Personal injury law attracts many lawyers. If you think about it, you can imagine why. Injuries and accidents happen every day across the country. People get sick from defective and dangerous products as well.
If these things happen, and you feel you can hold some person or entity responsible, you need a great lawyer to represent you during the legal process. Personal injury lawyers can significantly impact your lawsuit. If you pick the right one, you could collect some money that you might need very badly. If you select the wrong one, that could mean you walk away with nothing.
We’ll talk about some of the most crucial factors you should consider when choosing personal injury lawyers in the following article.
Their Experience Level
Let’s say you hurt yourself on someone else’s property. You feel the property owner knew about the unsafe condition, and they didn’t fix it. They had a duty of care that they didn’t fulfill.
You also think you can collect some money from them. You need that cash because you can’t work while you’re recovering. You’re not collecting a salary, and you’re also experiencing pain and suffering in the meantime. Most reasonable people would agree you deserve recompense because of your situation.
You start thinking about hiring a lawyer. You look online and see many law firms nearby that can help you. You might find dozens, but you don’t know which one you should pick.
A personal injury lawyer’s level of expertise matters in this situation. You might start looking through the options and see that one law firm just opened its doors a few months before. Presumably, these lawyers don’t have very much experience. If you look into them further, you might see that they just passed the bar.
Next, you look into a law firm with more than fifty years of handling personal injury law. These attorneys know the industry front to back. They know all about the law’s subtle intricacies.
It makes sense that you’d go with the more experienced attorneys. They will know all the tricks that the opposing lawyer might use. You’ll certainly consider experience level when looking at what law firm you should hire.
Whether They’ve Handled Cases Like Yours
If you need a lawyer for personal injury law, you want one who handles cases like yours all the time.
Maybe you have the situation we just described, where you hurt yourself on someone else’s property. You might also sue a doctor who botched an operation. That’s a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Maybe you have a corporation that made a product that harmed you, and you think the manufacturers knew about that product’s potential danger. No matter the personal injury lawsuit’s details, the law firm you contact should tell you they’ve handled cases exactly like yours before.
When you want details, they should tell you about similar lawsuits they’ve handled, and you should also hear that they won those cases for their clients. If they handled similar cases but lost, that won’t make you feel confident you’re hiring the right law firm.
Their Fee Structure Works for You
With personal injury law, you can pay your attorney through a contingency payment plan. Your lawyer might also charge you by the hour, or they might want a flat rate. These fee structures matter, and you should only select the one that works for you.
Most lawyers and law firms that do personal injury law use a contingency payment plan. You must only pay them if and when they win your lawsuit for you. At that point, you might pay them 30-40% of your winnings, on average.
That might seem like a lot, but remember that this law firm got you that money, and you wouldn’t get a dime without them. You’ll still get a significant chunk of cash if they win your case.
A flat rate might also work, though you don’t know how much money you’ll collect if your lawyer wins the case for you. That’s why a percentage based on your winnings makes more sense.
As for paying a personal injury lawyer by the hour, if you bring a lawsuit against a person or entity, you should never do that. You might lose your case, but you must still pay them if you set up that payment option. You might end up losing money on the deal rather than gaining anything.
If the personal injury lawyer you contact suggests a payment plan that doesn’t work for you, go with someone else. How and how much you pay them certainly matters.
Their Demeanor
You want a friendly personal injury lawyer who will stand by your side and support you. Personal injury cases can get ugly fast. You’re demanding money from a person or entity, and they might fight back hard against you. Their legal team might try some underhanded tactics.
You and your lawyer may not become great friends, but they should still act sympathetic toward you. You need their legal expertise, but they’re also your cheerleader. If they act surly or rude toward you, you don’t need that.
They should tell you frankly what you should do in private, but they should do so respectfully. They should act like they care about you, even if you’re conducting monetary transactions with them.
Your lawyer should represent your best interests. That’s always true, but particularly with personal injury cases.
If you find a lawyer or law firm that checks all these boxes, you should hire them. They can hear your case details and tell you whether they think you have a chance and whether they can represent you.
If you know someone who used this law firm or lawyer in the past, that’s helpful as well. You’ll know about their style and whether they have a proven track record.
Suing a person or entity isn’t easy or fun, but if you hire the right lawyer, they can help you win your case.
