After you've been in an accident, you may be dealing with a lot of emotional trauma, physical injuries, property damage, and financial troubles. The last thing you may want to do is research personal injury lawyers. However, to make sure you are protected and compensated for your pain, injuries, and damage, you need to get a lawyer as quickly as possible. A lawyer will represent you and protect you from the insurance companies that will not have your best interests in mind.
Here are a few tips to help you choose a personal injury lawyer.
1. What experience do they have with personal injury cases?
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While all attorneys need to start somewhere, you want an attorney with the experience you need to win your case. Since you do not know how your case will progress, you need to find a personal injury attorney with experience settling out of court and going to court. While ideally, you will be able to settle the case out of court, if it does go to trial, you want an attorney with experience in a courtroom.
The more experience your attorney has, the more familiar they will be with the laws and previous cases that will benefit you the most. They will also know the types of questions and information that will be valuable to your lawsuit. They will know the right questions to ask and the best information to gather. They will also understand how trials go, and the best image that needs to be presented for the trial to go in your favor.
2. Do they have proven results?
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Choose a law office that can prove they've won cases. Experience in the courtroom isn't helpful if they've lost every case they've represented. If you are looking for San Diego personal injury attorneys, you can look at the Gomez Trial Attorneys website and see the dozens of cases they've won and the amount of money they were able to get for their clients. They stand behind their experience and claims, so you can feel confident hiring them. When talking to a potential personal injury attorney, ask them about their record of winning cases.
3. Have they been publicly recognized in any way?
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While winning awards shouldn't be a dealbreaker, it does demonstrate their reputation within the community and among their clients. Awards show the confidence others have in the firm, their expertise, and their commitment to the community. It may also demonstrate activism in their community. Do a quick online search when preparing to call a firm to see what you can learn from their website and other online sources.
4. Will they be available to you?
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The last thing you want is to hire an attorney who never answers your calls and leaves you wondering what is happening with your case. When you first call, you will do an evaluation that will allow them to hear about the accident and determine if you have a case. However, this is also a time to decide if they are right for you. It is important to ask who will be working on your case and what kind of communication you can anticipate. Ask how they handle cases and what type of investigation they will be doing on your behalf.
Because of the sensitive nature of lawsuits following an accident, it is crucial to hire an attorney quickly because the insurance companies will be calling you almost immediately, trying to gather the information that can be used against you. However, you don't want to make your decision hastily. Take the time to ask questions and make sure you are comfortable with the answers before making a decision.
