 
When
it is time to choose a lawyer for your personal injury case, you may get
confused by the choices. Here are some steps that, in our opinion, are
important to help you
to pick an attorney:
1. Just personal injury: If you live in a city, you
should be able to choose a lawyer who handles injury cases exclusively.
They will have the most knowledge about the ins and outs of personal
injury law. They will also know what to expect from the insurance company
adjusters. They will know what to expect from a jury in a
personal injury trial your area.
2. Personal injury court cases: Ask the attorney if
they have ever tried any personal injury cases in court. Many young attorneys
claim to have handled lots of court cases, but they may have
worked as DAs for the government in the country to get their start,
for example. This is
not the same as doing personal injury court cases in the big city that the
lawyer is now practicing in. An attorney with a reputation for
never going to court, may also be viewed less seriously by the insurance
adjusters.
3. Experience: For more difficult personal injury
cases it is important to find out how many years of experience a lawyer
has in the area of personal injury law. After 10 or more years, a lawyer
usually
has experience with a wide range of case types and has a lot of
knowledge and experience to draw on. Even for minor accidents, an
experienced PI attorney will be better in our opinion because they have learned through
practice what a case is worth and can stand up to the insurance
adjusters on this point when they offer a low settlement.
4. Staff: Find out how many people work in the firm
on personal injury law. This may help you determine how fast your claim
will be taken care of by the firm. A small firm may get
overwhelmed with work at times and not have the manpower to deal with a
temporarily large work load. With a larger firm, they may have the
resources to make sure that your phone
calls will be answered even in times of stress.
5. Professional offices: When you finally do choose
a lawyer and go to their office to sign up, look at how professional
looking the office is. If it looks sloppy and unprofessional, that may
be a sign that the service is not so great. You can always take the
retainer agreement home with you and decide whether or not to sign it
there.
6. Retainer agreement: Look at the retainer agreement
to see if there is something written about what happens if you decide
to choose another lawyer. A clause saying there will be charges if you
chose another lawyer may
indicate that that law firm has had problems with losing clients in
the past for poor service.
7. Returning phone calls: Once you do sign up, make
sure your attorney or his staff always returns your phone calls.
If you find that your attorney is not returning your calls you have the option of finding a new attorney at any
time before the case is settled. Read the retainer agreement to see
if there will be any charges if you do.
Choose a lawyer who looks like they will fight for you. That is their
job! |
