6 Strategies for Engaging a Quality Personal Injury Attorney
Hundreds of thousands of personal injury accidents happen across the United States annually. Accidents occur even in the least expected places. For instance, a fun-seeking individual can find themselves in the hospital.
Since most personal injury cases are due to negligence, the law allows you to hold the at-fault party responsible. However, you must prove negligence before you can recover compensation. That is why you need a personal injury attorney’s services.
"When choosing a personal injury lawyer, you must look for some qualities if you want the best outcome for your case. When you understand the qualities to focus on, you will learn how to maximize your attorney's services," says personal injury attorney David Gordon of The Law Offices of David E. Gordon.
This essay highlights six tips you can adopt to choose a high-quality personal injury attorney without feeling overwhelmed:
Be Attentive to Their Specialty
It is crucial to state that not every “personal injury attorney” will be ideal for your personal injury case. You must always be conscious that the term covers diverse aspects of law.
As a result, before hiring a lawyer, you must first understand their area of expertise. When you choose a workplace injury attorney to handle your motor vehicle accident case, you are compromising your case. Hiring a maritime law lawyer to handle your medical malpractice case is inappropriate.
You should always choose a lawyer familiar with your type of case. It is easier to get the desired output when engaging an attorney who has handled similar cases to yours. Your search should focus on law firms renowned for your type of cases.
Ask for Recommendations from Your Circle
You can also engage a quality personal injury lawyer when you ask for personal recommendations within your circle. Your family member or friend might have had your type of case so you can ask them for referrals.
If their lawyer performed excellently, you can also engage the same professional. If a trusted fellow can recommend an attorney, it will limit your search.
Apart from your circle, you can also ask your financial advisor, CPA, or even lawyer friends for a recommendation. Since they interact with attorneys constantly, they may be able to recommend a reputable attorney for your case.
Most people overlook their employee assistance program (EAP), which gives them access to discounted or free legal services. If your firm has this option, do not hesitate to use it.
Take Advantage of the Online Option
Explore the online option if you have exhausted your offline options and cannot find the desired lawyer. It will amaze you what a simple "personal injury lawyers around me" search can do. Most times, the results are magical.
You can also visit your local or state bar association website to search for a personal injury lawyer. Similarly, you can check law directories containing the names and biographies of attorneys nationwide.
After shortlisting your potential lawyers, visit their sites to read more about them and see their service quality. However, do not swallow the impressive reviews on their site without cross-checking them on a third-party site. No one will post a negative review about themselves.
Verify Their Credentials
As stated in the preceding paragraph, never take anything you see on a lawyer’s site at face value. It is advisable to fact-check whatever impresses you about them. This will reassure you of their ability to deliver the expected result.
You can confirm with their local bar organization or the relevant legal directory. Don't let the lawyer's achievements or education convince you without first checking them. Check their case-winning claims, particularly the popular ones.
What are past clients saying about them on third-party sites? Read reviews about your preferred attorney. This may be a red flag if you notice a pattern of negative reviews!
Meet with Them
You cannot conclude about an attorney until you schedule an appointment with them. Most personal injury attorneys offer a free initial consultation. So, take advantage of this to assess your potential lawyer further and see if they are ideal for you.
Be attentive to the lawyer's body language immediately after you enter the office. Are they welcoming? Are they organized? Does their environment portray them as what you read about them? Don't allow anything to distract you.
You should also be attentive to their communication style. Do they sound fluent or hesitant to answer your questions? It may also be a red flag if the lawyer provides quick, snappy answers to your queries. It may be a way of dismissing you to focus on other assignments.
If their responses are vague, it also indicates their incompetence. Ultimately, how the lawyer treats you during the initial consultation gives you insight into your relationship if you eventually engage them. Thus, it is detrimental to your case to ignore obvious red flags.
Prepare Well Before the Initial Consultation
Most clients fail to maximize the initial consultation due to insufficient preparation. Before meeting with your potential attorney, prepare your questions.
For instance, you need to ask them about their present caseload, level of experience in your case type, fee structure, any extra costs, and whether you will be dealing directly with them or a subordinate. Their responses and body language will influence your decision. If they are evasive about your concerns, it may be time to look elsewhere.
You must trust your gut at this point. If the negatives you observe overshadow the positives, do not hesitate to exclude the attorney from your list. You must not allow sentiments to influence your decision.
Concluding Remarks
If you are involved in an accident, you should not hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney. It is unfair to bear the pain, losses, and financial consequences of another person’s negligence. An accident can change the trajectory of your life.
Hence, you should act proactively by engaging a result-driven local personal injury attorney based on the indices highlighted in this piece. When you carefully search for a personal injury attorney, they will leave no stone unturned in search of justice for you.
Legal victory usually aids physical recovery. Hence, never downplay the place of legal justice after an accident!
