Things You Should Consider Before Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
Accidents can happen to anyone at any time. Dealing with an accident can become all the more frustrating if the fault is not yours. Most severe cases of accidents come with unwanted medical bills, hospital visits and missed time at work. No one wants to deal with the financial burdens of an accident by paying out of pocket. It is a good idea to employ the services of a personal injury lawyer.
A personal injury is a legal term for an injury inflicted on the body, mind or emotions, according to The Business Lawyer. Not only does this cause pain and suffering, but it can also throw your life into disarray. If the injury is not a serious one, you should consider yourself lucky. What might pose a challenge is finding a good attorney.
To make your life easier, we have put together a list of things you should consider while you are looking for someone to represent you.
Specialized in Personal Injury Law:
Imagine for a moment that you take a fall and while trying to get up, you feel a blinding pain in your arm. The area begins to swell up fast, and you have a feeling that it could be a broken bone. Would you go to a general physician or an orthopedic?
Personal injury is an umbrella term for a wide range of injuries ranging from accidents at work to car accidents. You will want your case represented by a firm which specializes in these areas. A team of lawyers who have a deep understanding of the laws in these fields can make the difference between winning the right compensation and settling for what is offered. They should also be adept at interpreting medical diagnoses and use it appropriately to support your personal injury case.
Success History:
Most cases of personal injury don’t run the full course of a trial and are settled outside of the courtroom. Keeping this in mind, you must do your due diligence in making sure that your potential law firm has a distinguished history of winning high settlements and verdicts. You should also make sure, should your case go to court, that your lawyers can back up their claims to go the full length.
A lawyer’s excellent track record depends on multiple factors such as being a good negotiator, having an accurate filing system, solid experience in interviewing witnesses, and so on. You can be assured that attorneys who have a successful track record are doing all of these consistently.
Referrals:
Verifying the authenticity of a personal injury attorney is a critical step in the process of shortlisting which law firm you will be working with. Start your verification process by asking your friends, family members and co-workers who might have used services of a personal injury lawyer.
You should also look for reviews online and on social media pages of the law firms to make sure they are trustworthy. Use law specific websites like Nolo and Lawyers.com to go through the ratings and rankings of the law firm that’s on your radar.
Reputation:
It’s essential for a reputed lawyer in the personal injury space to have established his or her authority outside of the courtroom as well. You should look for an attorney who has published articles, has participated in panel discussions and is well respected in the local legal forums. Better yet, if they have appeared on local or national TV on discussions related to the field of personal injury, you can rest assured they are an authority in their field.
There is a lot riding on the attorney you choose to work with. Keeping the above factors before hiring will make sure that you make an informed decision. The next step should be to find out as much as possible about the factors that affect your case. Then make a list of questions that you would ask each of the candidates in person. Clarify all your doubts and make sure you feel comfortable with the firm you’re planning to partner with.
Last but not the least; be clear on the fee and payment terms. Make sure what is agreed on is documented in writing.
The Law Offices of Alvin F. de Levie & Associates can help you find a personal injury lawyer. If you need an experienced personal lawyer in Pennsylvania, contact us at (844) 777-2529 to find out if your case qualifies and the amount of compensation that you could claim.
Alvin F. de Levie is a 1973, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and a 1976 graduate of the Villanova University School of Law. He is an expert in Pennsylvania Law revolving around medical malpractice and personal injury.
Mr. de Levie has consistently been voted by his peers to receive Martindale-Hubbell's "AV Preeminent" 5.0 out of 5.0 rating. An AV Preeminent rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
