This is one of the most common questions we receive from potential clients. We have found that there are certain things to look for in a personal injury attorney which will tell you if that law firm should be representing you or not. Below, we have compiled a list of what to look for and what to avoid when choosing an attorney.
1) Personal Injury Attorneys – The Ideal Attorney
When looking for good Tampa personal injury lawyers, there are several factors you should consider:
– Experience – You need an attorney who has been practicing law longer than 1 year. This ensures your lawyer knows the ins and outs of dealing with insurance companies and their attorneys, accident reports, and dealing with your insurance company.
– Prior Results – The attorney should have experience working on similar cases to yours. If you were involved in a car accident, ask if the lawyer has ever handled a personal injury case before where someone was injured in a car accident. Ask for examples of results or verdicts they've achieved and their percentage success rate (if available).
– Case Reviews – Upon talking to several different attorneys, you should notice that some will review your case for free while others will review it with conditions such as needing an upfront retainer fee or monthly payments. Some things to look out for when reviewing these reviews:
— Are there any limitations? For example, do they only offer a free case review for you to call them, but once they review your case they may not take it on because of some reason. This is done to collect up front fees or retainer.
— Do they do interest free or low interest retainers? A good legal practice should offer some sort of payment plan options without charging high rates of interest which can range anywhere from 10 – 36% (higher depending on the state).
— Does the attorney guarantee that they will win your case? If someone guarantees that they will win your case then it usually means that your case is either very weak and needs a lot more work than if it was taken on as “just another” personal injury case, or it's a scam since no one can truly guarantee a verdict.
– References/References from previous clients – If the attorney provides you with references then it's in their best interest to provide you with plenty of them (minimum 5). You can do your own reference checking and contact each person who served as a reference for this particular attorney and ask about their level of service and overall satisfaction.
– Payment Plans – A good legal practice should offer some sort of payment plan options without charging high rates of interest which can range anywhere from 10 – 36% (higher depending on the state). Avoid legal practices that require an upfront retainer fee or monthly payments before pre-authorizing surgeries, treatment etc. This is typically done to collect up front fees or retainers even when they may not end up representing your case.
– Open communication – A good legal practice is one that will keep you in the loop with everything going on with your case and will make an effort to return all phone calls and emails in a timely manner (usually within 24 hours). A reputable legal practice does not like surprises and would rather tell you “I don't know” when they have no idea what's going on, compared to just ignoring the question altogether.
2) Personal Injury Attorneys – The Not So Good Attorney
What to watch out for:
— An attorney who just got out of law school or has been practicing less than 2 years should be avoided at all costs. Their inexperience may result in a weaker defense for you.
— An attorney who guarantees you a certain payout or percentage of success on your case should be avoided at all costs since they are either scam artists trying to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals.
— An attorney who requires an upfront retainer fee or monthly payments before pre-authorizing surgeries, treatment etc., is typically done to collect up front fees or retainers even when they may not end up representing your case. A reputable legal practice does not like surprises and would rather tell you “I don't know” when they have no idea what's going on, compared to just ignoring the question altogether.
3) Is It Worth Taking My Case To Trial?
Traditionally, personal injury cases that go to trial are worth more money compared to settlements. Keep in mind that a good personal injury attorney will acknowledge a realistic number for a settlement before going to trial.
4) How Can I Get My Case Settled?
— Have you been offered a settlement figure from the defendants insurance company? If so, have an idea of what percentage this offer represents relative to your injuries and medical bills. For example, if you were in a car accident resulting in $20,000 dollars worth of medical bills and they are offering you $5,000 then this is 25% of your claim. This means that if the case went to court and you won your case, you would receive 25% more than was offered resulting in 25% + 25% equaling 50% of your claim.
— Have a realistic idea of the percentage of success before accepting a settlement offer from an insurance company or going to trial. For example, if your medical bills are $20,000 dollars and you have been offered a certain amount by the defendants insurance company then know that this is usually around 40% – 50% of what they would end up paying if it went to trial. This doesn't mean that they will end up paying you that much but there is no way for you to know until all is said and done so keep this in mind so as not to be disappointed if and when it goes to court.
It's important to know how valuable your case really is before taking action since too many individuals have accepted offers that were below their expectations. Most personal injury attorneys will have some sort of payment plan options without charging high rates of interest which can range anywhere from 10 – 36% (higher depending on the state). Contact sarasota personal injury lawyer for more info.
5) What Are Some More Questions That I Should Ask The Legal Practice?
— Is this legal practice a member of the BAR association, if so do they have any complaints filed against them? If an attorney is a member of the BAR association then they may be able to tell you how many times they've been sued or disciplined as well as any other important information that's available. Although having a few lawsuits or grievances filed against them doesn't automatically mean that they are bad lawyers just as being sued for malpractice does not mean that they are bad lawyers either. The key is to find out what the outcomes were for these cases and whether or not their errors could have been avoided by following standard legal practices.
