Choosing a lawyer to handle your personal injury case is a difficult decision, especially when you've already endured serious injury or tragedy. No matter how hard the task, finding a lawyer that specializes in this field will give you the best chance of a substantial compensation.
What is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
This kind of attorney is one who helps individuals gain compensation for recent injuries from accidents caused by others. This compensation typically covers medical expenses incurred by the injury, lost wages from days taken off work for recovery, the replacement of any property damaged in the accident, and any other losses. The lawyer is the go-between for his client and the insurance company covering the one who caused the accident.
How Do I Choose an Attorney?
You'll want to begin by ensuring that the lawyers you call will be competent, attentive, and able to handle your personal injury situation. Several resources can help you find a lawyer.
Contact the American Bar Association - The American Bar Association can give you a list of local specialty lawyers. You can obtain a list either by calling them or by searching on their website. They'll also provide a number of resources to prepare you for the legal process.
Ask friends and family for recommendations - Talk to you family and friends about lawyers they have used in the past. Don't be afraid to ask for details like how long the lawyer took to return phone calls, if he felt the lawyer was competent and successful, if the lawyer's personality was friendly and outgoing, and any other information you'd like to know about working with the lawyer they recommend.
Ask you current lawyer for recommendations - If you've drawn up a will or bought a home in the past, ask the lawyer you worked with for recommendations. Like anyone else, lawyers make friends during law school and often keep in touch after graduation. Your lawyer should be more than happy to recommend a personal injury attorney that he knows from school or from other situations that have arisen through his career.
Once you have a list of potential candidates, set up appointments with at least three to five of them for an initial visit. You'll be able to gauge their personality, professionalism, and overall if you can work with this lawyer during the entire case. Be sure to ask about how many and what kind of cases he's work on, has he handled any that are similar to yours, how much did it cost, and be sure you ask him to contact you with the results of any research that he has to do.
During the process, you need to be patient as your lawyer works to negotiate with the insurance company and get you the highest settlement possible. Keep in mind that this kind of attorney is often juggling more than one case at a time, and they're often waiting to hear back from the insurance company, so ask for them to send you regular updates on your case instead of calling them several times a week.
If you've had a great experience with the lawyer you chose, don't hesitate to recommend him to others when they're facing a personal injury case!
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