Choosing Personal Injury Lawyers
When injured in an accident, it’s wise to seek medical assistance specific to your injuries. Following this strategy is equally applicable when selecting a personal injury attorney.
Many attorneys make their money on sheer volume of cases, herding clients through like cattle before selling them off for less than their true worth. Selecting wisely could spare you this fateful fate.
Experience
Selecting an attorney like Ross Cellino that you trust with your personal injury case is of utmost importance. Your initial consultation should go smoothly; if a lawyer doesn’t seem interested in providing adequate explanations of their services or appears unwilling to commit the time and energy needed for full discussion then another may be best.
As part of your due diligence, it is also crucial that you inquire as to their experience with your type of accident claim. Some law firms specialize in certain kinds of collisions like car or motorcycle collisions while others can help with medical malpractice cases.
Last but not least, you should also consider the size of the firm. While larger firms typically have greater resources and collective experience than their smaller counterparts, an experienced lawyer can work well even with smaller teams by handling more cases which provides opportunities to increase both skills development and income generation.
Reputation
Personal injury consumers tend to prioritize hiring an effective law firm over other legal consumers in terms of reputation and win/loss record, placing 14 percent more emphasis than average legal consumers on this aspect of hiring lawyers. They also value accessing attorneys easily with 35 percent prioritizing speed of response for attorneys over average legal consumers.
At the end of the day, clients want to feel confident that their attorney can secure them the desired results in their case, which means carefully reviewing past case results of similar accident cases handled by that particular lawyer. Furthermore, it would be prudent to verify their license status with their state bar association to see if there have been any complaints or suspensions associated with their lawyer’s practice.
As part of their practice, attorneys must also be honest when communicating with potential clients about what can be expected during their case. For example, they shouldn’t promise their client money before their case has concluded as this promise is likely unfulfillable.
Fees
Many personal injury lawyers charge a flat fee for their services, which makes budgeting legal expenses easier. But not all attorneys are equally skilled or reputable – those with more experience could spend more time working on your case and potentially recover more damages for you.
Before making your decision, it is wise to discuss fees with any potential lawyer you are considering. This allows the attorney to explain their policies and set expectations. Be wary of anyone claiming not to have lost cases; even highly-experienced personal injury lawyers occasionally lose.
Consideration must also be given to an attorney’s policy on expense reimbursement in the event that your case is lost, which can help level the playing field and ensure you do not end up paying for their mistakes or poor judgment. Likewise, this protects injured victims against unscrupulous attorneys looking to take advantage of them.
Communication
Communication between client and attorney is of the utmost importance when selecting an injury lawyer. You’ll need to outline the details of your case to them, so a dependable personal injury lawyer should listen and respond accordingly. They should also keep you updated as to its progress.
An experienced personal injury lawyer should provide you with an estimated timeline for your case; however, any lawyer promising you immediate cash may be trying to take advantage of you and exploit you.
Request recommendations from friends, family, and coworkers before reviewing online reviews from previous clients to narrow your choices down. Once you have a shortlist of possible lawyers, set up consultations so you can assess their communication styles and personalities before making your choice. It’s also essential that they possess enough resources to build your case successfully.