Selecting a Personal Injury Lawyer can be a daunting task. There are a lot of factors to consider, all of which are important when you may be wrestling with a debilitating injury. Here are the top things you should look for when selecting a Personal Injury Lawyer.
Experience and previous success of your Personal Injury Lawyer
A good Personal Injury attorney has experience with cases similar to yours. When you meet with a perspective Injury Lawyer ask them if they’ve ever had a case like yours. Find out if they are successful. If they weren’t successful, ask them why and listen carefully. Even good lawyers can lose cases. It’s important to find out why and ask yourself if your situation is different.
Communication
It is important that you are able to talk with your lawyer and their staff. This is your advocate with the judge and potential jury. If you can’t communicate with them, there’s a good a chance others will find it difficult. The last thing you want in court is a lawyer who is unable to effectively portray your side of the story.
Retainer Fees
A good lawyer is willing to work on a contingency. Which means they will only get paid if you win, and then they will only take a percentage of that. So this can never cost you more than you receive. There is not typically a retainer. If there is this can be a large upfront number that the Lawyer uses to fund either the entire case or the first half. Retainers are generally bad ideas in Personal Injury cases. If your lawyer is confident in your chances he will take a percentage of your winnings.
Realistic Expectations
You want your lawyer to tell you the truth, always. If you really are wasting your time it’s good to know this before you are months into a trial. Beware of lawyers that promise you the world in exchange for a retainer fee. Also watch if their tune changes after they are paid. If a lawyer suddenly loses confidence in your case after they have been paid a retainer, you may have a serious problem.
Free Consultation
At Wesley Chapel Law Firm we believe firmly in this practice. We need to fully understand what your situation is before we can make any recommendations. It’s important that when you leave a free consultation you feel you’ve been heard. You may not like what the lawyers have to say about your chances of winning, but a good lawyer will tell you the truth even if it means you won’t be his client.
In Conclusion:
Your personal injury lawyer is going to be fighting on your behalf. It is important that they are good fighters and someone you can trust. It’s also important that you have an experienced firm that navigated these waters before. Chances are this is your first and hopefully last Personal Injury Lawsuit.
For more information please contact us at: 813-909-9254