What to Look for When Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been injured and are looking for a settlement to cover missed work, medical expenses, and other damages, you can rely on an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you get enough compensation to cover your needs. However, choosing an attorney, especially when you are recovering from serious injuries, can be overwhelming. When you are hiring a personal injury lawyer, there are a few things to look for to ensure you find the right one for your case.
Look for Local Experience in Cases Like Yours
A local attorney with experience in your area is always a good place to start. Experience is paramount when you are hiring a personal injury lawyer. Personal injury law covers a wide range of cases, each with its own specific challenges and requirements.
If you’ve been injured in a motorcycle accident, you need to find an attorney who has had success with these types of accidents.
If you’ve been injured by a dog bite, you need to know that your attorney is well versed in personal injury law as it pertains to dog bite injuries.
Semi-truck accidents have their own challenges when compared with passenger car accidents. When you are looking for a personal injury lawyer, look for one who has handled cases that have similarities with yours.
Not only will you know that this lawyer has the expertise you need to handle your case, but you will be able to get a general idea of what the legal process will involve and what settlement you may be able to expect. In addition, a personal injury lawyer who has experience with similar cases to yours will likely have many resources, experts, and medical professionals to help you build your case.
Look for Referrals, Testimonials, and Success Stories from Other Clients
More important than the total number of personal injury cases your attorney has had that are similar to yours is their success rate in those cases.
Most personal injury claims are settled out of court, but some do go to trial. You need to make sure that the personal injury attorney you hire has had success both negotiating settlements out of court and litigating cases in court. Any personal injury lawyer with a good success rate should have no problem sharing this information with you. In addition, ask for testimonials from previous clients. You need to understand how the attorney works throughout the process. Do former clients say the attorney was easy to communicate with? Did they feel the attorney cared about them during the process? Was all the necessary information explained? Getting a sense of your potential personal injury lawyer from a former client who has been through the process is invaluable. If you have any local friends or family who have gone through a personal injury case, they are an excellent source of information as well. If someone had a bad experience with an attorney, it’s easy to rule them out.
Look for an Attorney Who is Transparent about Fees
It’s no secret that hiring a lawyer can be expensive. If you are seeking a personal injury lawyer to recover damages, you are likely concerned about spending more on an attorney than you are able to recover in damages. Personal injury lawyer costs and fees can be confusing if you have never been through the process. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. This means that instead of taking payment from you up front, your attorney will take a percentage of your final settlement. Most contingency percentages are between 25% and 40% of the total settlement.
While this may seem like a big chunk of your final settlement, it’s important to remember that hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer will likely get you a far more favorable settlement than you would be able to negotiate on your own.
Your attorney should not only be transparent about their own fees, but also any other associated fees, such as filing fees, fees paid to experts, copying and postage fees, and any others that may be necessary in your case. Arthur Law Firm Co. L.P.A. offers a Fair & Square Fee Guarantee where our recovery never exceeds your recovery.
Above All, Look for an Attorney You Trust
If you don’t like your attorney, don’t trust your attorney, or can’t communicate openly with your attorney, it’s not a good fit. This is why it’s important to have an initial consultation before you commit to working with someone. Personal injury cases can be long, and you will need to share a lot of personal information about your life and health with your attorney. Going through a personal injury case can be emotional. You need to know that your attorney will be there for you, will explain the process in a way that you can understand, and is committed to getting you the best possible settlement. If you aren’t confident that it’s a good fit personally or that you can’t trust your attorney after that initial meeting, move on and look elsewhere.
When you are looking for a personal injury lawyer, it’s ok to meet with several attorneys before settling on your final choice. When you make a comparison between several options, you will be able to choose the attorney with whom you feel you have the best chance of a successful outcome. Make sure that you are open with your attorney about your hopes for the resolution, and trust that you will find someone who can get you the settlement you deserve. At Arthur Law Firm, we believe no one should be financially burdened by an accident that wasn’t their fault, and we can help you get a fair settlement. Contact us right away (419) 782-9881 for a free consultation.