If you feel satisfied in the first meeting and feel comfortable with the lawyer, they are the right person to legally represent you.
Choosing a lawyer for your personal injury claim is a daunting process. Whether you have been in an accident or got hurt at a hotel or restaurant, you have the right to demand compensation. For this purpose, you should choose the right personal injury lawyer who is experienced and knows how to handle such cases. Professionals such as Turner Freeman personal injury lawyers can help you file any type of lawsuit and ensure your claim is processed.
When it comes to choosing a personal injury lawyer, you need to focus on a few important details so you don’t hire an amateur. Before the choosing process, consider the factors that make a lawyer successful, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. Ample experience and a good track record in personal injury cases indicate that your lawyer is capable of securing a positive outcome for you.
Let’s look at a few more:
Go for a Lawyer Who Handles Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury law involves many specialised practices and rules. If a lawyer’s website mentions that they handle bankruptcies, wills, trusts, and divorces, that’s a good thing. However, did you notice that we did not mention personal injury? Even though the lawyer has a good rating, the fact that they don’t handle personal injury cases will have an impact on the claim; for example, the insurance company might try to lowball the compensation. As a result, your representation’s quality is affected.
- Ask for Referrals from Your Friends and Family
Referrals not only make the choosing process easy for you but also tell you what you should ask the lawyer during the meeting. Listen closely to their experiences and ask questions, like what satisfied them, was the lawyer helpful throughout the case, were their concerns handled, and if the case went to trial, how was their experience. This information will help you compile a list of your own questions so that you can clear any confusions you might have.
Once the meeting is over with the lawyer, ask if they can provide you with the number of their previous client so you can talk to them.
- Do Not Choose a Lawyer Who Sends You a Solicitation Letter
A solicitation letter asks a personal injury victim if they would be willing to work with a lawyer for their claim. Law firms obtain the names and addresses of personal injury accident victims from police reports and send them solicitation letter that says they are ready to represent them. These law firms will hound you by calling you and confirming whether you received the letter or not. Never go for such firms because they are more interested in making a quick buck than representing you.
- Select a Lawyer Who Has a History of High Settlements and Verdicts
While experience matters a lot, so do the cases a personal injury lawyer has won. For example, you might accidentally end up choosing a lawyer who only knows how to handle small accident cases, whereas yours is an extensive one with a large compensation. So, make sure that the lawyer has a history of trying high profile cases with high settlement wins.
- Ask the Lawyer About the “No-Win, No-Fee” Policy
Despite the policy’s name, there’s always some fee involved with filing a personal injury case. However, you won’t be paying the lawyer anything if they don’t win the case. The fee in this situation is for the proceedings, which falls on you. From buying the forms to attaching the necessary documents and more, these are all done by the lawyer. So, it’s understandable that they would like to be paid for their efforts.
- Ask If the Lawyer Has Been to Court to Fight for a Case
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Most personal injury cases are settled outside the court so not all lawyers have jury trial experience. Hence, you need to hire someone who know the ins and outs of court proceedings. Their experience in the courtroom matters because advocating and defending skills are what you are paying for.
In the end, rely on your instincts to make a decision. If you feel satisfied in the first meeting and feel comfortable with the lawyer, they are the right person to legally represent you.
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