Why Picking the Right Lawyer for Your Case is Important
For nearly every accident case, you’re going to need a lawyer. A study published by Nolo.com shows that 91% of personal injury cases with a lawyer result in a client getting a proper payout compared to 51% of personal injury cases that didn’t have a lawyer involved.
The average compensation for injury claims represented by a lawyer was $77.6k, compared to only a $17.6k average for injury claims that didn’t have legal representation by an attorney.
If you’re looking to recover your life, protect your rights, and maximize your proper compensation, you can’t afford to go without a lawyer. But not just any lawyer will do; accident cases take an average of 2.5 to 4 years to be resolved properly. Your case results can hinge on how thorough you are in picking the best lawyer possible to represent your case.
What should I look for in a personal injury lawyer?
Results
At the end of the day, you want the best personal injury lawyer for your case because you need the best chances of winning a fair resolution. A lawyer’s proven track record for handling similar cases and getting sizeable settlements or judgments is one of the best indicators that your case can get a good outcome.
Websites like TopVerdict.com can be helpful to research and verify a lawyer’s past work and results.
Specialization
Just like how there’s specific types of medicine, there’s many different and specific areas to the law which lawyers can base their careers on. Don’t settle for an inexperienced and unspecialized lawyer. You wouldn’t want a lawyer who has only worked on dog bite cases to handle your car accident, right?
Having a lawyer who specializes in your kind of case will ensure that they’re already familiar with the nuances of the law and will fully understand the tactics that insurance companies may try to use against your case in court.
Reputation
A lawyer’s reputation among the legal community as well as their clients is a strong indicator of how reliable and successful they can handle your case. Colleagues and previous clients can provide testimonials and recommendations to give you a better idea of the lawyer’s abilities, ethics, and winning track record.
Websites like Justia can provide online reviews from amongst the legal professional community, and you can ask for client references from the lawyer themselves or find testimonials on unbiased platforms like Google Maps Reviews and Yelp. More on finding client testimonials below.
Client Reviews
Client reviews for your potential lawyer can be found online across many platforms like Google Maps Reviews, FindLaw, Lawyers.com, BirdEye, Martindale-Hubbell, Facebook, and Yelp.
These can help provide insight into the lawyer’s win rate, the style in which they like to communicate with clients, and their customer service abilities, giving you a better idea of what to expect for responsiveness, empathy, and results.
Communication Skills
The core of a lawyer’s job is having good communication skills, not only within the courtroom but with the client as well. Accidents are tricky, life-changing events that require a legal professional who can listen empathetically and break down the legal process into simple steps for you. You may need to learn and adjust your recovery to account for hospital liens, child support, judgment proof defendants, and more.
The best lawyers won’t be afraid to be transparent about challenges and opportunities that arise during your case. They should be able to keep you actively informed about your case’s progress and options along the way, so that you can make informed decisions on how to proceed with your recovery.
Availability
When selecting a personal injury lawyer, it is crucial to consider how available they will be throughout your case. Your lawyer will need to dedicate enough time to schedule meetings, phone calls, send emails, and meet the proper legal deadlines to keep your case rolling.
If your lawyer isn’t available enough to keep you updated throughout every step, your case may suffer unnecessary delays or even get worse results.
Legal Fees
The old adage remains true: You get what you pay for. That’s why it’s important to know exactly how your accident lawyer plans on getting paid for the hours they spend working on your case.
Most accident lawyers work off of contingency, which means they get paid a percentage of the settlement or judgment that your case wins. The typical amount ranges from 33% to 35%, though various conditions like proceeding into litigation can increase this fee to 40% or even 50% of your winnings.
Stay vigilant about any potential hidden fees as well for your legal process. The best lawyers will be upfront and document all proper legal costs in your written agreement before you accept their services.
Case Management
When you hire a lawyer, you don’t only hire them, but their legal team as well. This is vital to your case’s success, as how effectively and timely your case is handled will impact your case’s results significantly. Maintaining a consistent and strong legal strategy for your case will be more difficult if your lawyer doesn’t have a dedicated team to handle all case management tasks in-house.
Your lawyer and their team should be able to not only file a lawsuit on your behalf, but obtain medical records, draft demand letters, and coordinate with your doctor or other medical professionals to align your physical recovery with your legal strategy and strengthen your personal injury claim.
Responsiveness
It’s a bad sign if a lawyer or their office can’t respond promptly to calls and emails within 1 to 2 business days. Being responsive and effectively communicating is essential to address inquiries and concerns from their clients.
The best lawyers can strongly and consistently communicate with their clients to instill confidence and show their commitment to resolving your case with great and timely results. Quick responsiveness is one of the key hallmarks of a lawyer’s professionalism.
Empathy
A lawyer who can not only understand the law, but recognize the emotional and physical costs of your injury will be more likely to be genuinely invested in your recovery and looking to get the best results for your case.
The best lawyers can take the time to listen to your story, understand your injury’s impact on your life, and treat you with the compassion and respect you deserve.
Trustworthiness
The attorney’s integrity, honesty, and commitment to serving your best interests will be key to obtaining the best results for your case.
You need someone who can be honest about your case’s timeline, potential results, and legal cost. You’ll also need to entrust sensitive information to your chosen accident lawyer, as they’ll be making decisions to benefit your recovery and case. To see how trustworthy they are, consider looking for references from past clients and observing the lawyer’s communication style and openness to addressing your concerns directly.
Trial Experience
It’s imperative to pick an accident lawyer with trial experience, as not all cases can be settled out of court. Insurance companies will recognize that you’re prepared to go the distance if your chosen lawyer has a track record of taking cases to trial, which may affect how much compensation you are offered.
If you’re looking for fast and strong results, the best choice is to pick a lawyer with trial experience, which may sway defendants into offering a fair settlement early. Ask the lawyer about the number of cases they’ve taken to trial and their win rate to get insight into their readiness to fight for your rights in court if your case requires it.
Jurisdiction and Licensing
Be sure to pick a personal injury lawyer that is licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where your case will be filed. Lawyers must be authorized to represent you in your state or territory where your accident occurred and where court proceedings will happen.
Additionally, this will ensure that your chosen lawyer is familiar with your specific state or territory laws, courtroom procedures, and damage caps. You can confirm your lawyer’s license through your state’s Bar Association or local legal directories and be assured that your lawyer is fully qualified and compliant with state regulations to represent your legal interests
At Win Nguyen Law, we’re proud to serve the communities of Orange County and Long Beach such as Irvine, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Westminster, Orange, Anaheim, Seal Beach, Tustin, Fullerton at no upfront cost.
Book a FREE consultation now to discuss your case details and be assured that you’re dealing with a legal team that knows how to fight for your case and win big results.
