Things to look for in a personal injury attorney
If you or a family member sustain a serious personal injury, it will likely be one of the most stressful and challenging events in your life. When evaluating personal injury attorneys to help you through this complicated time, there are several qualities that you should look for.
The first thing you want in a lawyer is extensive experience in the specific practice area related to your case. If you were involved in a car accident, make sure to find someone with numerous car accident cases under his or her belt. If you are dealing with a premises liability case, make sure the attorney is qualified in that area and so on. Each area of tort law and personal injury law is very different and it would benefit you to have representation well versed in that particular area.
You also want to get a sense of the attorney’s track record when it comes to handling similar cases. You’ll want to find out how many cases they have tried and how often they go to trial. Of course you’ll also want to know how successful he or she has been when they do go to trial.
It is also important to get a sense of the attorney’s reputation in the profession. If he or she has a poor reputation among fellow lawyers, that is a very bad sign. Ask other lawyers about your potential hire and check to see if the attorney you are considering is a member of any respected professional organizations like The American Trial Lawyers Association.
Last, but certainly extremely important, you’ll want to find a personal injury lawyer that makes you feel comfortable and cared for. As stated above, this will likely be one of the most stressful periods in your life and you’ll want a lawyer that is genuinely concerned for your personal health and well being and not just the settlement. Some large firms with many lawyers on staff tend to lose this sense of connectedness as they tend to be focused on finding the fastest way to settle and move on to the next profitable case.
