If you sustained injuries and/or property damage as the result of a car accident, slip and fall, or a defective product, you should schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer. Before you meet with an attorney, you should conduct research that considers the factors to look for when selecting the right legal counsel to represent you.
Experience Matters
Personal injury lawyers that have compiled years of experience litigating cases possess a thorough understanding of state personal injury laws, as well as what it takes to persuade an insurance company to approve a claim and a civil court judge to award monetary damages for the negligence committed by another party.
For a personal injury case, you should consider attorneys that specialize in the type of personal injury practice that applies to your case. For example, if you sustained injuries that were caused by the negligence of another driver, you want to work with a car accident attorney. In addition to years of experience, make sure any lawyer on your shortlist has a proven record of helping clients receive compensation.
Understands Medical Terms
Since most of the compensation that you seek concerns medical expenses, you should consider a personal injury lawyer who understands complex legal jargon. This is especially important if you plan to litigate a medical malpractice case. Complex medical jargon often refers to types of injuries, as well as the prognosis of making a full or partial recovery from the injuries. If you sustained serious injuries caused by a vehicle collision, the car accident lawyer that you choose must understand different types of diagnostic tests and the advice given by a healthcare provider regarding rehabilitation.
Effective Negotiation Skills
Not every personal injury case ends up in the litigation process. In fact, the best personal injury attorneys try to negotiate a favorable settlement for clients to avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial. For example, a skilled car accident attorney calculates a fair value for compensation that keeps the lawyer representing the other party engaged in negotiations. A highly-skilled negotiator knows how to submit fair counteroffers that eventually lead to the resolution of a case.
Although you want to work with a personal injury lawyer who tries to negotiate a favorable settlement, you also want to hire a litigator who does not hesitate to take your case to trial if negotiations break down.
Responsive Communicator
Responsive communication involves any lawyer on your shortlist communicating with you in a timely manner. For example, if you sustained injuries that resulted from the negligence of another driver, your car accident lawyer must keep you informed about the status of your civil lawsuit. Your legal counsel should listen to what you want out of your case. If you agree to a settlement offer, but your attorney prefers to go a couple of more rounds with counteroffers, your lawyer should agree to accept the settlement offer.
Before the first case evaluation, you have the opportunity to test an attorney for responsive communication by leaving voice messages, as well as sending emails and text messages. A lawyer who takes longer than 24 hours to return any form of communication is not considered a responsive communicator.
Finally, read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google. Access an attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page to discover the reputation rating handed out by the consumer advocacy organization.
