What kind of cases are handled day in and day out? There are attorneys who do a little bit of everything, one day they may be writing a person’s will and the next day they may be handling a personal injury case. If a lawyer does not handle personal injury cases every day then the person who uses them for this is disadvantaged. The legal field is very complex and you will want an attorney who is seasoned in personal injury cases, an attorney who knows this facet of law inside and out.
Experience: Regardless of how long the attorney has been practicing you can expect the same fees to be charged. These attorneys work on contingency, usually one third of the award if the case is settled out of court and 40 percent if the case goes to court. You will be faced with the same fee structure regardless of the experience; two years or 20 years and experience counts.
Track record: The more success a personal injury lawyer has, the better it is for potential clients. The insurance companies in the area are well aware of the attorneys in the area that will pursue a case to court; they use this knowledge when evaluating their risk. The first question an insurance adjuster wants answered in an important case is “who is your attorney?”
Who will handle the case? You may be impressed with the lawyer who conducts the initial consultation but you need to know if this is the lawyer who will handle the case or will it be someone else in the firm? You need to know the skills and experience of your lawyer, not the lawyer you first see unless he or she is going to represent you. As you will be spending considerable time with the attorney it is important that you get along well and that you feel comfortable that your case is proceeding the way it should.
You will also want to know if the lawyer is a member of any legal organizations that are pertinent to his area of law and if they have been given any awards or honors.
