Dependable personal injury lawyers can be lifesavers, enabling individuals who have been involved in accidents to rebuild their lives by helping them secure compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, emotional distress, and more. That being said, finding a personal injury lawyer who is knowledgeable, experienced, and trustworthy can be a challenge – especially when there are so many to choose from!
Don’t let this worry you; if you’re confused about hiring a lawyer to help you through your difficult time, you’ve come to the right place. According to Savannah Slip & Fall Lawyer , you must consider the below mentioned eight things before hiring a personal injury lawyer.
Qualifications
It goes without saying that your personal injury lawyer should be qualified. But, how can you tell if a lawyer is truly qualified to practice? Bogus solicitors can be found aplenty, and you certainly don’t want to be duped during a time when you’re already going through a lot, due to your injury.
Practicing solicitors are sure to have received accreditation from a reputed professional body or institution. They’ll also have received an ID number or a registration number that they may have displayed on their letterhead or business cards. If you don’t spot any such numbers or references, ask the attorney whom you’re dealing with for these details. You can always confirm such qualifications by getting in touch with the quoted body or institution.
Experience
Just any old experienced attorney won’t do for your personal injury case; rather, you’ll need to hire an attorney who is an expert at dealing with your specific type of accident and injury. Apart from this, the attorney who you hire should also have settlement and litigation experience.
To know more about your attorney, ask him or her how long he or she has been practicing, who the typical clients are, and the percentage of personal injury cases that he or she has dealt with.
Standing with the Bar
A good attorney will most definitely have a good standing with the local and state bar, but do validate your lawyer’s claims. This should be easy – your jurisdiction is sure to have a database of complaints against attorneys, instances of law violations, and disciplinary actions taken against attorneys, so check the records and find out!
If you happen to find a disciplinary action taken against a lawyer whom you are planning to hire, you might want to discuss it with him or her. Chances are, he or she simply failed to pay the annual bar dues on time! On the other hand, if a lawyer has been disbarred or has had any other serious disciplinary action taken against him or her, approach with caution.
Peer Reviews
Peer reviews will help you get an idea about the legal ability, experience, and integrity of a lawyer whom you’re planning to hire. Check out relevant websites that provide authoritative and reliable information pertaining to members, and go through ratings awarded to each lawyer handling cases that fall under personal injury.
Do note that there is no official rating system for lawyers, so don’t depend solely on peer reviews when taking a decision.
Client Reviews
Check out reviews left by clients on lawyers’ websites and social media pages. If everything seems rosy, don’t assume that a lawyer is really good at what he or she does – be wary of fake reviews. Furthermore, make sure that the lawyer whom you’re planning to hire responds to negative reviews politely, instead of ignoring them.
Tall Claims
Be on your guard when dealing with lawyers who make tall claims, guaranteeing wins and large sums of money in a short span of time. A good lawyer will never promise success without considering how the case will play out in court, but will rather assure you of trying to do his or her best to get you a fair settlement.
Think along the same lines when you see billboards and TV or newspaper advertisements; don’t take anyone at face value. If a lawyer is all praises for him or herself, you’ll never get to know how many cases he or she has lost or how many clients have fired him or her so far, because he or she wasn’t delivering.
Fancy Offices
Attorneys with plush offices may not always be rich because they’re good at what they do, and hence attract a lot of clients. So, don’t choose a lawyer based on appearance; pay more attention to how organized the office and work-flow is.
Initial Consultation
Initial consultations are usually free of charge, so if you are being asked to pay for the first visit, you should turn elsewhere. Additionally, avoid hiring a lawyer who doesn’t have the time to meet you face-to-face during your first appointment, or doesn’t give you undivided attention during the consultation.
Do note whether the staff is polite; you should be made to feel welcome the moment when you step into the lawyer’s office. While you may have to wait for your turn to see the lawyer, if you’re being ignored for a long time, chances are high that the attorney is overwhelmed with work, or the staff is incompetent.
Conclusion
Braving a personal injury is traumatic, but fighting for your rights doesn’t have to be a harrowing experience if you find a dependable personal injury lawyer. Use the information provided here in your search to help you make the right decision!