6 Tips for Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney
Choosing a personal injury attorney can be overwhelming. There are an enormous number of options online, on television, billboards, and just about everywhere. Here are some things to keep in mind before making this incredibly important decision.
If you have been injured in an accident and feel like you need a lawyer, you might just be overwhelmed as to where to start looking. Local Indianapolis TV stations are saturated with personal injury lawyers vying for your business. You might do a simple Google search for “How do I choose a personal injury lawyer.” Even there, you come up with pages upon pages of names of personal injury attorneys from which to choose.
So, how do you decide which lawyer is the best fit for you? We put together a short list of things you should keep in mind when choosing an Indianapolis personal injury lawyer.
Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney
1. Experience
The personal injury practice has its own vocabulary, customs, practices, and rules. So ask the right questions. How many cases have they handled, and of what variety? What percentage of their practice is devoted to injury cases? The answers will tell you quickly whether they pass the experience test or not.
2. Resources
You want a law firm that has immediate access to healthcare professionals who assist in collecting, organizing, and evaluating medical information to build your personal injury case.
3. Courtroom Experience
There should be attorneys in place who can do more than take depositions and read hospital charts. You still need to be represented by lawyers who know their way around a courtroom.
4. Attorney Fees
It’s a contingent fee world today, and the old traditional 1/3 fee is still pretty much the rule. Although it is now common for the arrangement to go up to 40% if a suit and/or trial is required and to 50% in the event of an appeal. Trials are rare, and appeals are even more so, but those provisions are common in contingent fee contracts. All contingent fee agreements are required by law to be in writing.
5. Personality
While experience and skills to recover the compensation you are due is paramount, it is also important to hire an attorney that you feel comfortable with and can connect with on a personal level. Your injuries are personal and often emotional. You want a personal injury attorney that truly cares for you.
6. Meet Face to Face
Ask for a meeting with a potential attorney. Sit down and ask her/him about the items in tips 1-5. Most personal injury attorneys will be happy to meet with you and will hold a consultation at no cost to you. Some will even come to your home or your hospital room if you are unable to travel due to your injuries (we will).
Don’t just settle for any injury lawyer on the TV, internet, or even the back of the phone book. Get to know your attorney before you hire him/her and make sure he or she is the right fit for you. Call Garrison Law Firm today, and put us to the test! We would love to get to know you and discuss your personal injury case and how we can help you recover the compensation you are due.
