With all the stress that goes into a personal injury case, you shouldn't just hire any lawyer. Choosing a lawyer to represent you in your personal injury case is a big decision that requires substantial research.
See Who's Out There
First, do some online research on the lawyers who are in the city where the injury took place. Other than location, look for lawyers who have a specialized field of practice that most closely resembles your personal injury case. In this case, you'll look for personal injury …show more content…
Before you start with further research, ask for recommendations from family, friends and coworkers. This can help lessen the workload for your upcoming research by shortening the list of candidates to choose from.
Referrals
Ask for personal referrals. Once you have a checklist of what makes a good personal injury lawyer, you will want to ask friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers if they know any good attorneys. You should start the process by looking for personal referrals because these are the attorneys who usually have the best reputations and are trustworthy.
You should not simply take a personal referral and immediately hire them. Go through the rest of the process and do more research on the referrals you do get.
Begin researching lawyers. Start with a Google search of the recommendations you received and then expand the search to more lawyers you noted are practicing in your city.
When researching, try to use as many and as specific as possible keywords. Typing in _____ personal injury attorney in (city) will retrieve more accurate results than "lawyer in New York …show more content…
Will you take my case on a contingent fee basis? If so, what is your percentage? If not, what is your hourly rate?
· How will you keep me informed of my case's progress?
· How often do you go to trial in similar cases?
· Have you ever been disciplined, suspended, or disbarred by any ethics committee or state bar association?
· Does your law firm carry insurance?
· Will you follow my wishes as to how I want the case to proceed?
· How confident are you in my case? Do you think I have a good case?
After writing down your questions, gather all the documentation and papers related to your case. You'll want to take these to your meetings. These can include:
· Medical documents, including bills, diagnoses, and test results.
· Arrest records, issued citations, and toxicology reports.
· Professional opinions from experts in fields such as crash site reconstruction.
· Pictures you or someone else took of anything from the scene of the accident.
· Written statements of anyone that witnessed anything at the scene.
After you've met with each lawyer, be sure to follow-up with them. You can ask additional questions that you may have come up with.
After your research and meeting with each lawyer, you're ready to make your