Your best interests rely on the personal injury lawyer of your choice. They’ll be representing you, and it’s better to hire someone you can trust. However, not because a lawyer is famous means you should trust them. It’s best to do your research and look for the following things before hiring them:
1. Experience
Personal injury law has many branches, such as medical malpractice, car accidents, etc. That’s why you must look for someone with experience who specializes in the branch of personal injury law relevant to your case. For example, a personal injury lawyer can better understand and apply techniques and rules suitable to win your case.
They also have connections with people they have already worked with, allowing you to get treatment and build your case without any difficulties. That’s why you mustn’t forget to ask the lawyer how long they’ve been practicing in personal injury cases.
It’s also better if they have handled similar cases to yours. For instance, if you’ve been in a car accident, a lawyer must have experience in car accident claims. That way, you can have a higher chance of winning your case. But, on the other hand, it may be best to consider alternative legal representation if they haven’t worked on similar issues.
Here are some types of personal injury cases:
- Slip And Fall Accidents: The attorney with this specialization will know the state’s premises liability laws to fight for clients injured in slip and fall accidents.
- Aviation Accidents: Lawyers in this area know the state and federal aviation guidelines for clients who may suffer injuries on airplanes.
- Car And Truck Accidents: The attorneys working on such cases are familiar with road rules to represent clients after auto accidents better.
- Workplace Accidents: The state’s workers’ compensation laws are the guide for lawyers representing employees suffering on-the-job injuries.
- Medical Malpractice Cases: Knowledge of the broad range of medical practices and procedures is what an attorney should have when fighting for people who suffer medical malpractice injuries.
2. License And Legitimacy
While typing in ‘personal injury lawyer’ into Google can help, verifying their license and legitimacy is still best. Checking their licenses is essential because search engine results don’t filter the ‘lawyers’ who avail themselves of paid ads, whether they’re legitimate or not. If you’re uncareful, you might end up hiring someone who doesn’t have the best skill set needed to win your case.
You can avoid such a scenario by searching professional organizations and state bar associations to see if the lawyer’s name is included. Doing this also allows you to check their board certification in their practice area to understand if they’re handling similar cases.
Your research can also give you information about the lawyer’s judicial connections. For example, a lawyer can have more involvement in the local legal culture when they’re contributing to campaigns or participating in local bar associations. With such, they’re up-to-date on legislation that could benefit their practice.
3. Legal Fees
A lawyer’s fee structure is also a factor you must consider before hiring. For example, it may be best to go with one that offers a contingency fee basis. They’ll only charge you when they recover your claim or win your case. With such, you can pursue your case without worrying about paying your lawyer at the beginning of the case.
The money awarded to the lawyer will be a fixed percentage of your claim. Generally, 20% to 40% would be the set percentage range. However, a lawyer may charge a flat rate or by the hour if no contingency agreement exists.
You must also ask about the accumulating litigation costs you must pay, even if the lawyer asks for a contingency fee agreement. Whatever the case result, you still need to pay for miscellaneous clerical charges like filing fees, medical record retrieval fees, and the like. Thus, it’s best to ask the lawyer’s policies about these out-of-pocket litigation costs so you can prepare your budget.
Conclusion
Considering the abovementioned, you may find the right personal injury lawyer to represent your case. You could have higher chances of winning, getting the proper compensation you deserve, or having someone to fight for you in court.
When you trust the lawyer representing you, you can recuperate from your injuries faster. You won’t be thinking about whether you’ll win or not since you have filtered the ones meeting your criteria. If you do in-depth research and ask the right questions, you can hire one of the best lawyers in your state.
