How To Find The Best Personal Injury Lawyer

How To Find The Best Personal Injury Lawyer

What is Personal Injury?

A personal injury is any harm caused by an accident. It may be from a:

• car crash
• fall down
• dog bite
• defective product
• nursing home incident
• professional malpractice, and more.

If the harm is the fault of someone else, you may have the right to bring a personal injury lawsuit. If so, you’ll need a personal injury lawyer.

What to look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer?

There is no one factor to look for in hiring a personal injury lawyer. Generally, a personal injury lawyer should:

1. have experience handling your type of case and the reputation to do it well. Lawsuits can be complicated things, and you may not want to be the lawyer’s first personal injury client.
2. provide you with the time you need to ask questions and receive answers. The attorney-client relationship is a partnership and you, as the client, have the right to ask questions and receive prompt and honest responses.
3. Have the financial ability to fund your case. Personal injury lawyers pay to put your case together and lawsuits can be very expensive. You are not well served if the lawyer tries to handle your case “on the cheap.”

Where to look for a Personal Injury Lawyer?

There are several resources to help find a personal injury lawyer. For example:

1. Look for a certified civil trial attorney. According to the New Jersey Supreme Court, attorneys may be designated by as “certified attorneys” if they demonstrate sufficient levels of experience, education, knowledge and skill in a specific area of law or practice; have passed a rigorous examination; and have been recognized by their peers as having sufficient skills and reputation in the designated specialty. Personal injury lawsuits are usually handled by civil trial lawyers and the New Jersey Court’s website provides the public with a list of certified civil trial lawyers at https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/attcert.html
2. Ask for an in-person or zoom meeting to interview the lawyer. If the lawyer won’t take the time to speak with you at the beginning, there’s a chance they will not take the time to speak with you as the case moves forward.
3. Get a feel for the lawyer and law firm’s ability to properly fund your case. A law firm’s size or its offices does not guarantee that the resources are available for you, but it may give you a good sense of whether your lawyer can compete with the spending of an insurance company on the other side.
4. Finally, ask around. Ask friends, family, consult online reviews. Use all the resources you can to get a sense of what this lawyer has done for others. It may not be the only factor, but it can be valuable in your search.

Top Questions To Ask Your Potential Injury Lawyer

1. Why should I use you as my attorney for my personal injury case?
2. How much experience do you have in this type of practice area?
3. Can you work with my insurance company to prevent my rates from increasing?
4. How long might it take to resolve my case?
5. How much do you charge?
6. Should I hire you if the accident was partly my fault?
7. How long have you been practicing in this local area?
8. What do you think is fair compensation for pain and suffering?
9. Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of my case being successful?
10. If I am not satisfied with my settlement offer, does that mean my case goes to trial?