How to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney

When you’re seriously injured in any kind of accident and it’s someone else’s fault, you deserve to get compensated for the harm that you’ve suffered. You could be subject to a range of debilitating injuries that could require years of therapy to recover from, if at all. And that doesn’t even begin to touch the damage to your quality of life, your lost relationships, lost earnings and future potential earnings, pain and suffering and more.

Collecting on this compensation often requires the services of a strong personal injury lawyer. But a quick look on the Internet will reveal quite literally hundreds of attorneys, with potentially dozens in your immediate area. How do you know which is right for you? Discover some helpful and important tips for hiring a personal injury attorney who will be your strongest ally in getting compensated for your injuries.

Find Someone You Trust

The first step is to find an attorney you can trust and upon whom you can rely. After all, in many ways you’re putting your life in their hands. One of the best ways to do this is to turn to your personal support network. Do you have any friends who can recommend a good attorney? Have you ever used an attorney before who can help or recommend someone who can? What about work colleagues? If you’re a member of a victim’s support group, they may also be able to offer advice.

Personal recommendations are the best bet to find someone you can trust. Otherwise, turn to local sources like the local Chamber of Commerce or local bar association for a list of attorneys.

Do Your Homework

Once you’ve narrowed your list of attorneys down to a few, check their ratings and background. Hit up the state and local bar associations, check the Better Business Bureau and look for ratings and reviews online. Some good sources are Avvo and Super Lawyers.

The better the attorney, the more positive testimonials they should have. Pay close attention to negative reviews and look for underlying reasons why the negative review might have been given. Was it legitimate or is the client just angry they didn’t win a case?

Talk to Your Top Choices

Any good personal injury attorney will offer a free case evaluation and will not charge a fee if they don’t win your case. Those that charge any sort of up-front fee are a red flag. When you talk with the attorney, consider their experience and legacy. Have they been in business a long time, and do they have a list of successful case resolutions? What’s their current caseload like, and will they be able to devote enough time to your case?

How personable are they, and how prompt were they when they answered your initial contact? Remember, this is someone with whom you’ll have a relationship for a long time. Was their receptionist polite? Is their office organized? What was the wait time? Can they provide references? In the end, it comes down to how good you feel about this person and their ability to handle your case with authority and commitment. If not, move onto someone else.

If you’re in the New York area and in need of an experienced injury attorney who will get you the maximum possible settlement, consider Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC. We’ve got years of experience and will aggressively protect your rights. Give us a call for a free consultation today!