When hiring a personal injury lawyer, do not rely on the attorney with the biggest or prettiest advertisement on the radio, television, newspaper or Yellow Pages. These attorneys may not be best-suited to handle the particulars of your specific claim. Instead, you should carefully investigate several before choosing one to represent you. To generate your list, it is best to ask for any referrals from people you know who have had claims similar to yours. Also, consult your local Yellow Pages or online directories such as AttorneyLocate.com to generate a list of potential attorneys.
There are several things you should consider when researching personal injury lawyers. First, do they have experience representing the type of claim that you have? Personal injury lawyers tend to focus on specific types of claims and are very good at representing cases within that scope of practice, but may not be particularly suited to handle other types of claims. For example, a personal injury lawyer who has handled a large number of car accident cases, may not be best suited to handle your medical malpractice claim. Different laws govern different types of torts and you want to choose an attorney who is not only familiar with the laws that will help you receive compensation for your damages, but an attorney who is an expert at handling your type of case.
Second, how successful has the attorney been at recovering damages for their clients? You want to select a personal injury lawyer with a proven track record for helping their clients receive the compensation they are entitled to. Some things you will want to consider when determining the attorney’s success rate are how many cases the attorney has brought to trial (and the success of those trials) and how many cases the attorney has settled out of court. Even if you are planning on settling out of court, you want an attorney with courtroom experience in the event that a trial is the only way to receive fair compensation for your injuries.
