(Newswire.net — July 13, 2019) — When you’ve been injured at the hand of someone else, a personal injury case often follows. It’s the best solution our justice system has for recovering compensation and protecting others from falling victim to the same injuries.
To get the best outcome for your case, don’t try to represent yourself. Instead, hire a qualified personal injury attorney who will increase your winnings and simplify the process for you. But don’t take the responsibility of choosing a good attorney lightly.
You want someone who will not only represent you well but will also fight for you to win. To help you make this decision, use these selection criteria for a good attorney.
Exclusively Practices Personal Injury Law
A great personal injury attorney knows the importance of specializing. Choosing an attorney with one specialization limits the risk of your hiring a jack of all trades, master of none attorney.
It’s not uncommon to find personal injury attorneys who handle side cases in bankruptcy, divorce, wills, or other specialties. If you’re looking for the very best person to represent you, stick with an attorney who practices only personal injury law.
Goes Above and Beyond
You might find a personal injury attorney with a great track record and nothing else. That’s important, but there are some personal injury attorneys who provide amazing customer service, going above and beyond to meet your needs.
For example, this Hawaii personal injury firm has a nurse on staff to help clients with complex injuries. If your injury is more complicated, you need an attorney who will accommodate your special needs and make the proceedings as comfortable as possible for you.
Proven History of Success
You should be able to review past cases and successes before hiring an attorney to check for a history of winning. You might ask for references willing to share that information or peruse their website for samples of successful cases.
You’ll also want an attorney who doesn’t mind taking a case to court if need be. Many personal injury cases are settled out of court, which is fine if you get the best outcome that way, but you need an attorney who’s comfortable if the case does go to trial. It’s much better to find this out about your attorney beforehand to avoid a catastrophe in the middle of your case.
Resides in Your State
This is a simple criterion that’s incredibly important. Many things can be done remotely these days, so if you need your taxes done in Iowa, you can hire an attorney in Idaho to do them without a problem. But law is much different.
It’s not illegal in most cases for an out-of-state personal injury attorney to represent you, but it’s ill-advised. Every state has unique laws regarding tort and personal injury cases, and an out-of-state attorney likely won’t be familiar with them.
Therefore, it might seem like a good idea to hire your cousin who’s a personal injury attorney in California, but if you live in Hawaii, you need someone in your state to represent you.
Good Reputation
Chances are, you’ve heard about the personal injury attorneys in your city from friends, family, social media, or online reviews. You want to go with someone who has a good reputation in the community.
Keep in mind that most attorneys will have a mix of positive and negative reviews. Select the one with the best reviews, despite the occasional unhappy client. Remember that some people can’t be happy no matter what, so a bad review doesn’t always mean that the attorney will be a bad fit for you.
Compatible Personality
You don’t need to be friends with your attorney or get to know them on a personal level, but you should like them. If you’re working with a personal injury attorney who has a personality that constantly clashes with your own, you’re going to be miserable throughout the proceedings.
Find an attorney that’s amicable, personable, and listens to you. If something doesn’t feel right, listen to that gut feeling and go with someone else.
Answers Your Questions
By this point, you’ve probably narrowed your options to two or three attorneys. Now, interview the candidates and determine if they’re the right person to represent you.
Prepare a list of questions that you would like answered during this initial meeting. You might ask about their history, how much they think your case is worth, how often they’ve gone to trial, or any other information that’s important to your case. Go with the attorney that answers the questions most satisfactorily, and you’ll probably be happy with your choice.