Personal Injury Lawyers - Tips on Hiring the Right Attorneyby Valerie Bock, August 3rd, 2010
If you've been injured as the result of someone else's carelessness, how can you find the right personal injury lawyer to help you obtain the compensation you need? Choosing the right personal injury lawyer can be crucial to the success of your case, but a quick search will reveal that there are literally hundreds of lawyers who practice personal injury cases. Here are four simple tips that may help narrow your search and lead you to the best personal injury lawyer for your situation.
You may have heard about a lawyer via advertising, or it may have been word-of-mouth, but the personal injury lawyer you choose should be well-known as a personal injury litigator. While a lesser known lawyer might do well with your case, you'll only have one chance to get what you deserve from those responsible for your pain and suffering. You are more likely to get an excellent result if you choose a personal injury lawyer with a larger-than-life reputation. Why is reputation so important? Lawyers don't become well-known by losing cases or being less than forthright with clients. A personal injury lawyer with a great record is one who has won often and scored significant victories on behalf of clients. Experienced personal injury lawyers with proven success gain high standing in the legal community and simply commands more respect from opponents, whether it's at the negotiation table or in a court trial. They'll also be honest with you about the strength of your case. Make sure that the personal injury lawyer you choose has experience in your kind of case. For example, personal injury law encompasses several kinds of accidents and the resulting injuries, such as automobile accident cases, medical malpractice, premises liability (slip and fall), products liability cases (defective products, like seatbelts or children's toys), and others. Many of these areas tend to overlap, and so some personal injury lawyers or personal injury law firms have experience in all of these areas. Some personal injury lawyers may stick to one or two of them. Ask your personal injury lawyer if he or she practices your kind of case. In most cases, it is wise to choose a personal injury lawyer who practices law in your state. Lawyers are licensed by state, and therefore, tend to know very well the law and the court rules and procedures applicable in the states where they are licensed. Mistakes in legal procedure can lose what was otherwise a great case. Lawyers are allowed to appear in states where they are not licensed, on a case-by-case basis, and some of them are such experts in their fields that they do quite well against local personal injury lawyers, particularly in large cases like products liability cases that become class actions. However, as a general rule, in-state lawyers have a natural advantage over traveling visitors. Cost always factors into one's choices, but the great thing about good personal injury lawyers is that they usually work on a contingency fee contract. This means that your personal injury lawyer doesn't earn any lawyers' fees unless you win something - the lawyer takes a percentage of the winnings. Be aware, though, that you are usually responsible for expenses referred to as the "costs" of litigation. These include items like court costs, court reporter fees, expert witness fees, and other expenses. While many experienced personal injury lawyers will advance these fees, you do often remain liable for them, even if you don't win any money with your case. Carefully examine the fee agreement offered by a personal injury lawyer you are considering, and ask the lawyer to explain its terms fully to you.  All content on Accidents.com is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as legal or medical advice. Please seek advice from a professional on any related topics.
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