How to Find a Personal Injury Lawyer...

So you've decided it's time to find a personal injury lawyer. Maybe you no longer feel you can handle the claim on your own, or perhaps you're just starting out and realizing you'll need some specialized help.

But finding the right lawyer isn’t as easy as flipping to 'attorneys' in the phone book. In fact, 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 try finding a personal injury lawyer through more familiar channels. The closer a lawyer is connected to you, the better.

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. Anyone who has ever filed an injury claim will probably know more about personal injury law than they would.

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 whole 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 might be able to recommend someone they know or have heard good things about. Like any other working community, lawyers hear about other lawyers.

Now, what if you don’t know any lawyers at all? Another place you can search is through other 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 friends? Well, 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 a personal injury attorney, you'll want to have a meeting 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 percentage of your claim and their work 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!

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