Getting hurt can severely impact your quality of life. Working and providing is directly tied to your health. Seems obvious, right? Yet, so many people that do get hurt do not take the appropriate steps to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their rights. Regardless of how clear cut a scenario may seem, the legal field is very complex. A personal injury lawyer is the most effective means of protecting your rights as you deal with the stress, doctors, and recovery.
Be capable of success and knowledgeable.
Be accessible and return calls promptly.
Be willing and patient to ensure you understand.
And now to separate the “right” from wrong…
*Analyze A Lawyer’s Website
Once upon a time, running out of business cards was an unforgivable act. Handing a business card to a potential customer was a means of enabling future communication. Not having them inferred that the person was not looking to their future success. The business card of today is the website. That makes any business’s website a good place to start your evaluation. No website? Keep looking!
Read through the “About Us” section. “About Us” will often include things like mission statements, what motivates the lawyer, and why they decided on this branch in the first place. A lawyer that pursues this branch of law because they or someone close to them suffered is going to understand your struggles much better. The “About Us” section should also include how long they have been practicing in the appropriate field.
Look for a section highlighting “Contributions”. A lawyer that is involved in the legal community, law groups in their discipline, writes papers, gives presentations, teaches, or provides analysis (such as for news organizations) is to be viewed as very knowledgeable. This lawyer understands their discipline well enough that other professionals are willing to entertain their knowledge and opinions. That is a huge nod to credibility.
*Person To Person Interaction
The internet makes it simple for people from all over the world to come together. In this case, it is not in your best interest to secure a lawyer from the other side of the country. Start with local lawyers and work your way out to nearby cities. That keeps your representation in a location accessible to you. If you need to sign forms or have a discrepancy to clear up, an office visit is much quicker than waiting for the mail.
Free consultation is an industry standard. The consultation will likely be with an employee of the lawyer or firm. This is a great opportunity to see how this entity approaches their public relations. The person you are meeting with should be passionate about understanding your situation and finding a resolution. It is reasonable to judge the entire firm based off of this person’s demeanor and actions.
A personal injury lawyer does not have a practice without people to represent. A lawyer that does not understand the importance of the person giving the free consultation is demonstrating an incredible shortsightedness- one on par with not having a business card or a website.