Sustaining injuries following another person’s negligence means you’re entitled to seek compensation. It might be wiser to handle the issue on your own for minor injuries. However, for injuries that require considerable immediate or future expenses, seeking compensation from the negligent party is your best bet.
Hiring a personal injury attorney often ensures you’re receiving the justice you need. Unfortunately, many insurance companies try to undercut a victim by offering an amount that doesn’t cover medical injuries—let alone account for factors like pain and suffering. Additionally, negotiating with insurance companies can be a difficult task in itself.
You shouldn’t hire the first attorney you find, though. Instead, you’ll want a lawyer with experience handling your type of case, among other factors that we’ll explore.
- Choose a Lawyer That Specializes in Injury Law
It’s not uncommon for lawyers to jump around different areas of the law, significantly earlier in their career before they decide to specialize in one particular area. Injury law has many complexities and intricacies, including specific rules and laws. Hiring a lawyer that specializes in injury law typically results in fewer hurdles.
- Hire a Lawyer With a Proven Track Record
You also want a lawyer with a proven track record of winning and settling cases that satisfy their clients. Ask any potential lawyer for references and satisfied testimonies from their clients. A lawyer should be more than willing to provide you with happy references from clients and colleagues.
- A Lawyer That Can Handle the Scope of Your Case
The magnitude of personal injury cases varies in size. There’s a big difference between an injury that costs a couple of thousand of dollars in medical bills and a million-dollar case that leaves a victim damaged for life. For example, there’s even the Million Dollar Advocates organization consisting of lawyers who have won or settled cases resulting in a million dollars or more. While most personal injury cases don’t result in millions of dollars, you do want a lawyer used to handling cases of your scope.
- Choose a Lawyer Willing to Fight
Sometimes a personal injury case gets settled after a lawyer talks with the insurance company on the phone once or twice. Other times, however, a personal injury case can drag out for months or even years. As a result, you’ll want a lawyer willing to fight for you and help you receive the settlement you deserve. Most personal injury cases never see the inside of a courtroom, but the right lawyer should be willing to go to trial if necessary.
- Your Lawyer Has Enough Time for Your Case
Lawyers require a lot of time and commitment, and lawyers often have multiple clients and cases. Therefore, ensure any potential lawyer has enough time to dedicate to your lawsuit. Don’t be afraid to ask how many hours they can devote to your case and an estimated timeline of how long it’ll take to settle your case.
These are five factors you should carefully consider before hiring a lawyer. Our friends at David & Philpot, P.L. have personal injury lawyers in Lakeland, FL, eager to help.
Comments are closed.