An attorney is a trained legal expert, a lawyer, an individual with years of experience that can come to your aid in times of legal hardship and difficulty. This article’s focus will be more on personal injury lawyers, experts who specialise in helping individuals to claim financial compensation after suffering injuries in accidents that they were not the causes of.
Nobody should have to live with injuries because of another person’s negligence; an attorney will be able to help you get the justice you deserve by arguing for compensation. Here is how you can find one right for your case:
Amount of Experience
To find a lawyer fit to represent you, the first consideration you must make is experience. Until you come across a team of personal injury attorneys with decades of collective experience, countless successful cases, and affordable payment plans your case can never be won. An attorney’s level of experience should be obvious after visiting their website. The vast majority of accomplished lawyers publish figures and statistics, showcasing all of the cases they have won in the past and their net compensation.
Financial Plans
Personal injury cases are not cheap. Some can take years to resolve, meaning that your lawyer will have to devote a lot of time to your case. Not only will they have to negotiate with insurers but they will also have to spend time interviewing witnesses and acquiring evidence. Because of how much time usually needs to be devoted to personal injury lawsuits, most lawyers offer payment plans or contingency arrangements. The average person cannot afford to pay a lawyer’s fees. Contingency arrangements are usually best; they are also known as no-win-no-fee arrangements as no money is owed until cases have been resolved.
Disability Benefits
Depending on the severity of the injuries that were caused by your accident, you may need to apply for disability benefits. These benefits are paid to individuals unable to return to work due to disabilities, illnesses, or injuries. Mental trauma can be enough to qualify for disability benefits, so if you do not have physical injuries but are suffering mentally, i.e., from PTSD or anxiety, then you will likely be able to apply. Try to find a personal injury lawyer who is familiar with the disability benefits process, so they can apply on your behalf.
Private Investigators
You need to find a lawyer who has a private investigator working for them, so they can conduct a thorough and extensive investigation into your accident. Unless your vehicle had a dashcam then evidence will likely be hard to find. Supporting evidence could be a witness’s testimony, CCTV evidence from an apartment building or store, or photographs. It is common for the witnesses of accidents to photograph them and publish their photos on social media, making the lives of lawyers and private investigators much easier. A private investigator’s support will come in handy when you are trying to prove your case.
Legal Assistants
One of the downsides to working with unestablished law firms is that they tend to employ far fewer people than more major firms do, meaning there is a lot more administrative work to go around. Remember: You will not be your lawyer’s only case. It is likely that they will represent five or six other people besides you. Unless the firm you are working with employs many assistants, it could take months for your case to be resolved, and even basic correspondence could get delayed or lost.
College Degree
A college degree should not be the only factor you take into consideration when you are searching for a lawyer to represent you. However, it should be one of them. By sheer virtue of having a degree, it shows an individual is committed to becoming the best lawyer that they can possibly be. A degree demonstrates intelligence, knowledge, and passion. While it is possible to become a lawyer in the United States without a college degree, it is not advised that you work with such individuals. Becoming a lawyer without a degree shows carelessness and a lack of interest.
Positive Reviews
A lawyer’s reviews could be positive or negative depending on the interactions they have had with their clients. Negative reviews do not always indicate a lawyer’s poor performance, it could just be that their client had unrealistic expectations or was ruled against. An absence of reviews is also not an indicator of a bad lawyer. Very few people actually leave positive reviews. Most people just move on, say thank you, and forget about their lawyers after they get them the compensation that they need. Positive reviews are another factor you should take into consideration, but again, should not be the only deciding factor.
Good Reputation
Lawyers with bad reputations should be avoided. If you live in a small town or city then finding out what a lawyer’s reputation is like should not be difficult. All you have to do is reach out to friends in the community and ask them what their knowledge of the individual in question is. If your friends do not know then you can always make a post on your town’s Facebook page. Nearly all towns in America have their own private social media pages, inaccessible to non-residents. Take local recommendations with a pinch of salt as they are sometimes biased.
Personable Individual
Once you are satisfied that the lawyer you have chosen looks good on paper, you can go ahead and meet with them. Your first meeting with them will consist of them asking you questions, taking down evidence, and trying to get an idea of what you want to get out of your case. While they are doing all of that, you should be paying attention to them, their personality, and the way they talk. You can learn a lot about a person based on the way that they speak, move, and respond to your questions.
You can never predict when an accident is going to happen. After involvement in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, legal action must be taken. The only way to get justice is to contact an attorney.
