If you have been involved in an accident and were hurt, you can possibly recoup your expenses. The expenses you can get back include lost work, pain and suffering and of course medical bills. This sounds great, until you realize that in order to get try and secure this money, you will need to find a personal injury lawyer.
Lawyers and the legal profession as a whole have become quite villainized in recent years because of some very unscrupulous attorneys. These few ruin it for everyone. The good news is that not every personal injury attorney is an ambulance chaser or dishonest. Like any profession, you should look out for a few things before hiring a personal injury lawyer.
The first thing to do is find someone who will work on a contingency basis. This means that they only get paid if they win by taking a percentage of the award they win for you. The reason you want this type of coverage is because then you are assured that the lawyer will work their hardest on your behalf. If they don't work hard and lose the case, they don't see a penny! It is important to note though that court filing fees and any compensation to expert witnesses and other miscellaneous expenses may be asked for up front. You should discuss this during your consultation, which is the next item to discuss.
You should always have an initial consultation with a lawyer before signing any fees contract. This initial meeting with the personal injury lawyer should be free of charge. During this meeting, you will discuss the merits of your potential claim, and the lawyer will then decide if there is enough to file a lawsuit. If they agree to take the case and you want them to represent you, then you sign a contract. The contract should state that the lawyer will not get paid unless they win the case (excluding any aforementioned court and special fees). The percentage they will take varies from state to state but is generally anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 of your total judgment.
If the personal injury lawyer you have a consultation with is new or part of a firm or law office that you have not heard of, you may want to check them out. If you think they are ambulance chasers or will be dishonest in any way, you can look up their case history with the state bar. Have they ever been in trouble or reprimanded by a judge? Have they passed their state certification exam? All of these are questions you should ask of less-established personal injury lawyers.
Choosing a personal injury lawyer for your claim does not have to be a hard task. With a little research and an initial consultation where both parties feel comfortable with each other, the process can actually be quite pleasant. Do your homework, don't sign anything until you understand all the terms and make sure you are both on the same page. The result in court could possibly be much better as a result.
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