What Should I Consider When Choosing A Personal Injury Lawyer?

Who you choose as your personal injury lawyer will make a huge difference in the outcome of your case, so it’s crucial to take this hiring decision seriously!

Personal injury law is a vast and comprehensive portion of our legal system, and it applies to countless scenarios in accident situations that happen each and every day. From car accidents to dog bites, there really are so many different very common personal injury claims that a Personal injury lawyer can support you with.

One of the toughest aspects of a personal injury claim from an accident victim’s standpoint is finding the very best attorney or law firm for their case, and this is such a crucial hiring decision because who you hire as your attorney can many times be the difference between you exceeding your settlement amount expectations or not.

There certainly is a lot of money on the line when any accident victim is hiring a personal injury attorney, and the following considerations are what you should keep in mind when trying to decipher your best options:

Area Of Expertise

There are many different law firms that would be willing to represent you during your personal injury litigation process, but it’s always in your best interest to partner up with a law firm that specifically has expertise within personal injury law.

Your attorney should have many years of experience when it comes to handling cases that are very similar to yours, and they should be perfectly comfortable letting you know how their past cases went and how they’ll provide you with the best course for legal action given your unique scenario.

What’s also important to keep in mind is that insurance companies know reputable personal injury lawyers, so they’ll have less to prove during settlement negotiations and will have adjusters on their heels towards your favorable resolution.

Overall Amount Of Experience

Looking into an attorney’s past is always really beneficial when you’re undergoing the initial stages of the hiring process, because an attorney’s past will speak volumes in terms of their overall ability to handle your specific case. There are many great personal injury lawyers that did other jobs prior to entering the personal injury field, including insurance defense experience that helps certain law firms know exactly how insurance companies evaluate and handle cases similar to yours.

Past litigation experience with insurance companies is also priceless when you’re deciphering who is the best option for your case, because hiring a lawyer that insurance companies are intimidated by will put you in the very best position for an efficient and favorable negotiation outcome.

Billing Structures

Most personal injury law firms will work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won’t have to pay any legal fees until you obtain your financial recovery within a settlement negotiation or court award.

But attorney fees should still be a significant factor that you keep in mind during your hiring process, because being familiar with a lawyer’s billing structure is something that you should know prior to committing to them and their firm.

Initial Consultations

Most personal injury law firms will provide free consultations with new clients so they can get to know the accident victim and better understand if their case is worthwhile. These consultations are crucial for both the accident victim and the attorney, because you’ll be deciphering if they’re your best option and they’ll be deciding if your case is worth their time given a likely contingency fee structure.

It’ll be important for you to undergo at least a handful of consultations throughout your local area to narrow down your best options, but it’s still crucial to make your hiring decision promptly due to the fact that you don’t want to miss out on losing evidence or failing to meet any statutes of limitations.

Taking Your Client Responsibilities Seriously

Every personal injury client is going to need to obtain all of their necessary medical care and follow the orders of their medical professionals. Your overall wellbeing and health is what matters most, but there are still going to be some responsibilities that you’ll need to take on in order to ensure a successful negotiation process or trial.

Gathering relevant documents like the accident report, pictures/videos of the accident scene, your insurance policy information, medical records, lost income breakdowns and so much more will likely be a part of what you need to provide.

Always Put Your Trust In Your Personal Injury Lawyer

Once you’ve found the perfect personal injury lawyer for you and your case, it’s important that you continue to trust their judgment and provide them with as much details as you possibly can about your case.

Your lawyer can only help you as much as you’ll allow them to, so being completely candid and keeping them in the loop will always go a long way towards your case’s success.