Personal injury can be devastating. Often it results in many months of physical pain and hardship. It ruins your social life. And, sometimes, it makes it impossible to work.
When taken together, it’s clear that personal injury is severe indeed. That’s why choosing the right person to represent you is an important decision. In fact, it could be the most important decision you make in fighting your personal injury claim.
Step One: Determine What Type Of Injury Lawyer You Need
This first step might seem obvious. But determining what type of injury you have had in the legal sense will inform your choice of lawyer. Remember, it’s the legal definition of the injury that matters.
If you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident, you know to whom you must turn. You want to find lawyers specialising in the particular field. But there are also other types of injury where the legal classification may not be so obvious.
What about if you are injured by a product? That may require specific legal advice. If your injury resulted from medical negligence, that too might need legal advice of a particular kind. Medical injury, in particular, can be difficult to assess immediately. That’s because the effects of negligence may only show up further down the road.
Step Two: Do Some Local Research
Ask your family and friends if they know anybody who has had a good experience with a local personal injury lawyer.
It’s likely that you’ll find that they have had a mixture of experiences. Some good and some bad. Try to work out why they had a bad experience. Was the lawyer incompetent? Or could the lawyer not win the case because the case didn’t involve the negligence of a third party?
Step Three: Go Local
When you’re choosing an injury lawyer, you ideally want to find one in the local area. Going local means that you’re better able to liaise with lawyers on an ongoing basis, and you avoid high travel costs. Plus, when you’ve found a local lawyer, there will be a whole pool of people able to give you feedback on what they’re like.
Step 4: Do Interviews
Remember, while you’re paying them, lawyers work for you. That’s why it’s a good idea to interview any shortlisted lawyers, just as you would if you were hiring for a vacancy.
At the interview, you want to prepare a list of questions that help you determine their suitability. The first question is should aim to find out whether they specialise in the right legal area. If you were injured on the road, they need to have demonstrated experience in this area. If you were injured in hospital, they need to have experience in medical negligence claims.
The next step is to ask whether they think you have a claim, based on a brief account of your injury. They should be able to give you a quick idea there and then about where you stand.
Once you’re satisfied with the answers you have, you can make an informed decision.
A Beginner’s Guide To Choosing A Personal Injury Lawyer
April 8, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
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