What Should You Look For in A Personal Injury Lawyer?

What Should I Expect from my Personal Injury Lawyer

From my years of practice as a Dallas Personal injury lawyer, I have heard what clients say about their personal injury lawyer. Not only about me, but also about other lawyers. Here are some of the things that clients have told me about their experiences with lawyers, both good and bad.

Good Communication.

The biggest complaint that most clients have about their attorney is lack of communication. Although a personal injury case is a routine matter for the lawyer, it is not routine for the client. It seems that many lawyers have forgotten that. Clients need to be able to talk with their lawyer and get answers to questions they may have. Good personal injury lawyers will return calls and make themselves personally available to their clients. The client wants answers for the legal questions from their lawyer and not the lawyer’s staff. So, if you have a hard time speaking directly with the lawyer on your initial consultation, this is probably a sign that you will have even more difficulty once you sign that contract.

Diligence.

No client wants their case sitting around without progress. A client does not want the same status update each time they call. They want to see that their case is moving forward. That does not mean that the case should be completed quickly. In fact, personal injury cases do not usually move very quickly, especially, if the case goes into litigation. But, the lawyer and their office should not be the reason for any delay.

The lawyer should obtain reports from police or public records, witness names and contact information and relevant photographs. A good personal injury lawyer will also make sure that the client’s medical treatment is properly documented and that all records and bills of treatment are included in the client’s file. This information will prove to be valuable once it comes time to pursue the claim against the responsible parties.

Specializes in Personal Injury Cases.

Personal injury is more complicated than just asking for payment from the insurance company. The attorney needs to know all potential sources of recovery such as available liability coverage, personal injury protection, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. Even more importantly, there may be subrogation claims from health insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, and hospital liens. All these issues can be very complicated and intertwined with each other. Failure to know and understand your rights and obligations with respect to these matter can have potentially disastrous results in whether you get a fair settlement or not. That is why your attorney needs to specialize in personal injury cases and not just handle them as a side-line to other unrelated legal matters.

Good Reviews.

Let’s face it. The internet is a great resource for finding legal services. But it is also great for researching your options in choosing the right attorney. Reviews are very important. If a client is happy with the services received, then they will post a good review to share their experiences with others. But when a client is unhappy, they may post a bad review. Be careful about relying on a bad review. Sometimes a client may be disgruntled and just wants to lash out. Other times, the client has a legitimate concern and states it in a meaningful way. So, be sure to read the reviews closely and use your discretion.

Never sign anything until you have decided that you want the attorney to represent you. Because, once you sign that contract and the attorney begins work on your case, it may be very difficult to get another attorney. So be smart and make the right decision from the very beginning.

These are just some of the important things you should expect when you hire a personal injury lawyer. Robert C Slim Law Firm has been representing clients in the Dallas and surrounding areas since 1994. We have adhered to the principal that the client comes first and operate with that same philosophy for all our cases. You will always communicate directly with the lawyer about your case and know that that you are being represented by a lawyer with the knowledge and experience you can trust!