Some lawyers have specialties and some are more generalized. It is a good idea to find a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries because they will be more familiar with the laws and resources that are applied in your situation. They will be familiar with filing a personal injury claim and can walk their clients through the process, ensuring that all deadlines are met and all necessary paperwork is filed.

Find a lawyer that his experience with similar cases. A slip-and-fall case will be handled differently than vehicle accident.

Find a Lawyer with a High Success Rate and Good Referrals

Most personal injury claims are settled, meaning only a few cases go to trial. Find a lawyer with successful settlement ratings as well as successful trial ratings even if the case never has to go to trial. If a lawyer cannot provide a success rate, they may not have one. Online reviews of lawyers and law firms are easy to come by these days. Do some research and pay attention to the good and bad reviews. Get referrals from friends, family, or coworkers. These days, it is easy to even ask on social media platforms for referrals and reviews.

Work on Contingency

Lawyers are expensive; they charge hundreds of dollars an hour for their work. Hire a lawyer that works on contingency. They do not get paid until their clients get paid, saving a client from a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.   Average contingency fees can vary but as a whole, look for a lawyer between 25% and 40% for their fee.

Hire a True Professional

It may go without saying, but hiring a lawyer who acts most professionally can do a lot better than hiring the cheapest lawyer or the lawyer who takes the smallest fee. Professionalism in a lawyer is so important that the ABA (American Bar Association) even calls their rules that lawyers have to follow “Model Rules for Professional Conduct.” Professionalism doesn’t just start and stop at the lawyer’s door.

Questions to Consider

The process of hiring a lawyer can be overwhelming. Knowing what to expect before you choose a lawyer can make the process easier. By composing a list of questions to ask ahead of time before making phone calls, you can help the hiring process go more smoothly.

Possible questions to ask are:

• How many years has the lawyer been practicing law?
• How many personal injury cases have they handled?
• What is the average amount of compensation?
• Do you often settle or go to trial and what do you think will happen in my case?
• How much will it cost to hire you?
• Do you work on contingency?
• What is the contingency fee?
• Have you handled a case similar to mine?
• Does the lawyer have experience dealing with insurance companies?
• Why are you the best of the personal injury lawyers near me?

Why Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?  

There are numerous reasons why hiring a knowledgeable personal injury attorney just makes sense. First of all, advice provided by a personal injury lawyer can help to negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company. There is peace of mind for a client knowing that someone is on their side who has a thorough understanding of the law and is dedicated to protecting their rights by hiring a personal injury lawyer.

They Will Save Time and Energy

There is a great deal of paperwork and evidence to gather when filing a personal injury claim, and it is often difficult to know where to start. An injury lawyer can assist in the gathering of all of this information and negotiating with the insurance company as well.

They Will Fight to Achieve the Best Possible Outcome

As well as building a strong case and presenting it in the most persuasive way possible, an experienced lawyer will also be familiar with the opposition’s tactics and can counter them effectively.

It is often best to hire a personal injury lawyer to ensure clients receive the compensation they deserve as they will access a network of experts to provide testimony.

Cost Efficiency

Some lawyers work on a contingency basis; they don’t get paid unless they win the case. That means there are no upfront costs for hiring a lawyer.  Contingency fees put the risk of losing the claim from the claimant to the lawyer meaning the attorney takes on some financial risk by using a contingency fee billing method. Again, Average contingency fees can vary but as a whole, look for a lawyer between 25% and 40% for their fee.

What to Expect?

• There are a few key steps that most personal injury cases follow, but the process can be complicated and take a long time.
• A lawyer will file a personal injury lawsuit against the person responsible for their client’s injuries.
• Next, the process of discovery will begin. In discovery, both sides will collect evidence and take statements (called depositions) from witnesses. This phase and can be drawn out and may take months or years.
• After discover, a case may go to trial or be settled. At trial, both sides will give their evidence and argue their side of the case. A trial can take days or weeks.
• Finally, the judge or jury will reach a verdict.

Laws can change every year. There is a difference between statutes, which is what most people consider when they are considering legalities, and case law which is law or rulings based off of previous cases in the state. Case law can be a major factor in the outcomes of some lawsuits and hiring a lawyer that is able to keep up with changing case law will help get the best results.

It is always best to do research and put in some time before hiring a lawyer. Do not just hire whoever is the least expensive. Hire someone who is easy to work with, shows their knowledge, has good references and referrals and is willing to fight for the right outcome. Remember working with a lawyer on contingency is often the best option for personal injury cases.