If you have been injured and you are looking for a personal injury attorney, there are several things that you might consider to help you make the best choice. One of the primary indicators of a good personal injury attorney is a good reputation. You may also want to consider her attitude toward you and your case, and her experience.
Many people choose a personal injury attorney based on the recommendation of acquaintances. You may want to consider doing the same thing. If you know others who have had similar lawsuits, you may want to get advice from them. They may be able to recommend a good personal injury attorney to you or steer you away from a bad one.
If you live in a small area, it may be easy to research a local attorney’s reputation. Likely, you can do this even if you do not personally know any of her clients. You can simply ask around and see what responses you get.
It may not be wise to rely wholly on these responses if the people you talk to have not had any professional dealings with the attorney. At the very least, however, you will get an idea of how the individual is perceived in the community. This can be important if your case will be handled in that community because legal proceedings in small areas are often greatly impacted by the attitudes about or connections of the attorneys involved.
You may also want to restrict your choices to personal injury attorneys only. Although general practice attorneys may be able to assist you, allowing them to do so may not be the best option. An attorney that, for example, takes criminal cases and personal injury cases is not as likely to be as effective as one that focuses strictly on personal injury cases.
Personal injury law can be a broad field. It may be even better if you find a personal injury attorney who specializes in cases like yours. For example, if you have a worker’s compensation case, you may be better off with a worker’s compensation attorney than one who deals mostly in automobile accidents.
Some people choose attorneys based on their educational background. These people often believe that certain schools produce good attorneys. This may be true, but instead of focusing too much on the institution where an attorney studied, you may want to focus on her experience. More years in practice can often outweigh studying at a high-priced school.
Also, consider how the personal injury attorney acts toward you. If you consult with her and she treats your concerns and your case insignificantly, you may not want to retain her. A good lawyer should be willing to answer your questions and to help you fully understand the process that your case will have to follow. Carefully consider the choice before you hire an attorney who just wants you to leave the case in her hands.