When you are injured through no fault of your own and want to try and pursue your legal options for recourse, you'll likely want to have a personal injury attorney on your side. However, choosing the right attorney to take your case and represent you isn't always simple. There are thousands of lawyers in the Martin County area, most of which would be happy to take your case, so how do you know you're choosing the right one? The process may seem intimidating, but it doesn't have to be difficult if you know what to look for in a quality representative.Here are five things to look for when selecting legal counsel for your injury case.Do They Take Personal Injury Cases?You wouldn't hire a plumber to fix your air conditioner or an electrician to give your garden a makeover, so why would you hire an attorney who doesn't handle personal injury law to take your case? There are loads of different types of lawyers, and each type generally specializes in a different type of law, be it criminal defense, civil law, family law, or personal injury law. There are lawyers who handle cases from different practice areas, but the saying "jack of all trades, master of none" does have some truth to it: an attorney who doesn't focus on one specific type of law probably isn't going to yield the best results.Ask your attorney about their typical caseload, and what percentage of that load is personal injury law. If less than 80 percent of the cases they take are in personal injury, you may want to consider a different lawyer as you likely won't get the experienced counsel you need for the best possible outcome.Do They Have a History of Success?Even if you find an attorney who only takes personal injury cases, not all attorneys are on equal footing. Generally, attorneys who have practiced for a longer period of time and have more years of experience will also have recognitions and accolades to go with it, along with a long list of case successes.It's not rude to ask your attorney about their experience in the past and what they've done. In fact, it's encouraged and most attorneys will relish in the opportunity to brag about some of the awards and distinguished honors they've earned over the course of their career, plus some of the most notable case victories both in terms of a successful outcome and how much they recovered for their client.Do They Listen to You?Unfortunately there are a number of attorneys out there who try to take a pretty standard "cookie-cutter" approach to each case they take, usually based off a formula they developed in their early days of success, with slight changes made to fit it to your case. This isn't the best way to approach an injury case: your injury is as unique as you are, and your case needs to be treated as such. How do you know that your attorney is giving you this level of care and attention? Simple: they listen to you when you're talking and they want to get to know how your accident has affected your life and your family. They'll listen to your story and your goals for your case and then adjust the way they handle your case.It's an attorney's responsibility to guide you and make your goals more realistic, so you'll need to listen to them as well, but you should feel confident and know that your interests are being looked out for.Do You Understand Their Fee Structure?A good attorney won't hide anything in the way that their fee structure works. They'll be super clear about what they charge for, be it hours of office work, document filing, or anything else, and they'll inform you about that clearly in writing before you ever sign a retainer contract. Most personal injury attorneys will operate on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won't have to pay them unless they manage to win your case and recover compensation on your behalf. However, a good attorney will tell you what percentage of your settlement they charge, plus any other fees so you can plan ahead.Attorneys who don't go over their fee schedule with you in detail should raise a huge red flag, as you may not know what it is you're signing up for. You could find yourself charged thousands of extra dollars at the end of your case for additional services you didn't know were part of the arrangement. Always make sure you read this part of the retainer contract, and ask questions about anything you don't completely understand.We would love to represent you! Call Lauri J. Goldstein & Associates, PLLC at 866-675-4427 and let one of our Martin County personal injury lawyers handle your case.
