According to a recent report, almost 39.5 million personal injury cases require medical attention. Sadly, the number is growing rapidly, and only a small number of these cases get compensated for the loss. Many of these injuries can be avoidable if the other people are not careless or negligent. For any person, nothing is more devastating than experiencing any accident or injury without any fault. Sustaining an injury can lead to emotional distress, loss of income, expensive medical care, extreme physical pain, and more. All of these factors impact the compensation process and make it more complicated and taxing to handle individually. This raises the need to hire a skilled and professional personal injury lawyer for your help. As you’re moving forward with the hiring process, here are 6 highly crucial factors that you must consider to find the right and suitable personal injury lawyer for your help!
Determine Whether You Need a Lawyer
The first step of hiring a personal injury lawyer is determining whether you have a personal injury case or not. It is a fact that not every case is liable for the need for a personal injury lawyer. If you have experienced a minor fender bender or you’re not injured, there will be no need for any legal support.
But, if you have sustained severe injuries that made you lose your wages, here you will find the need to consult a personal injury lawyer to help you with the complexities and get you compensated. Analyze your situation first and study what your local law says about the specific situation.
For example, if you had an accident in Southfield, you can research the claiming rules and process of personal injury cases first. Or consult the most reputed Southfield Personal Injury Lawyer simply to know whether you should proceed with the claim or not.
Limit Your Search According To Your Case
The process of choosing a personal injury lawyer is always taxing. You may make decisions in a hurry by getting tempted by the fee structure. But if the lawyer doesn’t have experience in negotiating cases outside the court or handling the court proceedings – it will be a waste of time.
As every personal injury situation is different, to get a favorable outcome from it, you will need to research a lawyer based on similar experience in your case. You can look for recommendations from people you are in contact with.
If anyone you know has been in a similar situation and hired a lawyer, you can seek a recommendation from them. This way, you will choose a lawyer with experience similar to your situation and expect reliable expertise from them.
Other than this, you can research a personal injury lawyer online. Check their law firm and find the list of cases they have handled in the past. This will give you an overview of their experience and expertise so you can decide whether to proceed with them or not.
Verify The Attorney’s License
Once you have created a list of potential candidates to handle your case, prevent making a hasty decision at that time. Instead, first, ensure whether the lawyer is admitted to practice law in Southfield and has a good standing with the Southfield Bar Association.
You can research the details of the attorney at the Bar and find information related to when and where you graduated. With this detail in mind and surety about the lawyer, you can proceed to the next step of hiring confidently.
Create a List of Questions for Consultation
To make the right decision to hire a lawyer, it is crucial to have an in-person meeting. But before you schedule a meeting, consider preparing a list of questions that you want to ask the personal injury lawyer.
The more information you will get, the better you will decide and assess the lawyer. Therefore, start making a list of questions and concerns related to the cases, lawyer’s experience, and track record. In addition to this, you can ask who is going to handle the case.
As in most situations, personal injury cases are passed on to an associate. If the lawyer is directly supervising the case, it will be good for you to have their expertise to navigate the challenges. While preparing questions, ensure you carry out all the copies and records related to your case that will help the lawyer understand your situation.
Meet the Attorney for a Consultation
After preparing yourself for the meeting, you can now move forward to contact the law firm for a consultation. You might think it will cost you a fee. But don’t worry about any expenses. Fortunately, most personal injury lawyers offer free consultations.
If the listed personal injury lawyers are offering you free consultation, take this as an opportunity to discuss your cases and learn about your legal rights. While you are getting your case discussed, utilize this opportunity to assess the lawyer and their work ethics.
Find how the lawyer has communicated with you and whether you are comfortable with them. If you find the lawyer impatient, it can be a red flag to avoid working with. Lastly, ensure your lawyer respects you and has compassion to offer you the best possible help with the case.
Discuss the Fee of the Lawyer
It’s a known fact that most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee structure. This will give you relief from paying the lawyer upfront for the hiring process. However, you have to decide a percentage of the compensation you will get to pay the lawyer.
So, ensure you clarify all the details and decide what factors will impact the percentage. As every personal injury case is unique on its own, if the lawyer takes the case to court, the cost of their services will increase as well.
That is why you have to be transparent with the fee structure and who will manage the court expenses. Discuss how to manage the cost if the lawyer fails to recover any money. Until you are cleared about this all, it is advised not to sign a retainer agreement.
