It’s a crisp winter day when you decide to go shopping. You’re just about to the doors when you feel your legs go out from under you. Now, you’re in a lot of pain and you can’t stand without help.
What do you do when someone else’s negligence leads to your injury? You hire a personal injury lawyer, that’s what. Read on to learn the three main things to keep in mind if you are ever in this unenviable situation!
1. What Is the Area of Their Expertise?
The first thing you want to look for when searching for a personal injury lawyer, is how often the lawyer takes on a personal injury case. Ideally, you want an attorney who deals exclusively with personal injury law. That way, you know that your attorney has the experience and confidence to fight for you in court.
Even before speaking to the attorney, there are ways to gauge their experience level in personal injury law. You can check to see if they have ever published in their field. Have they given any talks about personal injury law?
After your first meeting, you can, and should ask for references. Check social media to gauge the attorney’s popularity. And always check places like the Better Business Bureau to see what people say about your potential attorney.
2. Look for an Attorney With a High Success Rate
The next thing you want to do is check over your potential attorney’s website for a list of cases and outcomes for the firm. Keep an eye on the dates of the wins, and how often they’ve won their client’s cases. It’s something you’ll want to ask about during your initial consultation.
Remember, most reputable law firms will offer you a free consultation like the law firm Sweet Lawyers does. This will allow you to get a feel for the attorney, and ask any questions that would be on your mind. It is your case, and you want to make sure any attorney you hire will fight for you!
3. Contingency Fees
The last main thing you’ll want to consider when hiring an attorney is their contingency fee policy. Contingency fees are how most law firms do business these days. What that means, is that you only have to pay if you win the case.
While that sounds great, you should always do your due diligence by reading the fine print of the contract. That way, you know just what you would be paying your lawyer should you win the case. If an attorney attempts to stop or distract you from doing so, don’t hire them.
You’ll also want to make sure what percentage of the awarded damages they will want for winning your case. It’ll be important to know how much you’ll be left with on a successful trial. This is important, as you’ll want to be aware of this when you are taxed on your trial award.
Find Your Personal Injury Lawyer
Finding a personal injury lawyer can be tough, but as long as you keep these points in mind, you’ll find one that will fight for you. Hiring an attorney is an important step in getting you the damages you deserve when you get hurt.
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