7 Items to Look for When Researching a Personal Injury Law Firm

personal injury law firm

It’s more common than you think to suffer from an injury. A reported 39.5 million injuries happen yearly that require medical attention. And if someone else is responsible for yours, you may deserve compensation from that person or the insurance company.

However, not all insurance claims go as planned and don’t result in the settlement you deserve.

Finding the right personal injury law firm can be the difference between losing and winning your case. Check the seven items below when hiring a personal injury lawyer to find a lawyer capable of helping you win.

1. Injury Expertise

It’s hard to get help with your personal injury case when the law firm you hire doesn’t have experience with your specific injury. There are many forms of personal injuries — such as car accidents, medical malpractice, and slip-and-falls — which means a lawyer needs specialized knowledge to handle each case.

Before hiring a lawyer, ask them what type of injury experience they have. You want to hire personal injury help that has handled many cases in the past that are similar to yours.

You should also ask a lawyer what their success rate is like. The lawyer you hire should have a history of success.

2. Payment Terms

It’s not cheap to hire a lawyer. A lawyer will spend several years and a lot of money to get a legal education. They do this so they can charge high prices when representing people.

This is a problem if you have a lengthy case. Hiring an hourly lawyer will drain your funds fast and likely cause you to spend all your cash before you get a settlement.

If you’re in this situation, find an attorney who offers legal help with a contingency. Working on a contingency means you won’t pay any cash upfront for legal services. You’ll only pay if your attorney wins your case — and use a portion of your settlement for the payment.

3. Availability

Unfortunately, some lawyers take on more work than they can handle. A lawyer doesn’t want to turn away clients, so they keep accepting cases without considering how much work they already have.

It’s essential to avoid this situation if you can. A lawyer with too much work won’t be able to give your case the attention it deserves. In the worst-case scenario, they will make a mistake that results in a smaller or no settlement.

Ask the attorneys you interview about their caseload and if they can fit your case in. It’s even better if a lawyer has help from assistants and can offload some of the work.

4. Trial Experience

In most cases, you won’t need to take your accident claim to court. The insurance company will offer a reasonable settlement once your attorney presents their evidence. It’s cheaper for insurance providers to do this since trials can be costly.

But the equation can change when you have a larger settlement. The insurance company wants to pay out as little money as possible. If they believe they can save money by taking your case to trial, that’s what will happen.

This is why you need an attorney willing to go to court. You need an attorney willing to go the extra mile and fight to get you the settlement to deserve.

Even better — you can end up with a better offer when you use an experienced trial lawyer because the insurance providers know they will struggle in court with someone with a history of winning their cases.

5. Communication

Excellent communication is a must for a lawyer — especially for personal injury cases. You’re dealing with people who are facing a lot of problems and trying to recover from injuries. Unfortunately, not all lawyers have the best communication skills.

The last thing you want is to become more stressed during your case because you don’t hear from your lawyer. You’ll wait days to hear back about simple questions and not get case updates.

Make sure the attorney you hire doesn’t do this. Learn how a lawyer communicates (text, email, phone) and if it works for you. Ideally, you’ll hire an attorney that responds in under 24 hours.

6. Location

Although a personal injury lawyer from anywhere can handle a lot of the heavy lifting in your case, that doesn’t mean they will know everything. Injury law can vary by location. What’s illegal in one location may not be in another.

This is why it makes sense to work with a local attorney. Someone local will know your local rules. This information will better help the attorney handle your case.

You can easily find local lawyers by looking online, so start your search there.

7. Reputation

You don’t want to end up with a bad lawyer during your accident case. Unfortunately, some attorneys put on a good show and fail to deliver results after you hire them.

It’s essential to examine a lawyer’s reputation before you decide on someone. You can find many online reviews from clients who have hired an attorney.

If you know someone who suffered from an injury before, contact them for more information. That person can tell you about the attorney they used and if they had a good experience.

Choose a Personal Injury Law Firm Carefully

You are facing a major struggle when dealing with a personal injury. If you’ve gotten to the point where you need to hire a personal injury attorney, the chances are good that the insurance company and other party aren’t doing their part to help.

Hiring the right personal injury law firm is critical in cases like this. An experienced lawyer will understand how to navigate the legal system to get you the settlement you need to get help. Keep an eye on the things above to make sure you find excellent legal services.

Did you find this post helpful and are interested in learning more legal advice? Head back to the legal category to find more helpful posts.