Nobody wants to get hurt, but there is a good chance that you will suffer some sort of relatively serious injury at some point in your life. Every year, in America, an average of 6 million vehicle accidents occur. Also, around 5 million get bitten by dogs and about 1 million people end up visiting the emergency room after being hurt in a slip and fall accident.
Given all of the above, there is no shortage of lawyers offering personal injury claims services. If you have been hurt, having plenty of choices is generally a good thing. But, it can be tricky to narrow down your options and hire the one that will build a strong case for you. The tips we share below are designed to make it easier for you to do so.
Seek out a lawyer with experience that is relevant to your case
It is always a good idea to hire someone who is used to dealing with your kind of claim. If you have been injured as a result of medical negligence a car accident lawyer would not be in a position to help you much. They would have very little knowledge of how a doctor should have handled your case. Nor will they have easy access to a network of medically qualified expert witnesses they can consult and use to fact check. Whereas a lawyer who mainly deals with medical negligence injury claims would.
Make sure they have a good reputation and are qualified
Use the internet to find out what you can about their previous work. Read reviews and any forum comments you can find. If that does not reveal much information. Use some of the techniques outlined in this article.
Understand how much they charge
In America, there are several fee structures that the legal profession typically uses. You can find out more about them here. Doing so will help you to understand how much your lawyer will charge and when they will need to be paid.
Take advantage of free consultations
Most legal firms in the USA offer you the chance to have a free consultation. This is usually provided in the form of a short phone call or a live chat session. You can use this to check out various lawyers to see which one you prefer. Naturally, there are limits to how long they will spend talking to you and what they will tell you. But, you can still glean lots of useful information this way and, more importantly, get a feel for whether that particular lawyer is a good fit for you.
Be sure to contact a lawyer fairly quickly after having an accident
If you have been hurt, it is important to consult a lawyer fairly quickly. A lot of people make the mistake of waiting too long to do so.
Often, they do not realize that there are statutes of limitations that apply to personal injury claims. Some of them are as short as a year. If you miss the deadline to file there is nothing further that can be done to secure compensation. It is also important to bear in mind that your lawyer will need time to research your case and prepare the filing paperwork.
