You will have to make many decisions after suffering an injury, and the first one you should make is to hire an attorney immediately. A lawyer will play a significant role in advocating for your rights and ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve.
With so many options available, you may not know where to start. Still, make an informed decision because who you work with can make a profound difference in your overall experience and the result in your case.
You must consider many things quickly when you are already under significant stress. At the same time, your decision has exceptionally high stakes, and you should go into the process knowing what you are looking for so you know you have the right Vero Beach personal injury attorney for your case.
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Why You Need a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Case
You need a lawyer to obtain the best possible result in a personal injury case because you are against insurance companies or powerful defendants. They will protect their interests at all costs, and they think nothing of underpaying your claim or denying it altogether to see how far they can push their luck.
A personal injury lawyer's job is to establish and then protect your legal right to compensation when someone else is to blame for what happened to you. They will stand up to the insurance company when it tries to walk over you.
Seek Recommendations and Read Reviews
The first step is to gather a list of names or find one potential attorney to handle your case. There are different ways to locate possible lawyers, and you can certainly do an online search on Google.
You may find pages and pages of search results with individual attorneys. You need to differentiate between the hundreds of personal injury lawyers in your area. You can also look through the attorney directory that your state's bar provides.
First, you can look at the attorney's case results to see the types of legal actions they have handled. If you have a significant case, you may not want to hire a lawyer who deals with more minor cases.
Second, you should also look at the objective reviews that lawyers have received from actual clients. Google is an excellent source for reviews, and clients will provide honest reviews about their experiences with the attorney.
You may also seek a recommendation from a family member or someone you trust. Then, you can get a firsthand account of what it was like to work with this individual attorney, and your family member or friend will only recommend a lawyer with whom they had a good experience.
Schedule a Free Initial Consultation
Once you have identified potential candidates to represent you, it is time to talk to them. If you are worried about how you will physically get to an attorney's office, you can put those fears to rest. Attorneys want you to get the legal help you need, and they often want to take your case.
They will try to make starting the legal process as easy as possible. A lawyer may talk to you over the phone or via Zoom, or they may even come to where you are, including visiting you in the hospital. You cannot wait to get legal help, even if you are in the middle of dealing with serious physical injuries.
Talking to a personal injury lawyer is the best way to learn who they are and what they can do for you, and you are using the initial consultation to learn more about each other. Here, you can ask the attorneys all the necessary questions while learning more about them and your potential case.
By the end of the initial consultation, you should know whether an attorney is a candidate to represent you. It may be best to schedule multiple consultations to understand how different attorneys operate and deal with you.
While it may not be easy, especially because you are dealing with injuries, you should prepare for the consultation. Come up with questions to ask that will allow you to size up the attorney in the time that you have. You want to hear what the attorney can do for your case in their own words.
Experience in Similar Cases
In personal injury cases, experience matters. Look for a lawyer with a proven track record of successfully handling personal injury cases. Experience in this specific area of law gives them the knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of your case effectively.
An experienced personal injury attorney will understand insurance companies' tactics and know how to build a strong case on your behalf.
The lawyer needs experience handling cases that are relatively similar to yours (we say "relatively" because no two personal injury cases are exactly alike). The attorney should have successfully represented clients in cases of similar value and involving similar accidents and injuries.
For example, suppose you have suffered an injury in a truck accident. In that case, your attorney should have handled commercial vehicle accident claims before. These cases can have many additional technicalities and complexities, and a law firm should have specific resources to gather the necessary evidence to prove your claim. Further, if you suffered a property-related accident such as a slip and fall, you want a personal injury lawyer with experience in premises liability law.
Pay Attention to Customer Service
Accessibility and communication are also vital factors to consider because you will need to work with the attorney over an extended period of time. Your relationship with them and the service that they provide you can make a difference in your case.
You will trust your attorney to fight for you and give you the crucial advice to make decisions. In a sense, you entrust your future to the attorney you hire for your case.
Your attorney's level of responsiveness makes a difference. You may have events in your life, or you need to know more about your case. When you call or reach out to your attorney, you should expect they will call you back to answer your questions or give you the help you need.
The attorney's tone and how they address you during the consultation can indicate how they will deal with you during your case. If the attorney is very patient and polite and takes the time to make sure they hear your concerns and opinions, it can predict how they will deal with you while they represent you.
Conversely, if they are rude and brusque and do not address your concerns, chances are that is how they will be when they represent you.
There will come a time when you need to make a final decision about whom to hire for your case. You may have to synthesize much information and make a difficult choice.
Some potential red flags should tell you that the lawyer may not be the right person for you, including:
- The lawyer has no compassion or understanding for your situation and talks to you coldly and brusquely.
- The attorney has poor communication patterns, and they cannot explain your case and legal situation in plain English and in a manner you can understand.
- They make unrealistic promises about your case. No attorney can ever guarantee a result, and the outcome of a personal injury case is particular to your own facts and circumstances.
- The lawyer does not give you direct answers when you ask them straight questions; they seem nontransparent and evasive.
Always Make Sure You Understand Fees
Personal injury lawyers all get paid the same way. Their payment for your case depends on whether you win a settlement or jury award. If you do not win your case, your attorney will not receive any compensation for their time and effort.
Even within the contingency fee system, there are different fees that lawyers may charge. Although lawyers cannot charge excessively high fees, the percentage they recover may vary between attorneys. You always want to know the attorney's fee before signing a representation agreement with them.
In addition, personal injury attorneys may charge other fees concerning the representation. Some attorneys may handle these fees independently, using their share of your recovery. Other lawyers may deduct these fees from your settlement before they get paid.
You need to understand the individual lawyer's fee structure before you hire them. Attorneys cannot charge you any fees they do not clearly lay out in advance in the representation agreement.
Trust Your Instincts
Ultimately, you need to go with what your instinct tells you. Hopefully, you will have asked the questions you need to get to know every attorney you speak with.
You need to feel comfortable and confident in your choice because it can be challenging to switch attorneys once you have already chosen one for your case. Although other challenges beset you, you should be confident that the person you hired to represent you is up to the job.
If something tells you that the attorney is not the right advocate for you, there is nothing wrong with speaking with additional attorneys and hiring someone else. It costs you nothing to keep looking around, although you do not want to let too much time pass.
You Cannot Afford to Wait for Legal Help
You only have a little time to make a decision. Ideally, you should hire an attorney days after the accident because key personal injury evidence can quickly disappear.
Your attorney must interview witnesses and gather other proof before you lose it forever. They should also be in place early to protect you from the games the insurance company likes to play.
The good news is that you do not have to worry about paying an attorney from your own pocket because they are working for you on a contingency basis.
The time to contact an attorney for your case is now if you still need to do so. The more time passes, the harder it is for you to build the legal case you need to get compensation for your injuries.
Collecting evidence can get more challenging, and you are a target for the insurance company trying to take advantage of you. Moreover, being without a lawyer is stressful because you will need to worry about how to handle the legal process while you are dealing with physical injuries.
The sooner you reach out to and decide on a lawyer, the quicker you can begin the legal process.
Your Choice of Personal Injury Attorney Matters
Remember that you will not have to pay any money upfront to hire a personal injury lawyer for your case. However, it does not mean you have the luxury of trial and error when selecting an attorney for your lawsuit.
You may switch attorneys at some point in your case if your lawyer doesn’t satisfy you, but that can present significant difficulties. The last thing that you want to do is change jockeys in the middle of a race because it can introduce delays.
A new attorney will need to take time to get up to speed in your case, and it can make it harder for you to get timely payment of your claim. Thus, your initial decision about who your lawyer will be is critical.
Furthermore, consider the resources and team that the lawyer has at their disposal. Personal injury cases often require collaboration with other experts, such as medical professionals and accident reconstruction specialists. A lawyer with a strong network of resources can provide comprehensive support and strengthen your case.
Choosing a personal injury lawyer requires careful consideration. Look for experience, a good reputation, accessibility, effective communication, and a strong network of resources.
Remember, your lawyer will advocate for you throughout the legal process, fighting for your rights and ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve.