While you may never think that you will need a personal injury lawyer, the fact is, you never know when an accident will arise where you need the assistance of an attorney.
While you cannot prepare for an accident, you can have a plan for what to do after an accident. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself after an unexpected accident resulting in injuries is to find the right lawyer for your case, but that requires you to know how to spot a good one.
Knowing what questions to ask can make a huge difference in your case, from the level of stress you will have to endure throughout the duration of your case to the amount of money you will be able to recover. You want to select a lawyer that not only has your back, but also has the necessary experience to get you the best possible outcome.
Here are a few ways you can spot a good personal injury lawyer:
- Look at their experience.
The more experience your lawyer has handling personal injury cases, the better equipped they will be to handle your case. Personal injury law can be complex, so ask about the past cases they have handled. Knowing the cases they have handled can determine if they know how to handle even the toughest of cases, from proving the damages of catastrophic injuries to negotiating with manipulative insurance adjusters and lawyers who work for the insurance companies.
You can ask questions, like:
- How many years have you been handling personal injury cases?
- Is personal injury law one of their main practice areas?
- Do they have trial experience?
- Do they have experience handling your type of injury/accident claim? (If you are dealing with a birth injury claim and your personal injury lawyer only has experience with car accident claim, then this might not be the best match.)
- Are they well respected in the community? (Research if they have been awarded any professional honors/awards, their professional memberships/leadership roles in personal injury or trial lawyer associations, and their AV and BBB ratings.)
- Look at the outcomes of past cases.
You want a lawyer who has a proven track record of success, and you can review their case results. Here are some helpful questions to ask:
- Do they have experience handling complex catastrophic injury claims or even wrongful death claims and not just minor injury claims?
- Have they recovered multi-million-dollar settlements and trial verdicts for clients? (This is important because their past case results can tell you if they are consistent in recovering high dollar amounts. Any verdicts they have with high dollar amounts show that they are not afraid to take a case to trial.)
- Have they received any awards or honors for their settlements and verdicts? (examples can include membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Super Lawyers, etc.)
- Assess how they communicate with you.
Trust your instinct. If you do not vibe with an attorney, then you can seek legal counsel elsewhere. Consider the following:
- Are they friendly?
- Do they act professional?
- Are they willing to answer all your questions?
- Are they clear in their explanations to you?
- Are they willing to travel to meet you if need be?
- Do they seem concerned with your well-being?
- Do you feel comfortable talking to them and sharing your feelings?
- Understand their payment process.
You want to make sure that you understand all fees so that you are not surprised later. Most personal injury lawyers offer free consultations, but you should ask about fees before you sign any contracts. Will they work on your case on a contingency fee basis? This means that you only pay their legal fees if they are successful in securing you a financial award. Your legal fees should be taken out of your settlement or verdict award, or possibly even paid by the at-fault party. You just want to make sure that there are no up-front legal costs.
- Find out if they offer any additional resources that could help you.
Many personal injury lawyers offer extra resources that can help with your case, like doctors that they have worked with before that handle specific accident-related injuries, like car accident injuries or work-related injuries. Sometimes they have great relationships with these medical professionals that they can arrange for you to get medical care now and have your payment come out of your settlement or verdict. They may also have other resources they can use for your case, such as accident reconstruction experts who can recreate your accident to show exactly what happened, economic experts that can fully assess the financial impact of your injuries, life care planners that can better explain your future medical care costs, and more.
A good lawyer will investigate your accident and injuries, prove who the responsible party is, and handle all negotiations with the insurance companies involved. You want an attorney who is a strong communicator and will keep you in the loop on everything that is happening with your case.
You should do your homework before committing to a lawyer. However, even if you think you selected the right attorney and feel the need to switch at any time before your case is finished, then you absolutely have the right to do that.
If you need help with a personal injury claim in Florida, our Florida Personal Injury Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are happy to meet with you in a free consultation. You can call us at 866-608-5529 or contact us online anytime.