How to Select a Personal Injury Attorney

Thursday, February 13, 2020 - 9:45pm
How to Select a Personal Injury Attorney
This post was written with the expertise of Owen, Patterson & Owen, a company that provides Personal Injury Attorney in Valencia, California.

Selecting a personal injury attorney is a very important task. You should put time and research into it to insure you are going with the best option for you. So how do you select a personal injury attorney? Some things to consider when selecting the right lawyer for you are prices, location, and disciplinary records. These are very important factors and will assist you in finding the right one for you.

The best personal injury attorney for you is one who has a lot of experience, understanding, and will be able to fight hard on your behalf. There are so many different cases that can happen as well such as car accidents, construction site accidents, and slip & falls which all take specific knowledge from the lawyer.

Keep reading to learn more about the qualifications that a lawyer should have before choosing one.

What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?

A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal services to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence of another person, company, government agency or any entity according to Wikipedia.

You may need compensation to help pay medical bills, for lost wages, and lost future earnings as a result of your injuries and this is where your personal injury attorney comes into the picture.

How to Choose an Attorney

There are a lot of things you should consider before making your final decision on a personal injury lawyer. Some of those things include:

  • Word of mouth: The best way to find a personal injury attorney in your area is through word of mouth. You can ask friends and co-workers, or you can start a discussion on Facebook to find out who people in the area use. Through word of mouth, you get to see actual people the attorneys have helped, and you will get the rundown on the attorneys to avoid as well, which gives you a better idea of who to choose. Always do more research after the initial referrals. At least look the attorneys up online and see what you can find out before deciding.
  • Research: When researching a personal injury lawyer, be sure to be as specific as possible with your search. You can also look up specific lawyers’ websites to find out background information, which often includes area of focus, years of practice, and examples of successes. At the same time, the information will be biased because it’s the attorney's website. They aren’t going to tell you anything bad, and that is where you will need to do additional research.
  • State bar association: The state bar association will be able to tell you which attorneys practice in your area, what their area of expertise, etc. They will also have information that can help you decide if the lawyers you are looking at are right for you.
  • Cost of the lawyer: This is an extremely important factor. Before choosing a lawyer, be sure you know how much you must pay out of pocket, when you need to pay it, and if you can afford it. These are all important factors, as you don’t want to get your heart set on a lawyer that sounds perfect and then realize he’s out of your budget.
  • Location: You probably want to find a lawyer that is close to you. However, in some cases it is ideal to find a lawyer out of town. This could be the case if there are little to no options nearby, or the options you do have are no good. Also keep in mind that you need to choose an attorney that is licensed to practice in the state you were injured in.
  • Winning record: Whether your lawyer is cheap or expensive, if you do your research, you should be able to find one that has a winning record. There is more of a chance of him winning your case if he has a lot of prior wins under his belt. It also gives you peace of mind, knowing that the lawyer you are choosing has won a lot of cases.
  • Area of focus: The lawyer should also be focused on your area of injury; for instance, if you were injured in a slip and fall, you want to find an attorney that specializes in this area. This gives you a better chance of getting the money you deserve.
  • Disciplinary record: You should always make it your business to know the attorney's disciplinary record. There could be something that completely makes or breaks your decision in there. In the record, you can find out if they’ve ever had a complaint filed against them and whether they’ve ever been suspended or disbarred. This information can usually be found by researching online, according to Wikihow.
  • Calling around: By calling possible lawyer candidates, you can get more detailed information. Be sure to make a list of questions to ask before calling to ensure you are covering everything you need to know. It also gives you a better idea of what the lawyer and law firm are all about.

Once you consider all these things, you should have a good idea of who you want to represent you and be able to narrow it down to one or two candidates and this will make it so much easier to make your decision.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, a little consideration goes into choosing the right personal injury lawyer for you. This will ensure that you more likely get your desired outcome with your case with the least headache as possible.

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