If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation. A lawyer can help you handle the lawsuit, prepare you for your case, and help you settle your claim.
If you have never had to search for a lawyer before, you may not know what to look for. A quick google search will likely yield results of dozens of lawyers in your area, but how do you know what makes a good lawyer for you? Here are some steps you can take to ensure that you find the right lawyer for you.
- Make sure the lawyer practices law in your state and area. Your lawyer should be local to the state that you live in. This will ensure that they know the laws associated with your injury case. While it might seem obvious, it is always possible you find a lawyer outside your area that you like, but that doesn’t mean they are the right one for your case.
- Consider the types of cases the law firm handles. Lawyers can practice in many different areas of the law. This means that maybe you heard about a lawyer from a friend that helped them with their divorce. That doesn’t mean they will be able to handle your injury claim. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t want a general practitioner performing heart surgery, so why would you want a lawyer who doesn’t practice a personal injury lawyer to handle your case?
- Find out as much as you can online. The internet is a great tool; it can come in handy to learn about the lawyer you are looking into. You can learn a lot about a lawyer from their websites and reviews previous clients have left. If they have a lot of negative reviews, it is often in your best interest to move on to someone else.
- Schedule a consultation. Once you have a list of lawyers you want to talk to, start booking consultations. When you get to a consultation, you should interview the lawyer to ensure they are a good fit for you and your case. This means coming prepared with questions, details, and information you want to know. From there, you can determine if it will be a good fit.
- Determine if they have the experience to take your case to trial if necessary. While the goal shouldn’t be going to trial, you must know if your lawyer can. If your case needs to head that way, you want to find a lawyer comfortable in the court setting. If not, you could end up with a lower settlement than you need.
Finding the right lawyer is hard. You can trust that qualified personal injury lawyers like our friends at John K. Zaid & Associates have your best interests in mind.