Life is prone to accidents due to unforeseen and unpredictable incidents. If you or your family member has sustained an injury or a damage on account of someone else’s fault or negligence it is a really distressing. Injuries are usually caused due to mere carelessness and not deliberately or purposefully.
However, compensation or idemnity can be legally sought for an injury that is no way the fault of the injured person. This can be be done by filing a legal suit to seek compensation for the loss. Sustaining an injury itself is a frustrating one. However finding the right lawyer is in fact an even more intimidating and overwhelming task.
An injury attorney is a person who will represent in the court of law a person physically or emotionally injured or wounded due to the fault or carelessness of another person.
The lawyer you hire should be in a position to obtain a favorable settlement for you. Hence finding the right lawyer who can represent you in the court of law is a crucial factor in a successful recovery. The experience and skills of the lawyer plays an important role in determing the amount of compensation you receive.
Hence it is essential to ask the following questions before hiring an injury lawyer:
1. Nature of case he handles
Mostly lawyers are general practitioners and handle a little of almost everything. They may occasionally deal with injury related cases. Similarly a lawyer specialized in injury cases may not be fully equipped to tackle your case effectively. Some handle personal injury cases, others medical malpractice cases and some others accident cases. When interviewing them for the first time make sure they possess the skill and expertise to tactfully handle and provide a positive outcome for your case.
2. Experience
Experience is very essential in any type of law suit. When dealing with delicate cases that involve a lot of emotions and pains it is wise to select a lawyer who is skilled and qualified. Remember the lawyer’s experience and credentials play an essential role in deciding the success of your case. Hence enquire how long he has been practicing and whether he is a board certified and licensed personnel. Do enquire whether he has prior encounter especially with you kind of case.
3. Cost
The next question is to enquire about his fee structure. Legal cases are generally expensive and hence it is better to know the approximate cost involved. This will avoid shocks and surprises once the case is over. Most lawyers work on a contingency basis. Make sure whether they charge a contingency fee or an hourly rate. See what he demands and if it is viable and within your budget proceed in hiring him.
4. Duration of the case
Ask you lawyer to give an estimate of the time that will take to settle the case. Generally court proceedings and cases go on for a long period of time. Injury cases involve settlement of compensation and some clients cannot wait for a long time.
5. Frequency of his update on your case
A good attorney is a person who keeps you well informed of the proceedings of your case. You should be easily accessible to receive periodic status updates of what is happening in your case. Also enquire how often you can expect such status updates from him. Inform your lawyer about the best way to communicate with you.
What makes up a good personal injury lawyer?
- He should have a good academic background i.e. should have graduated from a reputable legal school.
- He should be experienced.
- He must be very well conversant with personal injury laws.
- He should also have a good experience in representing clients with personal injury claims.
- He should offer competitive charges- his charges should be comparable to those of other practicing personal injury lawyers.
It would also be important to enquire on the process that you will use to pay the lawyer. Some lawyer will require you to pay a retainer fee while other will prefer that you pay them their due from the settlement.He should be registered by relevant legal bodies.
It is important to consider the fact that you will spend a lot of time with the lawyer. For this reason, it is important to ensure that you choose a lawyer who you can easily relate with. If you have a lot of personal differences with the lawyer, it would become very difficult for both of you to cooperate fully throughout the length of your claim.
Be patient and allow the lawyer to work on your claim. You should take into consideration the fact that the lawyer has other cases that he is working on and therefore he occasionally needs a little bit time away from your case.
There are other factors that could delay your lawyer for example he must wait for example if you were injured in a mall while shipping, the lawyer must wait for the negotiations and internal processes to be complete in the, Mall Company. The best thing you can do at this point is to ask for regular updates from your lawyer.
Conclusion:
First of all you have to be comfortable with your lawyer so as to ask questions relating to his expertise, fees, experience and special knowledge. Remember, deciding to hire a reputable injury lawyer is a crucial decision to obtain a favorable settlement.
David Marocchi is personal injury lawyer, he is founding partner of Paramount Lawyers from Australia.
