Law firms make up a roughly $368 billion industry in the United States. With an industry so vast and lawsuits filed every day, it’s natural to have some apprehension or confusion about how to navigate a legal situation. You need to find an attorney that you can put full confidence in, particularly if you’re filing a personal injury case.
We’ve got a few helpful words of advice below that will help you choose a personal injury lawyer that can win your case.
Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer That You Trust
Before anything, you must choose a personal injury lawyer that you trust. It’s high stakes that involve your physical and emotional well-being. To go through both the legal and healing process, you need an attorney with the type of personality and legal experience that puts you at ease.
Go with your gut when choosing a legal professional that you’ll feel comfortable with for the next year or two and beyond, since these cases can take time to flesh out.
Schedule Consults and Assess Their Advice
Having a good feeling is crucial, but make certain that you can trust your attorney’s advice. Schedule some consultations with personal injury lawyers and recount all of the details of your case. Your attorney will have several questions and will need as precise as a narrative of events as possible.
Bring any documentation that you have, such as statements from witnesses or an official accident report. If it was a car wreck, you should also provide photos and video of any damage done to the vehicle or injuries you have suffered.
Your attorney will take this information and provide you with a professional opinion and rough outlook of your case. Compare the advice that you get during multiple consultations and keep doing your research. You’ll eventually feel comfortable choosing a path that gets your desired outcomes.
Ask About Prior Experience
Any lawyer that you hire needs to have years of experience in the field. They’ll be able to draw upon previous cases, an understanding of how to negotiate, and their relationships in the legal field.
You can verify the attorney’s experience by getting their license number and looking it up. Consider the collective years of experience of everyone at the firm, and ask how many cases they have all tried. For examples of a law firm’s credentials, discover more here as you start scheduling consultations.
Read Up on Their History
A law firm’s history will reveal a lot about whether or not they’re the one to go with. Just about every city or county has its go-to law firms that are most known in the community because of their reliability and longevity.
Pick up some legal journals or community publications to read about the accolades or professional recognition they’ve received. Look into professional organizations the firm is licensed by or belongs to. For instance, if the law firm is in California, you can look them up in the State Bar of California.
You should also find information in the American Bar Association (ABA) and with your local chapter of the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Consider the Cost of Hiring Them
Always consider your cost matters when considering the hire of a legal firm. It’s not uncommon for people’s legal expenses to mount up so much over time that the case no longer financially makes sense. You won’t run into these problems with a personal injury lawyer, since they don’t accept money upfront.
Instead, you and the personal injury firm will sign a contingency agreement, that states how much of the winnings they will collect at the end of the case. Read the contract to make sure you’re aware of and agree to the fee structure. Compare these rates with other personal injury law firms.
Don’t Let Time Pass You By
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is waiting too long to hire a lawyer. Your lawyer gets your details organized so that you have the best shot at winning a case. They’ll also keep it on a strict timetable so that you can file the case in time to meet the statute of limitations.
You generally have 2 years to file a personal injury case from the day the injury took place. Statutes of limitations aside, you also dilute your case and the details of it the longer you wait to get professional legal help. Start early while the details are solid and the facts are concrete.
This also helps you get recorded witness statements while their memories are fresh. A lawyer will help you communicate with your witnesses and put together the evidence you need to win.
Keep Handling Your Medical Care
Any lawyer that you talk to you will advise you to keep up with your medical care. Not only is this good for your health and peace of mind during the legal process, but it also helps legitimize your claims.
Go to the physician, chiropractor, therapist, and any other professionals that are helping you get back to your normal life. Document it all for evidence and to learn the dollar value of your injuries.
Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer Who Wins
These tips are helpful when you need to choose a personal injury lawyer but aren’t sure where to start. There’s no shortage of personal injury lawyers available, so hit the ground running as you choose.
In the meantime, browse our other articles the next time you need to learn more about law or handling life emergencies.
