Personal injury attorneys are an invaluable asset when it comes to fighting for fair settlement. Unfortunately, finding one may prove challenging.
Begin your search by seeking referrals from other attorneys. Next, narrow down your choices by considering certain criteria:
Experience
Experience is a key consideration when hiring a personal injury lawyer, and can be gained in various ways such as online reviews or recommendations from colleagues.
An attorney’s track record of success should also be considered carefully when choosing your representation. Ask about previous cases that resulted in compensation for clients. Ideally, find someone with expertise in your state laws and procedures as this will provide more reliable service.
Personal injury attorneys typically specialize in certain areas, including car accidents, medical malpractice, product liability and wrongful death claims. Others represent clients with slip and fall injuries or workers’ compensation claims ranging from slip-and-fall injuries to workers’ comp disputes. Negotiations with insurance companies is often complex and emotionally exhausting – you need an attorney who is professional while empathic enough to fight on your behalf for maximum compensation benefits.
Reputation
Personal injury attorneys must juggle many tasks at once, such as interviewing clients and witnesses, researching laws and evidence, drafting pleas, negotiating with insurance companies and representing their clients at trial. But ultimately they are concerned only with their client’s well-being and development.
They are very selective when choosing which cases they accept; often starting off with an initial case evaluation session where potential clients and they meet to assess the merits of their legal situation and possible options available to them. If they feel a client may be unlikely to win their legal dispute, they won’t accept it as an engagement.
At the outset, an insurance broker should be transparent with his/her terms of service and offer an estimate of claim’s worth to prevent surprises down the line. They should also make themselves available via phone and email 24/7 as this demonstrates commitment and organized management skills.
Communication
Personal injury cases are complex and effective communication is vital for client wellbeing. That is why top injury lawyers prioritize client communication and management strategies so their clients are fully informed and confident with their representation.
Accident victims frequently disclose personal details to their attorneys, such as embarrassing physical symptoms and financial uncertainty. Communicating openly and compassionately fosters trust while making clients feel understood and secure.
Quality lawyers communicate clearly in writing and make it easy for their clients to contact them with inquiries or concerns. In our increasingly digital world, clients appreciate law firms that accommodate their schedules and preferences by using online communication systems such as Skype. Videoconferencing applications may help to facilitate meetings when in-person communication is impractical, while secure document storage systems must offer high standards of confidentiality and trustworthy security. Attorney-client privilege protects any information shared between client and lawyer and cannot be shared without express authorization from both parties.
Fees
Many personal injury lawyers provide services on a contingency fee basis. This eliminates financial barriers to legal representation while aligning the interests of both client and attorney.
Contingency fees for personal injury claims range from 33%-40% of any compensation recovered, plus expenses such as photocopying expenses, long distance phone calls and courier fees for documents. Expenses quickly accumulate: photocopies, long distance calls and courier fees can add up quickly.
Attorneys incur additional costs associated with your case, such as storage fees for records and deposition transcripts and hiring expert witnesses. Although these expenses typically form part of their contingency fee agreement, you should discuss them beforehand so you understand exactly what costs to expect – the initial written agreement should outline all potential expenses so you have a full picture. Many costs are unavoidable but your lawyer should inquire into any expenses they think might be excessive to give you an opportunity to negotiate a lower fee; ultimately our goal should be maximizing settlement amounts without creating undue hardship in any way possible!
