Some attorneys have a bad reputation as “ambulance chasers.” They might have earned that rap by literally showing up at the scene of an accident to secure clients for possible lawsuits. The reality is that certain accidents do require the services of a personal injury attorney and they can provide a good service with regard to finding a remedy for injuries. If you find yourself the victim of an accident, then you’ll want to have a good attorney on your side. Here’s how to find the right personal injury attorney for your case:
Look for Experience
Obviously, you’ll want an attorney with experience in these types of cases. You’ll find that when you’re looking for attorney’s that they’re all going to say they have experience. The difference might come down to specifically asking how many years they’ve been in the legal profession helping with these types of cases. It is also important to find an attorney who has worked more on the plaintiff side rather than the defendant side of things.
How Will They Interact
For the duration of your lawsuit, you’re going to be in constant contact with your attorney. This all might be happening as you go through physical rehabilitation for your injury. When you meet with an attorney in a big law office, you want to speak to the attorney that is going to represent you directly. You don’t want to establish a relationship with someone in a consultation only to never see them again. Also, you’ll want to find out how they prefer to interact. Can you ask questions through email? More importantly, will you be charged for that or is that covered with the retainer?
Establishing a Goal
Despite the headlines or multi-million dollar settlements, most personal injury lawsuits are settled on a much smaller scale. It all begins by asking for that settlement. These means establishing a goal for your case with your attorney. They will be in a position to present you with best and worst case scenarios with regard to dollar amounts. It might be that you would be happy just to have your medical expenses and lost wages covered. You don’t want to be unrealistic with your goals and your attorney should be on the same page.
Locking Down the Terms
If you find an attorney that you feel comfortable working with, then you’ll want to lock down the terms. Many attorneys in these matters will work for free. In other words, they won’t make money unless you are awarded money. However, you need to be very clear just how much of that money will stay with you. And that amount needs to be spelled out in a contract. There should be no surprises when the settlement comes in.
