Are you looking into hiring personal injury lawyers? You may need a lawyer to represent your legal interests if you’ve had a trip or a fall, been bitten by a dog, had a car accident, or been the victim of medical malpractice.
According to the CDC, there are 39.5 million unintentional injuries each year. Many of those people who are injured will need to turn to one of the tens of thousands of personal injury lawyers for legal counsel. How do you know that you’re hiring the right lawyer for the job?
Here are seven of the top factors to consider when hiring a lawyer for personal injury cases.
- How Much Experience Does Your Lawyer Have?
Firstly, consider how much experience your lawyer has. If they’ve been around the block a few times, they’ll know how to handle your case with ease. They’ve probably even handled cases very similar to yours before.
If you’re uncertain about whether they have the right experience to take the case on, you should schedule a one-to-one meeting with them to talk through your concerns.
If they’re fairly new to the profession, you may get them for a reduced fee, however, you’ll be taking somewhat of a risk.
- What Is Your Attorney’s Area Of Expertise?
While personal injury lawyers may seem like they’re ten a penny, they can often be separated into different specialties. Some may still take general injury cases, while others may focus their practice around a particular type of case.
If you need help with a medical malpractice case, find a lawyer that specializes in that area of the law. If you’ve been bitten by a dog, find a dog bite lawyer.
If you have a general personal injury case, then by all means go with a general lawyer.
Going with a lawyer that specializes will enhance your chances of winning the case.
- Comparing Lawyer Fees
One of the most important factors that will no doubt cross your mind will be how much your lawyer will cost you.
Many attorneys work on what is known as a contingency basis. This means that you won’t pay them until after they’ve won your case and you’ve received compensation. Their fees will come out of the compensation that you win.
Even if you’re not paying your fees upfront, it’s always important to get a good idea of how much your lawyer is likely to cost you in total. Don’t be afraid to talk to your lawyer and ask plenty of questions so that you fully understand all fees and costs.
- Online Customer Reviews
Finding out about other people’s experiences with a certain lawyer is vital. You should do some research into how they’ve performed on other cases and whether others would recommend their services.
There are plenty of places you can find online customer reviews and feedback on your attorney. The first place you should look is at the lawyer’s website. Many will have testimonials and reviews on the site. If they don’t have any, ask if you can see some testimonials.
Check out online review sites such as Google My Business or Trust Pilot. Here, you’ll find a variety of reviews some of which will be positive, and some may be less so. Try and read as many as you can.
The more reviews that you read, the better the picture you’ll create of the attorney you’re considering hiring.
- Is the Attorney Available When You Need Them?
It’s all well and good finding a great attorney, but if they’re not able to take your case right now because they’re already committed to too many other cases, it’ll be of no help to you at all.
Similarly, you should hire a lawyer that is based close by. If they’re too far away, they may be unable to take the case because of geographical reasons.
Ask the right questions of your attorney to ensure they are willing and able to take your case right now. This will ensure they’re able to give the case the commitment it deserves.
- What’s Their Attitude Like?
You’ll want to hire a lawyer that you can work well with. This means looking for an attorney with an open and honest approach to communication. You’ll want to hire someone that has a positive outlook and who will give the case everything they can.
Talk to your lawyer one-to-one to discuss the case and use this as an opportunity to gauge their personality to make sure they’re a good fit for working with you.
- What’s Their Working Style?
Working on a personal injury case can be long and uncomfortable. A working relationship with a lawyer can be a lengthy one. As such, you should make sure that you find an attorney whose working style you can get on board with.
Think about hiring a personal injury lawyer that will be comforting while you’re dealing with pain from your injuries, but who has the tenacity to get you the compensation that you deserve.
Hiring Personal Injury Lawyers
Hiring personal injury lawyers may seem like a straightforward decision to make, however, there are lots of factors you should consider. Think about finding the right area of expertise, a lawyer with plenty of experience, and one whose working style you like.
You should also factor in how much the lawyer’s fees are and how they fare in customer reviews.
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