Monday, January 9, 2009
Some people are aware of the top personal injury lawyers, but the majority are not. The names you see in the newspaper could be some of the greatest, or they could be good at getting their names in the press but not so good at representing their clients.
Board certification is a good place to start. In many areas of the law, including Personal Injury Trial Law, the Texas Bar Association establishes minimal standards for Board Certification. http://www.tbls.org/static/pdf/attstdpi.pdf
When a person has experienced a serious injury or the death of a loved one, they may immediately think of a well-known lawyer they saw on television or read about in the papers. Famous lawyers, on the other hand, are in high demand and may not be able to work on your case. He or she may have associates who work for them, and one of them may handle your case. Make sure you know who will be lead counsel on the case and who will be in charge of the case's pre-trial preparation, mediation, and trial.
Every case is unique, therefore you may not be able to find a lawyer who has handled a case similar to yours. However, there are several types of situations, and it's crucial to find out if the lawyer has any expertise with yours. The fact that a lawyer has successfully handled numerous vehicle accident cases does not imply that he is also knowledgeable in medical malpractice or airline disaster matters. Many traumas, such as closed head injuries, have intricacies that require prior knowledge in the field.
A lawyer who works hard and is honest is nearly always a better bet than one who just tells you "what you want to hear." Spend enough time with the lawyer to ensure that you can trust them. Is the lawyer looking you in the eyes and paying attention to you? Is he acting as if he knows everything the first time you meet? Is he claiming to be clairvoyant in order to reassure you? Some lawyers will say anything in order to secure a favorable case. Then comes the awful news. Make sure you and your attorneyare both realistic about the situation. A picture of personal injury law on website It can be costly to create some cases. If a lawyer cannot afford to adequately develop a case, the case's worth may suffer. Make sure the lawyer is very forward with you about how much time and money will be required to complete the case.
The majority of personal injury clients cannot afford to hire an attorney by the hour. These disputes can take years to resolve, and legal bills can be extremely costly. Because of this, the law allows for contingent fees. A contingent fee is when an attorney agrees to take a percentage of the client's recovery as payment.
Most personal injury cases entail financial outlays for things like filing fees, medical records, deposition charges, expert fees, and so on. Hourly lawyers ask that the client pay the expenditures, which are normally paid monthly over the course of the case.
When selecting a lawyer, the client should not be afraid to interview multiple lawyers before making a decision. This is a significant decision that should be made carefully.