Accidents can happen to anyone, no matter what the time or wherever you may be. Getting involved in one can be a nasty and traumatic experience, mainly if you or a loved one obtained injuries following the accident.
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What should you do if someone else’s carelessness caused the incident? Who will pay for the medical expenses and the lost days of work? How can you be compensated? In most cases, especially serious ones, you will need to hire a lawyer. But how will you know if you need an attorney? And how do I find a good one?
Contents
These are the reasons why you need to seek legal advice from an attorney
- The accident resulted in severe injuries. The type of injury can depend on the following factors: the nature and severity of the injury, the length of recovery time, and the cost of medical expenses like bills, medicines, and procedures. It can also involve medical fees you will have to pay for in the future.
- You or your loved one received permanent or long-term disabilities or injuries.
- The accident resulted in the wrongful death of a loved one
- There are chances that more than one is liable for your injury.
- When you need to deal with your insurance adjuster
- If the injury made you unable to return to work after a significant amount of time
- When you receive a call from the person liable of his representative to agree on a settlement
How to find a good lawyer?
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re looking for an excellent personal injury attorney but don’t know where to start. Personal injuries, after all, are the result of someone else’s action such as a car accident. You’ll need an excellent personal injury lawyer when you go to the insurance company or court for financial compensation for the damages incurred on you. It is essential that you research and do your homework to find the right attorney for your case. You can check out Fleming Law, P.C. as your best option.
Here, we have outlined some of the ways to find a great personal injury lawyer.
1. Select a lawyer who only specializes in personal injury laws
Lawyers who handle personal injuries are sure to have mastered that specialization compared to the others who work with wills, bankruptcies, divorces, trusts. As the individual injury law has too many practices and rules, one has to dedicate himself exclusively to this law. You are risking yourself to a quality representation if you pick a lawyer that isn’t experienced in personal injury law.
Make sure the one you are hiring is a personal injury attorney. They are experts when it comes to Personal Injury Law, and would help you win over your injury claim.
2. Pick a lawyer that has a proven track record.
If your case involves serious injuries, you should check if your attorney is capable of delivering a large settlement or verdict. Ask questions and see how many he has had.
You can start to look for recommendations. Word of mouth is a powerful tool and is a much better source than by searching the internet. You can ask your family, friend, or lawyer for recommendations when looking for a reliable personal injury attorney. Do your research on the lawyers you have shortlisted. It won’t hurt to know where they graduated, where they practiced law, and if they already have lots of cases won that needed court settlements.
3. Select a personal injury attorney who has a history of taking cases to trial.
Nowadays, a lot of attorneys who advertise personal injury cases have never stepped inside a courtroom. These kinds will try to pressure you to settle for a pittance instead. Insurance companies can be aggressive and may take advantage of knowing that your attorney won’t go to trial. As such, they won’t even try to settle your case. If they see that your attorney will fold, the insurer will know it, and this will hurt you.
4. Hire an attorney who has enough resources in taking your case seriously.
Check how a lawyer communicates with you. Does he or she call you back the soonest time possible after missing your call? What mode of communications does your lawyer use? Is he or she easy to talk with and answers all your questions? Consider your gut feel. Do you feel comfortable with the lawyer after the first or second consultation? Do you have a good or bad feeling about hiring him or her?
Check to see if your chosen attorney is successful. Does the office look like they are doing well? Does he have a list of personal assets or credit to prepare for your case? Personal injury cases that are serious are pretty expensive to prepare. Often, doctors must appear in court. You might even need to hire biomechanics, economists, accident reconstructionists, life care planners, and other experts. Check to make sure that your lawyer has enough money to use as a single case can go up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
5. If needed, your lawyer should allow you to talk to his previous clients.
Ask for names and details of your personal injury attorney’s past clients. The best way to check if he’s reliable, responsible and a great lawyer is by asking the people he or she has worked for in the past. Ask your lawyer if he or she has handled cases similar to yours. It will help you decide if he or she is fit to represent you.
An excellent attorney would have satisfied clients that you can talk to any time. If a lawyer doesn’t let you speak with his past clients, there might be a reason for that which you should carefully take into consideration. There is a probability that he wasn’t able to do a good job.
Conclusion
To summarize, it is essential that you find yourself a personal injury attorney that meets all of the above requirements. Be careful with who you select as the success of your case lies significantly on who you will work with. In filing a personal injury claim, it is always best to consult with a personal injury attorney. Doing so will give you the upper hand by making sure you are rightly guided and represented on your claim. It will also help you avoid any mishaps that can affect the result of your case.
Authorship Info: Brody Reid is an experienced and zealous trial attorney. Focusing on assisting injured individuals and their families during tough times, Brody has worked tirelessly to help individuals in his hometown in the years since law school. Throughout his career, Brody has successfully represented over a thousand clients in the areas of Workers’ Compensation, Personal Injury, and Civil Litigation through jury trials, bench trials, and administrative proceedings. Brody has appeared successfully before the Supreme Court of Virginia, Court of Appeals of Virginia, Workers’ Compensation Commission, Circuit Court jury trials around Virginia, and General District Court trials. Brody’s commitment to his community and to the people that live here led him to co-found Reid Goodwin and focus on the areas of personal injury, worker’s compensation, and civil litigation. Outside the office, he is involved in several community service organizations, but mostly enjoys spending time with his family.Brody Reid / https://www.reidgoodwin.com/brody-reid.html