Seeking a personal injury lawyer is rarely pleasant. Luckily, it’s something we only have to do every so often. Don’t let your emotional state get in the way of a rational decision, or your inexperience might land you incompetent counsel. We hope the standards in this article might be of help. They are pretty exacting, so don’t be surprised if your lawyer doesn’t pass them all with flying colors, but following them will paint a pretty accurate portrait of who they are as a professional.
What are their references? The issue of references is a tricky one in the legal profession, as contact details cannot be revealed due to attorney-client privilege. Ask your lawyer and see how they respond to this request. A good attorney will be able to point you towards public records that indicate their name as legal counsel, as well as the outcome of the case. These records are public.
Do they have social media profiles? If so, check them out. LinkedIn has a space for recommendations where you can review a past client’s experience. Take these with a grain of salt as you can choose which reviews to publish to your profile and which to delete. If an attorney has numerous referrals from people with extensive profiles, it’s a good sign. Also, go on their Facebook. See if any of the business connections on their page (under the “likes” tab) were former clients. A good lawyer is like a good mechanic, if you’ve found one, you will be happy to share the news.
Are they registered with the local Bar association? This one seems obvious but you never know. We are not aware of any recent cases of personal injury lawyers operating without accreditation but it is always better to check.
Is it a large outfit or a small shop? Though it’s not fair to generalize, there is a general tendency amongst smaller offices to be more available and perhaps work a little bit harder to retain your patronage. But they are not equipped to go to bat on large or complicated cases such as pharmaceutical injuries, defective product cases, or any case really where there are a lot of complexities at stake. You have to make this determination yourself but keep in mind, no major lawsuits are won by solopreneurs- It requires a sophisticated team.
How have they performed in the past? Oddly enough, one of the best kept secrets about jurisprudence is that past cases are almost always public. The local library or county registrar will certainly have a few cases on file where your candidate was the legal counsel. Nowadays, these facilities will be equipped with intranet search, so a five minute stop-off might yield some interesting results.
Do they have any hidden fees? No personal injury attorney should stuff their contract with fee contingencies. The name of the game is no-win, no-fee. In many states adding such clauses is illegal. Another factor to look at is how equitable the settlement share is. If they are taking too much from the settlement, you should consider other options.
Further reading – Work Accident Claim