It’s no secret: lawyers are not all created equal. To know who’s right for you, it’s important to do a little research. You don’t want to compromise the results of your case by choosing the wrong attorney. So prior to hiring anyone, take time to know their professional background.
Experience
If you care to know, ask the attorney where they finished law school, but much more important than that are facts about their professional career. In particular, you’d like to know how many years they’ve been practicing and how much of their career is dedicated to personal injury cases. Also, do they usually represent claimants or defendants? Have they worked with the insurance company involved, or maybe the adjuster himself?
Lawyer vs. Firm
Lawyers often work together on the cases they handle. Routine tasks are typically done by less experienced ones and paralegals, which is actually an advantage since you no longer have to wait for a veteran but busy lawyer to find time for you. And you can certainly save much when you have a junior attorney handling routine paperwork.
Communication
Good communication is the starting point of any successful lawyer-client relationship. During your initial consultation, was the lawyer listening when you talked? Were they open to your ideas in terms of how to go about the case? Did they take the time to explain things well to you?
You need someone who is sincere in helping you and won’t just treat you like any of the cases they have. When they actually care to explain the details involved in your case, you can likely come up with better decisions. In addition, finding a lawyer you are comfortable with as a person will help make things less stressful for you.
Your Settlement Goal
The moment your lawyer gets a good grasp of the fact surrounding your case and any negotiations you’ve done with the insurance company, the lawyer may offer his expert opinion on how much your case will be worth, as well as the obstacles to making the insurer pay such amount. This is where you can mention any ideas you have regarding how your case should be handled.
Say, you may have a specific range of a settlement in mind that you think is acceptable, for minimum hassle and cost. Perhaps you want more of what you have been offered by the insurer, or you want to get as much as possible, regardless of how long it takes. At the end of the day, you must be able to verbalize this to your lawyer, and observe how he responds to you.
Clearly, finding the right personal injury lawyer won’t happen in a snap. No shortcuts for sure.