You might find yourself among the many people who suffer a personal injury due to someone else’s negligence. You will likely need the help of a personal injury lawyer to hold the liable person or people accountable, and there usually are plenty of options. According to On The Map Marketing, a web design and SEO service firm, the United States has more than 64,000 law firms that specialize in personal injury litigation. Here’s some sage advice on how to find a good personal injury attorney to help you build the strongest case and file well-supported insurance claims when necessary.
Check Their Area of Legal Experience
You can’t hire just any attorney to handle your particular legal matter. For a legal matter involving a personal injury, you want one who has experience as a personal injury lawyer. When searching for potential attorneys to retain, you should make sure each one is experienced in personal injury law and has lots of experience handling successful cases.
Ask for Recommendations
Personal injuries affect many people, and you likely know one or more who recently had to hire a personal injury attorney. Family, friends, and coworkers can be good sources for recommendations when you seek the services of a good attorney. You might know of one or more people who have had a great experience with an attorney who would also be available to provide you with legal services. Asking for recommendations from people whom you trust can help you to locate an experienced attorney with a good record for winning cases like yours.
Search State Bar Association Listings
Every state has a bar association that administers the bar exam and keeps track of licensed attorneys in respective states. You can search for a personal injury lawyer with the help of your state bar association. The association should have a website that helps you to narrow your search by location and, preferably, areas of legal experience. You might be able to compile a list of potential attorneys with the bar association’s help.
Check for Contingency Fees
When you are considering retaining a personal injury lawyer, you should hire one who does not charge a fee upfront. You want an attorney who only charges a fee after securing a settlement. That means you pay nothing if you do not win the case or at least convince the opposing party or parties that a settlement is the best solution. We’ve seen that a common contingency fee is 30% of a settlement, which might rise to 40% if the attorney has to file a legal claim in a local court.
Consider Their Communication Style
It is important to retain an attorney with whom you can communicate effectively and when needed. Communication is a very important element of legal representation, and you need to have an attorney who is available to answer questions and gets back to you when immediately unavailable. Your attorney should listen to any questions and concerns that you might have and give you well-reasoned answers. If you have a good rapport with an attorney, you should be able to work together to present the strongest possible case in your favor.
Confirm They Have a Professional Law Firm
A good personal injury lawyer should have a law firm through which to practice law. A law firm means there is staff, including paralegals and receptionists, who can take your calls and help to keep you informed about the case. The law firm can provide you and your attorney with the kinds of support services that help to keep the case moving forward, like processing paperwork, filing court documents, and scheduling depositions.
Check for a History of Success
You want a personal injury lawyer who has handled similar cases and has a proven track record of success. A successful attorney can help clients to win difficult cases and fight to obtain the highest possible settlements for them. Asking for referrals and about the results of recently argued cases can help you find an attorney who has a good track record. After all, the attorney should have the ability to judge which cases are winnable and have good supporting evidence to secure legal victories as often as possible.
When you’re looking for a top-tier personal injury lawyer, it’s important to know what to look for. Make sure to keep the tips above in mind during your search. Call Putnam Lieb Potvin Dailey today or submit our online form to schedule an initial consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.