If you suffer injuries as a result of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. Such injuries could be a result of accidents in the workplace, car accidents, medical malpractice, and various other instances. The value of the settlement you will receive depends entirely on the strength of your claim and the evidence you have to prove negligence on the defendant's part.
Regardless of the severity of your injury, you have higher chances of winning the lawsuit if you hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you. If you have been injured in Columbus due to someone else’s negligence, contact a Columbus law firm and take advantage of their experienced personal injury attorneys who can help you get justice.
However, before you hire a personal injury attorney, you need to know how to go about it. Read on for six tips on how to select a personal injury lawyer.
1. Conduct Research on Personal Injury Attorneys
There are many personal injury attorneys, each with the desire to represent you. Therefore, you have to take your time and research some of them to know who to pick. You can visit their websites for detailed information, which may include their experience, success rate, and testimonials from their clients. You can also read online reviews from their previous clients from reliable third party websites. If someone refers you to a particular attorney, ask them why they think that attorney could help you with your case.
2. Interview the Attorney
Arrange for a meeting with the attorney at their office; during the client meeting, the attorney will ask you questions about your case. After the meeting, the attorney might ask if you have questions for them.
Ask all the questions you can, from their experience handling similar cases to their availability for inquiries about the case. Make sure that you leave the office with more answers than questions.
3. Inquire About the Case
Once you decide to hire them as your attorney, you should give them all the information about your case. You can ask them for the legal opinion about your case, for example, the possibility of winning, percentage of contributory negligence, the estimated time it will take for the case to end, among others. An excellent personal injury attorney will have honest answers to all your questions.
4. Legal Fees
You should know how much an attorney charges for their services before you decide to hire them officially. When it comes to personal injury claims, most attorneys charge a contingency fee. The attorney will deduct a certain percentage from the compensation if you win the case; if you lose the case, the attorney will not receive anything. Some attorneys charge a fee even after losing the case; ask them if they do so before giving them your case.
5. Ask Who Will Work on Your Case?
Law firms differ on how they work on a case; large law firms have departments with attorneys handling specific cases while small law firms have one or two attorneys handling all the cases. If you approach a big law firm, the chances are very high that several attorneys might handle your case. Ask who will handle the case and request for their contact. You can request for attorneys with less experience not to handle your case.
6. Check Their Practicing Status
Attorneys have to practice within certain jurisdictions according to their bar association membership. If you are injured in the State of California, you cannot seek an attorney from the State of South Dakota to represent you.
You should also check that the attorney is in good standing with their bar association; for example, they do not have pending disciplinary cases against them.
Reach Out to a Personal Injury Lawyer
Being careful while selecting a personal injury lawyer will ensure that you have the best lawyer representing you. If you have been injured due to another person’s negligence, you can hire an attorney to help you recover damages.
