Find the Right Personal Injury Law Attorney / Lawyer For You
With all the advertisements for personal injury lawyers on TV, in the yellow pages and on the internet how do you choose the right personal injury attorney for you? Personal injury lawyers often offer a free initial consultation. Take advantage of that consultation to interview a few different attorneys and possibly meet with them in person.
Use this time to find out about the attorneys' education, background and experience. Have they handled personal injury cases like yours before, and if so how many? Ask what their philosophy is regarding litigation vs. negotiation.
During the initial consultation discuss payment options. Very often personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Frequently the personal injury lawyer will pay for the filing and court fees as well as investigators and expert witnesses' fees up front. Determine if you will be responsible for any of those fees that the attorney paid in the event there is no recovery on your case. Also determine exactly what percentage of the winnings will they keep. Generally, a contingency rate of 25-40% is reasonable depending upon the complexity of the case and the experience of the attorney. Keep in mind that the most expensive attorney may not be the best one for your case. The flip side of that is you shouldn't necessarily hire the cheapest attorney either.
Anything that you and the attorney agree upon should always be in writing. Be sure to read and understand the attorney-client agreement thoroughly before signing it. If you have questions, the time to ask them is BEFORE you sign the agreement.
When it comes to making a decision on choosing a personal injury attorney, be sure that you feel both comfortable and confident that the attorney can handle your case and will work hard to get the best outcome possible.
