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Choosing an Injury Attorney: How to Find The
Right Lawyer for Your Case...
Choosing an injury attorney comes when you realize your case needs
specialized knowledge, or simply when you don't feel confident handling the claim on your
own.
But
finding the right lawyer isn’t as easy as flipping to the 'Attorneys' section
in
the phone book. If your search comes to that, then you’ve
probably run out of other options.
Before going to the phone
book, you'll want to use more
familiar channels. Choosing an injury attorney you're close with is
best.
More
info on Finding a Personal Injury Attorney.
The best
place to start your search is with people you already know.
Do
you know any lawyers? If so your search might be over. Of course, you
must first find out that lawyer's specialty.
If your best friend is a
criminal lawyer, he won’t be able to help much in your civil case.
But if your friend just happens to be a personal injury attorney, then
that’s great. Stop reading and give them a call!
You
should still make sure you can work with them and that they see your
case the same way you do. The reason for turning to friends first
is that you want to work
with someone you trust and are comfortable
with.
Can’t find a personal injury lawyer that you know? The
next best thing is to have your criminal lawyer friend recommend
someone. Whatever kind of lawyer your friend is, they should be able to
recommend someone they know or have heard good things about. Like any
working community, lawyers hear good and bad things about other lawyers.
What if you
don’t know any lawyers? Another tactic for choosing an
injury attorney is inquiring with friends who may have legal contacts.
Friends
who have been through this claims process before may have had their own
personal injury attorney. Ask around.
If you can’t find anyone
who’s been through filing an injury claim, check to see if they can
recommend an attorney anyway. There's always the six degrees of
separation here: everyone knows everyone.
Why is it so
important to find a personal injury lawyer who’s been recommended by
a friend? Lawyers may be equal by all standards, but if one of
them is connected to you somehow, it might be the deciding factor. Like
any business relationship, a sense of familiarity can work in your
favor.
Hopefully the above steps get you one or two good
leads. If not, call your local
bar association. They'll usually have a
referral service that can point you towards someone of your case
specialty.
Before actually choosing
an injury
attorney, you'll want to meet with them. Most good personal
injury lawyers offer a free consultation.
Sit down, discuss
your case and see what they think. Ask how much they think your case is
worth. Ask how long they think it'll take to settle. Ask how much they
think the process will cost on top of their fee
and other legal expenses.
Find a few personal injury lawyers to
interview. Even if your best friend glowingly recommended a specific
personal injury attorney, you should still get a feel for what other
lawyers have to say.
If your friend is right, then this process will do
little more than confirm their recommendation. If they're wrong, then
it's sure better to find out before hiring them.
Return
from Choosing an Injury Attorney to How
to File a Lawsuit
Return
from Choosing an Injury Attorney to Personal
Injury Settlement Guide
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