Car accidents are prevalent in the U.S. – it records the most road crash deaths,…
Once you have decided on the qualities of a good injury lawyer you should seek personal referrals from someone you trust. This should be the first step in the selection process. You may approach a friend, family member, or co-worker who has worked with a reputable injury attorney in the past. They are the best people to recommend a good lawyer to handle your case. However, this does not mean you should immediately pull the trigger on hiring the first lawyer recommended to you. Instead, you should begin with conducting a thorough background check on the said lawyer. Make sure the attorney is well-reputed in your community. Make sure you do some research on the referrals you get by going on their website and learning as much as you can about their history of practicing law.
Looking For A Car Accident Lawyer?
You should begin with taking a look around and browsing the internet to find an attorney that works best for you. Years of experience a lawyer has can be very telling. More importantly, you need to make sure that the lawyer you are planning to hire has plenty of experience with cases that are similar to your own case. Let him or she provide you with examples and not in some hyped-up television ad tone either. You want the specifics of those references mentioned earlier because the attorney needs to be able to back up his or her talk.
A Few Major Points To Consider When Searching For A Car Accident Attorney?
If you or someone in your family has been injured due to the negligence of another individual, a personal injury lawyer can help negotiate a settlement on behalf of you. It is incredibly important to hire a well-respected and experienced car accident lawyer for this purpose. With hundreds of such attorneys practicing in your area, choosing the right candidate is not easy. Here are important things to consider when choosing the best personal injury attorney on the market.
Car accident lawyers themselves tend to give quite a bit of in-your-face advice about why you should hire them. Something along the lines of “Hey, you are going to like having that ‘drive’ on your side when it comes to getting the best settlement.” First and foremost, however, you need to be confident that you are in good hands. While you certainly want to consult with them and ask for references, part of hiring the right personal injury attorney also has to do with you doing your homework.
Make sure to look for the reputation, experience, location, customer testimonials, and a host of other important factors when hiring the right candidate for the job. That way you can easily find the right injury lawyer to represent your case in a court of law.
The most important thing is to file the lawsuit within a certain period of time. If not, the statute of limitations will set in and you may not be able to file the case. Hence why it’s of vital importance that you work diligently and carefully to find the right candidate to represent your case in a court of law. An injury attorney is quite different from the other types of lawyers on the market due to their specialized knowledge of the law. A good lawyer should have adequate trial experience and an understanding of the medical diagnosis process associated with personal injury cases. Thus, following the advice listed above will give you a head start in finding an attorney who best fits your needs.
5 Common Traits To Look For
1. Find One That Specializes: You do want to be sure that you hire an attorney in a timely manner, so it is best that you start looking around sooner rather than later. As you start looking around, you will want to be sure that you pay attention to the experience these attorneys have in the field. Just because you have seen a particular lawyer on television doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is the best one available to you and has the most experience.
Try a simple Google search and see what you get. In fact, the internet is another great resource to find a reliable injury lawyer in your area. You can search Google or Yahoo for an injury lawyer with the city at the end of the search term for this purpose. You should get a list of lawyers practicing in the area for such a search. Don’t hire the first candidate on the list without doing some research on the particular candidate, that way you can easily find a reliable lawyer on the market.
Of course, you have to trust that the best personal injury attorney is going to know when to settle your case. If you do hold off and try to take things to trial then it could be a lot longer of a wait for that settlement. You will have to just make sure that you get in touch with a personal injury lawyer that meets all of the above criteria so you feel confident about your case. The attorney needs to help build that confidence because you have plenty on your mind already. Once you get everything straightened out, you will want to be keeping in touch with your lawyer regularly.
2. Find One That Isn’t Afraid Of Trials: While you do want an attorney to fight for you to win your case and get a settlement as quickly as possible, you need an objective attorney that has the right perspective and uses the right lens when it comes to your case. In other words, while most cases do settle out of court, there still exists a possibility that your case goes to trial. Keep in mind that a personal injury lawyer will not deal with the criminal aspects of your case.
3. Find One With Sufficient Resources: It’s paramount that your attorney has the adequate resources available to them that will help you with your case. This could mean good communication with clients and employees; proficient analytical and/or technological skills; satisfactory reputation with local, state, and federal court staff; and the ability to conduct thorough research at any given moment. Clearly, some of these traits are subjective, but it will be beneficial for you to look for these specific traits in an attorney.
4. Past Clients: Always be sure to read reviews from former clients but take them with a grain of salt. Reviews may not always be entirely true -- in some cases, further context is needed -- however it can’t hurt to go through them. This is an important step in the process of finding a car wreck attorney and will help you get a grasp of what that attorney offers.
5. Active Member of State and National Trial Lawyer Groups: Lastly, it’s always helpful to hire an attorney who is a member of National Trial Lawyer Groups and/or one who has received special honors and awards in your state. Finding/hiring someone that fits this criterion likely means your case is in good hands -- not a guarantee but, at the same time, the attorney certainly earned his or her status for a reason.
If you are in need of a car accident lawyer or have any further questions, contact Nathan Fitzpatrick at (678) 607-5550. Nathan is the founding member of The Fitzpatrick Firm, LLC and specializes in Auto Accidents. Nathan also has received multiple honors and awards, which include but are not limited to: Nominated as Super Lawyer every year from 2014-2019; Awarded “Top 10 Under 40 Attorney” for Georgia, Top 10 Under 40 Attorney, National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys, Inc., 2015; Awarded “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” award for the state of Georgia.