Personal Injury Lawyers- Selecting Right One For Your Case

If you have a personal injury case and need professional legal representation then selecting the right lawyer can prove challenging. There are plenty of them out there who will do a good job representing you on a personal injury case. The problem is how to find the one that is right for YOU and your situation. It can prove to be an exhausting process.

To make things easier we will present three steps that will allow you to make a good decision and find someone who will give you the best chance at success with your case.

Keep in mind that you need to be very careful about asking an lawyer how to select one because there is a tremendous incentive to say "pick me." You need to take the time to research to find out if they are truly "the best," and following these steps should allow you to do just that.

First, does the lawyer have a documented reputation for excellent legal ability and high ethical standards. I do not make ask the lawyer in question "do you have a good reputation." I mean research objective sources. Now the gold standard is Matindale Law Directory which rates the legal ability of lawyers in the United States as A, B, C, D, or no rating.

"A" and "B" ratings are the best. Why would you hire anyone less than an A or B rating?

You should also go to any perspective lawyer's website and see where they were educated. Do you see at least some of the lawyers of a particular firm graduating from Whitman, Standard, Princeton, Yale, etc

How are they looked on by their peers. You you see their names on other lawyer's websites or in legal journals? Are they considered an authority in their field?

Do not rely on the lawyer's own undocumented statements about his or her abilities. Check outside sources and make sure they authoritative sources.

Second, factor in the lawyer's experience in handling your type of personal injury case. Many individuals and firms do a fine job on family law, criminal law, business law, estate planning, and they do a little personal injury on the side.

I would recommend that you hire an experienced and focused personal injury lawyer. Relatively few lawyers devote their entire practice to representing individuals with claims to personal injury or wrongful death.

Additionally, some of these lawyers only take the small cases like slip & fall, dog bites, and whip lash. If you hire one of them the insurance company is going to know you are being represented by a person that takes ALL kinds of clients and will only have a general understanding of your specific case. The odds of you being successful or getting the maximum amount of compensation will be reduced.

You need to find out how many times the lawyer you are thinking about hiring has successfully tried a personal injury case and how many of those cases, if ever, ended with a verdict of over a million dollars. Nightly-nine out of one hundred cases the answer will be "no."

Do not allow the answer to be generalizations. Ask about specific cases with specific results. Remember, it is your job to thoroughly interview a lawyer for the job because he or she is going to working for you on a very important matter that will affect you life forever.Check their resume, case results, and pick a lawyer who is not afraid to lay out their qualification on the table in full.

Third, does the attorney inspire your trust and confidence? You should hire a lawyer in whom you feel absolutely 100% comfortable placing your trust and confidence in. Remember, this person is going to be employed by you and REPRESENTING you.

This person must be someone who you can easily talk to as if it were your own father or mother. The lawyer should explain the case to you in a clear understandable manner and advise you every step of the way on your situation. The best way to determine your comfort level with him is to personally meet the lawyer you plan to hire. If you want to take things a step at a time you may talk to him or her on the phone before you meet with them.

In conclusion, remember there are many good lawyers out there. But, they each have to meet three qualifications to make them right for your specific personal injury case. They should:

1. have a documented reputation for excellent legal ability and high ethical standards
2. posses successful experience in handling your particular type of personal injury case
3. be someone you can easily talk to inspire your trust & confidence

When you follow these three steps you be in a great position to find a personal injury lawyer best suited to represent you and handle your case. The process in processing and negotiating a large personal injury claim is long and Research has to be compiled, hearings scheduled, and meetings attended by both parties that last for hours. Do not skip these steps when choosing your attorney because a good one can make this whole ordeal much easier while a bad one, or one not suited for your case, can have the opposite affect.