Commercials. It goes without saying that many personal injury attorneys advertise on television. The goal here is to get the word out to as many potential clients as possible. The more cases they sign up, then the more money the lawyer makes. Then, your case is put through sort of a legal “assembly-line” where it gets pieced together by the attorney’s staff rather than by the attorney. That is because these lawyers tend to count on the volume of cases they can settle rather than maximizing the value of each case. This may not be true of all lawyers that advertise on TV. But being in the profession for as long as I have, it is easy to conclude that volume cases bring in volume fees. However, what gets lost in the process is the individual and unique needs of your particular case.
Internet. Doing an internet search for an attorney is very practical. You give yourself the opportunity to visit several lawyers websites at your leisure and can also read reviews and client testimonials that other clients have posted. Some reviews are good and some may be bad. But you can at least hear about what previous clients have said about the particular lawyer’s services.
Word of Mouth. Sometime your can get a lawyer referral from a close friend or family member. This can be a very reliable way to find a good lawyer because you have some insight to the lawyer’s services from someone you can trust.
Lawyer Referral Services and Yellow Pages. There are many lawyer referral services out there. Sometimes your local bar association maintains a list of lawyers in all different practice areas. However, these services normally cannot monitor the experience and qualifications of the attorney. That is a judgment call you are left to make on your own.
Online Legal Forums. There are many online legal forums like Avvo, Thumbtack and Lawyer.com, that feature attorneys in different specialties. You can post a question and get responses from many attorneys. But if you are using these sites to get information on how to handle the case yourself, you are making a huge mistake. These forums work best when you use them to evaluate which attorney you would like to contact for a more detailed consultation. Some of these forums also have features to rate the attorney. The problem here is that the ratings can be manipulated to give you a false sense of the lawyer’s true qualifications. The key to using these forums is to contact the attorney that gives you the best response to your question. If a lawyer is willing to take the time to write a meaningful response, then that is a good sign that the lawyer will take a special interest in your case.
When it comes down to it, the right lawyer for you is a lawyer that you can personally talk to and trust. Shopping for a lawyer is a personal matter. You wouldn’t shop at a department store for an engagement ring anymore than you would take your legal matter to a “cookie-cutter” law firm. If you have a new personal injury case and you cannot speak with the lawyer personally, then you can probably assume that your case is not going to get the personal attention that is needs. And that is the most important part of finding the right lawyer.
I agree there are several things that you should consider when hiring a personal injury lawyer. Firstly, you should look for a lawyer that has a good success record. Most personal injury lawyers operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, and this means that they have a powerful incentive to work hard on your case and get the best settlement possible. Usually, the lawyer takes a percentage of the fee they net for you, therefore the bigger the settlement, the more they earn.
And one other point I would like to add. Many tort reformists want the general public to believe that contingency-fee attorneys are the source of frivolous litigation, when it is exactly the opposite. What attorney would invest the time and money into a case if it were frivolous? Rather, the ethical attorney is a gate-keeper for claims which are worth the efforts and expense of prosecution.
Hey Robert, Great share. Thanks a lot for posting this. I agree with all your points for hiring the right type of injury lawyer. I agree that word of mouth is very important.
As a car accident attorney, I am often asked about what to do if you are involved in an auto accident. I recommend all these points that you have mentioned in your post.
Nice post to share and read. Choosing the right Personal Injury Attorney who can fought for your rights is very very important.
But, ya you can easily find a great lawyer by following these way you have mentioned. I think “Online Legal Forums” is a great way to find a right lawyer. Take part in the discussions and people will share their reviews and experiences which may helpful in your selection process.
Cheers!!
“Volume cases bring in volume fees.” Loved what you said about television commercials. Not many attorneys delve into them today, mostly just firms with huge budgets.
My uncle was just in a car accident and he is thinking about getting a personal injury lawyer. It could be really nice for him to be able to work with a professional that could help him with his case. I liked what you said about how you can look at a lot of different lawyers by looking at their websites and see what previous clients have to say.
I found it really interesting when you said that you can do an internet search. Last week my sister got into a bad car accident and injured her shoulder pretty badly. I’ll make sure to pass these tips along to her so she can know how to find the right personal injury attorney!
If I got hurt, I’d get the help of an attorney. Mainly, I’d look for one that has good referrals. That way, I can see how they have done in past cases.
It can be very challenging to find the right personal injury lawyer especially when you are looking for the first time. Your blog is very helpful to identify the right personal injury lawyer. If you are looking for a Personal Injury Lawyer in National City then you can contact Rory Law Firm.
I like that you give yourself the opportunity to look at lots of different lawyers at your leisure if you use the internet. My friend was recently injured in a car wreck. We’ll have to find a personal injury attorney.
Thank you for reminding me that I can always trust the recommendations that my friends and other family members can give me if I were to look for a personal injury lawyer. I haven’t been in a situation where I will need one, but I think that I’ll be able to trust the person more if people I know can guarantee that they had a nice experience with them. I’ll keep these tips in mind and hope that I’ll be able to find the perfect person I can work with in the future.
I like your suggestion of hiring a physical lawyer that has vast experience regarding these types of cases. I saw a couple of flyers regarding personal injury attorneys around our area, and it got me curious about them. I’ll be sure to hire one of these experts if ever I end up getting injured in the future.
It is good to know all of your tips on how to find a good personal injury attorney. I appreciate your comments about how it can be useful to word-of-mouth referrals from friends or family and to look at online reviews of any personal injury lawyer. I would also think it important to find a lawyer with a good track record and success rate for personal injury cases.