6 Traits to Expect from Quality Personal Injury Lawyers
If you’re dealing with injuries and a legal case, you’re stressed enough. Here are 10 traits you can expect from quality, successful personal injury lawyers.
If you’ve been injured in an accident at work, the victim of a car accident based on the negligence of others, or are dealing with the results of poor medical care, then we know that you’re already on the hunt for a good attorney.
Maybe your injury makes it hard to sleep at night, forces you to take strong medication, or has even left you with limited mobility.
So, what should you look for when you’re in the process of interviewing personal injury lawyers?
While some traits will depend on the specifics of your case, there are a few hard and fast rules that you shouldn’t ignore when it comes to choosing the right lawyer.
Ready to find out more about how to find an attorney that will fight for you?
If so, then you should keep on reading this post.
1. Proper Licensing
Of course, the first thing that you want to do when learning more about a personal injury claim lawyer is to make sure they are licensed to practice law in your state.
The best place to go to check out and verify the licensing information of personal injury lawyers in your state? The American Bar Association’s website and database.
Simply click on the state where your case is located, then type in your attorney’s name into the search bar. You want to ensure that they are licensed in the state, and that their license is still currently active.
2. A Strong Web Presence
Once you’ve verified the licensing of a personal accident lawyer, you should also take a look at their web presence.
Is their website professional, frequently updated, and does it clearly list their contact information? Does it include testimonials, information about common legal problems, or have a blog?
If so, then you know you’re on the right track.
For example, take a look at the website of these attorneys.
In addition to excellent biographies and trial information about the firm’s lawyers, the site also contains the areas of personal injury law that they specialize in. These areas are organized according to incidents like truck and bus accidents, defective drugs, pedestrian injuries, and more.
These are the kinds of specifics that you’ll want to look out for.
3. An Excellent Trial Record
When you meet or speak with a personal injury lawyer in your area, you want to make sure that you have as much information as possible about their past trial records.
While it’s not realistic to expect zero case losses, see if they have experience with your specific case type, how often they’re able to settle out of court, and how many cases they’ve won.
You should also look into the amount of settlement that they’ve been able to win for their past clients, as well as the average length of the trials they’ve worked on in the past.
This will help you to better determine the kind of outcome that you may be able to achieve in your own case.
4. Great Industry Contacts
A personal injury claim lawyer should have numerous contacts within not only the legal profession, but also within the medical field.
They’ll also need to have connections with accident reconstruction specialists, mental health professionals, union representatives, and even financial experts who can ensure you’re requesting the proper settlement amount.
Ask your attorney what sorts of legal associations and law guilds that they belong to. This will give you a good idea of the network they’ve created for themselves. Additionally, be sure to ask about the qualifications of anyone else who may be working on your case.
5. A Specialization in Personal Injury Law
Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of working with lawyers who do not specialize in personal injury.
Your case is simply too important to leave in the hands of someone who only practices personal injury law secondarily.
Without this specialization, your attorney won’t be as experienced in things like Tort Law, collecting the proper evidence, or even the ins and outs of how a personal injury court case should play out.
Do you really want to risk working with someone who may not know the proper paperwork to file, or who could overlook key case details?
Work only with personal injury lawyers to ensure you have the best chance at justice.
6. Superior Communication Skills
Before you make a final decision about a potential personal accident lawyer, you need to ensure that they have strong communication skills.
This is why it’s so important to schedule an in-person case evaluation or consultation. First of all, doing so gives you the chance to ask all the right questions about their qualifications and experience.
But it also allows you to see how they explain difficult legal concepts to you. Are they clear and concise? Do they seem confident about your case? Are they persuasive? Most of all, do you feel heard and listened to?
If a personal injury lawyer can’t even get their own client on their side, there’s no way they’ll be able to convince a courtroom.
Looking for More Information About Personal Injury Lawyers?
From the right trial experience to great communication skills, we hope you’ve learned about the kinds of traits you should look for in personal injury lawyers.
Above all, remember to go with your gut. If you feel like there’s just not a connection between you and the lawyer — even if they have excellent credentials — it’s best to move on.
Looking for additional advice about working with legal professionals? Want to understand more about how to best prepare for a case?
We can help you with that.
Explore our blog for more information on what to expect and what you can do now to keep your case in good standing.
