If you have been injured in an accident, seeking legal help from a personal injury lawyer is an important step in recovering the compensation you deserve. With a seemingly never-ending number of options available, choosing a lawyer can be overwhelming. Therefore, in this article, we will explore some guiding principles and things to consider when choosing a personal injury lawyer.
Expertise
The first thing that you will want to consider when choosing a personal injury lawyer is to find someone who has expertise. While making sure you pick a lawyer experienced in personal injury law is one step in the right direction, ensuring that they have experience within your niche is crucial. For example, if you have been injured in a car accident, it would be wise to choose a personal injury lawyer who specializes in or has a wealth of experience working with car accident cases.
Experience
Another important factor that you can use to help differentiate lawyers from one another is experience. Generally speaking, it is encouraged that you choose a St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer who has several years of experience. Better yet, it is better to choose someone who has several years of experience working with your specific type of case and within the city or state where you are filing. Having a lawyer with experience is beneficial in that they will be able to adapt to unexpected bumps in the road and will have familiarity with local jurisdictions and laws.
Case Results
When choosing a lawyer, another thing to keep in mind is whether they have been successful in their area of practice. Remember, experience does not always equate to success. Dive into the case results of the lawyers that you are considering and see how many favorable outcomes they have had. Also, take note of whether these were settlements or verdicts. Overall, the more insight you have into the lawyer’s past successes, the more confidence you will have in them to win your case.
Client Testimonials and Reviews
Another thing to consider when choosing a personal injury lawyer is to look at client testimonials and reviews. Often, you can find these on a lawyer’s website, however, these are 9/10 times going to only display the highest rated and best depictions of the lawyer.
Therefore, also look into the public reviews of the lawyer on other platforms such as Google, Yelp, Justia, or Avvo. By reading these testimonials and reviews, you will hopefully gain insight as to how the lawyer or firm operates and learn about potential deal breakers such as timeliness.
Free Consultations
A final thing that you should make sure to take advantage of when choosing a lawyer is free consultations. The wide majority of personal injury lawyers offer free consultations, providing potential clients with the opportunity to ask important questions, learn about the lawyer’s approach to handling cases, and address any uncertainties. These free consultations can provide great insight as to whether this is someone that you will entrust with your personal injury case.