How to Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer

Injuries can happen to anyone, and a lot of the time they are not simple accidents, but the result of negligence. In these cases it’s sometimes necessary to find professional help to make sure your rights are being protected.

This is where a Personal Injury Lawyer comes to play, who can help you in filing compensation and in winning a case against your adversary. It is important to find a lawyer who you can trust with your case but also who is within your budget.

Here’s a list of tips that will help you find the right attorney for your needs.

Location

First of all make sure the lawyer you’re interested in is licensed to practice law in state you were injured in (this is especially important if you don’t live in a state in which accident happened). If you can find a lawyer that works near you – this will help immensely with communication and court appearances. Scheduling and paying for these things is much harder if it takes a long commute. Also it’s usually best to meet your lawyer in person when discussing legal matters (at least for first couple of times).

You can also research your lawyers standing among his colleges and peers more easily if you come from the same community.

Expertise, experience and references

When choosing your personal injury attorney consider their earlier practices and cases. Find out about memberships in professional associations (especially those for trial lawyers). Ask around (mostly online) to find out for how they’re practicing law and did they encountered cases similar to yours. Also look for references from their former clients – feel free to ask your attorney directly to provide with a list of names (any respectable firm will gladly hand you over their portfolio of clients).

There’s also nothing wrong with asking your friends or coworkers who work in a similar field but don’t rally on anecdotes and hear say too much.

Be prepared

Before meeting your future lawyer (you’ll probably have to meet a few before you choose) have a list of questions prepared. This will help you inform yourself comprehensively about the strengths and weaknesses of both your lawyer and your case and allow you to easily compare several candidates. Questions should be about your case in particular but also about the law firm in general. For instance ask how long similar cases take, on how many similar cases has the lawyer worked before. Ask honestly about your chances (but be sure very few lawyers will tell you that you don’t stand a chance). Make sure to inform yourself about the money involved- you want to know how much your lawyer will charge you, but not just that. Ask does the firm accepts contingent based fees (and if so what’s the percentage) and if not what’s the hourly fee?

In the end don’t shy away from asking has your lawyer been disciplined or suspended before and on what grounds.

Enthusiasm

This may seem silly but it is important. Lawyer probably won’t turn you away even if he doesn’t like your odds in court. Try to figure out your chances from your lawyer’s demeanor and tone. Attorneys tend to work harder on cases that have a chance at court and therefore can bring them money. If your case isn’t one of these maybe your lawyer won’t give it the attention it deserves. If you notice this right away you should look elsewhere.

When it’s all said and done finding the right lawyer isn’t just a professional issue, but also a personal one. Make sure to follow the steps listed above and take research seriously, but also make sure that you’re personally comfortable with your choice. Attorney should be someone you can trust.