Choosing the right personal injury lawyer can make all the difference in building a successful case. Before you hire a lawyer, meet with them, discuss your case and explore how it can be handled. Get copies of all the documents that are related to your claim such as medical bills, records, police reports, witness statements, any correspondence with insurance companies, income loss, information, etc. Usually, you won’t be charged for an initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer, but it is always fantastic to clear that out from the very beginning. Here are some factors that will help you decide if you are making the right choice where a personal injury lawyer is concerned.
Find Out About their Experience
The very first thing to keep in mind while choosing a personal injury lawyer is to get a clear idea on their experience and background. Some questions to find out about them are:
- How long have they been practicing personal injury law?
- How many personal injury cases does the attorney’s practice undertake?
- Who does the lawyer represent most often – defendants, plaintiffs, or insurance companies?
- Does the attorney have any experience with a particular adjuster or insurance company in your case?
Check Who Will Work on Your Case
Most practices require lawyers to work on cases together. Routine tasks are usually handled by paralegals and less experienced lawyers. You work could get done quicker than if you had to wait for a more experienced lawyer to consult with you about your case, and therefore benefit you. It might also make more financial sense to you if you are paying by the hour, not to have an experienced and expensive attorney handling paperwork. It is important for the success of any claim, for you to have an open and comfortable line of communication with your personal injury lawyer.
How Open is Your Line of Communication with Your Attorney?
It is important for the success of any claim, for you to have an open and comfortable line of communication with your personal injury lawyer. You lawyer must listen to you, explain things to you, be comfortable with following your wishes about how you would like to approach a case, and more importantly, keep you posted about any developments in your case. They must keep your ideas and inputs in mind and consult with you before they make any solid decisions about you case.
Reaching a Settlement Goal
After all the facts of your case have been discussed with your personal injury lawyer, they will be able to give you a fair idea as to how much your case might be worth and whether it might be challenging or easy to extract that much out of an insurance company. To reach a settlement claim, you need to discuss the following possibilities with your personal injury lawyer:
- Acquiring a settlement that’s within your range which comes with fewer costs and little hassle
- Acquiring a settlement more than what was offered by the insurance company as soon as possible, or
- Acquiring as much of a settlement as possible, despite how long it takes.