Sustaining a personal injury is difficult. If you have been injured, either at work or in a motor vehicle accident or slipping and falling at someone's premises, you should contact an experienced trial attorney as soon as possible. That attorney will investigate the case to determine who the negligent party is. Thereafter, the attorney will place a claim to the appropriate insurance company and advise them you will be seeking the payment of medical bills and your lost wages. In this post, we will talk about the best possible way of selecting personal injury attorney.
The basics:
For all personal injury cases, and especially slip and fall cases and motor vehicle accidents you need to prove that the other party was negligent. You must also prove you have sustained a personal injury and have incurred money damages. For example, if you were to fall in a restaurant and sustain an injury, the restaurant owner may be held legally liable for failure to keep a safe premise. In a grocery store, if you were to slip and fall, the owner of that store must keep a “sweep log” to show when and how often they clean the floor. If you are working on a new construction site and you fall and injure your knee, the general contractor or owner of the premise may be held legally liable. A personal injury lawyer can help with these types of cases and it is best to contact them as soon as possible.
Things to consider when hiring a personal injury attorney:
Personal injury law can be complicated, so therefore it is important to select a lawyer who is experienced in this area. We suggest to take the following steps:
1.Ask your friends, colleagues and family members for the name of any lawyers they know who handle personal injury cases. You can also check for personal injury law firms online.
2.Be certain the lawyer you retain is experienced in personal injury law. Ask him/her about their training and background and overall experience in trying personal injury cases. You may also want to request client references. If a law firm has a good track record, they will have plenty of clients who are interested in helping them.
3.Request a free initial consultation with the lawyer so you can discuss the facts of your case. The lawyer can explain to you the likelihood of recovery in your case and whether the case will have to be filed in a district court or taken to an administrative agency. Be certain your attorney has trial experience.
4.You should determine, up-front, what your costs will be to retain this lawyer. Generally speaking, a personal injury lawsuit is taken on a contingent fee basis. What this means is that the lawyer will be paid only if he recovers a settlement or judgement favorable to you. Most times, the fee will be a percentage of that recovery. You should also discuss with the lawyer the possibility of out-of-pocket expenses not covered by the contingent fee.
5.You will want to know which lawyer in the law firm will be handling your case. Is it the lawyer you're interviewing with? Or some other lawyer in the office? If you are hiring a law firm because you like a particular lawyer, you should make sure that lawyer is available to handle your case.
Selecting a personal injury lawyer is not difficult, but you should do your homework. There are many online portals where you can find reviews of local law firms and lawyers. You can also check the website of the law firm you're considering.
