how to hire your injury lawyer tips and tricks
1. I'm sure you'll hire your lawyer the better. Start searching for your personal injury lawyer within a week after your accident. If you are not physically capable you should have a friend or loved-one start looking. The sooner you start building your case the best.
2. Have a meeting face-to-face with your prospective lawyer. Your personal injury lawyer is going to be your closest advisor during this difficult time. You must feel comfortable and trust your lawyer. The only way to get an idea of the lawyer, is to have a sit-down to discuss your case. Any personal injury lawyer will give you a good free initial consultation.
3.Hire a personal injury lawyer who specializes in your specific type of injury. Do your homework before signing the retainer agreement. Visit the company and read about its history and biographical information of each lawyer. Ask the lawyer for some referrences and ask how much experience they have in handling cases of similar injuries. What settlement price did they get in these cases?
4. Beware of ambulance chasers. The goal of these lawyers is to get lots of minor personal injury cases and settle them quickly - they make their profit from high turnover. So naturally they will not put much time and effort in each case as it should. (If you are looking for a quick resolution is willing to accept less than what your case is really worth.)
5. Hire a lawyer who will take your case on a contingency basis. This means that your lawyer will not be paid unless you get paid. He will take his fee out of the money you receive for your injuries. You can expect your lawyer to take about 33% of your final settlement - that's after expenses are taken on top. Make sure you understand the payment structure before signing the retainer agreement.
6. Hire a lawyer with a good Martindale-Hubbell rating. This service evaluates lawyers in the U.S. and Canada based on peer review. Their website, Martindale.com has a helpful lawyer locator service and explain the scoring system.
7. Always be completely open and honest when discussing your case with a lawyer. Tell the lawyer as much as you can about what happened. Try to remember all the details. Any documentation and pictures you have of your injuries and treatment will be a big help when evaluating your case.
Never give a recorded statement to a representative of any insurance company until you have consulted a lawyer. When the representative. an application simply say, "I'm not ready to make a statement right now." A recorded statement can be used as evidence and if you are not prepared, you may forget important details. Anything you miss ( or misrepresentation) may be used against you in settlement negotiations and trial.
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1 comments:
Another tip is to hire lawyers specializing in injury only. They are more knowledgeable and skilled compared to those who handle several cases in different niches.