When you have been injured and want to get compensation for your medical bills and other expenses, it is tempting to just hire the first lawyer you can find who will take your case. However, there are a few things that you should look at before hiring an injury lawyer. Let us dive into them and help you realize what you need to consider before hiring a personal injury lawyer.
Check the Lawyer’s Experience
If you are in a car accident and you think the other driver was at fault, make sure your personal injury lawyer has experience with car accidents. Also, consider whether they have handled cases involving similar injuries (e.g., whiplash) before. It is always better to have worked with clients in similar situations so they can give accurate estimates on how long it will take to settle your case and how much compensation you can expect out of it.
Similarly, if you want to file a lawsuit against a corporation destroying your local water bodies (like lakes or ponds), you need a law firm that has dealt with such cases. You also need lawyers who can rally other victims like you under one umbrella to take on the corporation. That is what happened in the Camp Lejeune lawsuit, and the results are visible. Thanks to the efforts those lawyers put in, President Biden is likely to sign an act that will ensure compensation for the Camp Lejeune victims.
Look at Their Website
When you are looking for a personal injury lawyer, there are several things that you can look for on their website to help you make the right decision.
The first thing that you notice when visiting a personal injury lawyer’s web page is how easy it is to move around it. There should be no problems with getting from one section of their site to another or finding what you are looking for quickly and efficiently.
If a personal injury law firm has not updated its site recently, it may be an indication that they do not have enough work or clients. A good attorney will always have recent updates on their page so that potential clients know they are current with today’s laws and regulations when filing cases.
Ask About Their Success Rate
The success rate of a personal injury lawyer is the percentage of cases in which they were able to win money for their clients. This is usually determined by subtracting all settlements, judgments, and arbitration awards from total fees collected by the firm. The lower this number is, the worse off you are likely to be. The best personal injury lawyers have a higher success rate than 60%.
If your personal injury lawyer does not have a good track record of winning cases, it may be time for you to look for another one. A lawyer who has an above-average success rate will be able to help you with your case with confidence because they know what they are doing. If a potential attorney cannot share information related to their winnings with no hesitation at all when asked about them, that should raise some serious red flags.
Inquire About Payment Options
When you are seriously injured, it is easy to focus on the physical and emotional damage you have suffered. However, you should also take care of how this will affect your financial situation. Injured parties often face medical expenses that they cannot pay out of pocket. If they are unable to work due to their injuries, they may not be able to make ends meet or even cover basic living expenses until their case has been settled or dismissed.
So, you must hire a personal injury lawyer who offers payment plans or other forms of financing so that you can afford representation without incurring additional debt.
Determine If They are Licensed in Your State
It is always a good idea to check whether the lawyers are licensed to practice law in your state. It is easy to do this online, but you can also call your local bar association and ask them directly.
If the lawyer is licensed in another state, check the number of their out-of-state license against the one listed on their website or business card so that you can match them. In addition, you should verify that they are still actively licensed by checking if there are any disciplinary actions against them from another jurisdiction.
Taking the time to find an experienced personal injury lawyer can be a daunting task. However, do not let that discourage you from searching for the right person or law firm to represent your case.
