5 Ways to Verify You Hired a Good Personal Injury Lawyer
When you are looking for a personal injury lawyer, you could start by going online and using a lawyer referral service, like 1-800-Injured. This is a good way to get a list of personal injury attorneys and learn more about a firm. 1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service that can help connect you with a lawyer nearby.
Once you have narrowed down which one you want to hire, these five tips can help you verify if they are a good personal injury attorney.
Excellent Communication Skills
Developing trust with clients should be an attorney’s primary goal at the start of the case. Strong communication skills are an effective tool for building rapport. They should be able to simplify the complicated aspects of your legal case. Additionally, your attorney should communicate with you directly rather than making someone else in their office talk to you, like a paralegal.
To be an effective communicator, your attorney must also be a good listener. Do they interrupt you when you are talking? Do they ask follow-up questions that convey their interest and understanding? Do they check in with you to be sure you understand what they’re telling you?
Empathy
During a personal injury case, you may find yourself feeling vulnerable. Your life could be drastically changed due to your injuries. Your medical records and your psychiatric records could be pulled to support your claim for damages. It can be rough to share how the accident has affected your family, relationship, and quality of life. An empathetic attorney treats you with dignity every step of the way.
A Strong Track Record
At your initial consultation with your personal injury attorney, you should ask about their success in representing other clients with cases similar to yours. Typically, the longer a firm has been open, the stronger it becomes. It is not easy to build a long-standing firm with a good reputation. That only comes from hard work and an impeccable track record for winning cases.
Elite Memberships and Awards
Attorneys win awards for consistently proving themselves to be a leader in the industry and for their client-centered approach. You can tell if you have chosen a good personal injury lawyer by their membership and recognition by professional associations.
Certain honors are only given to the top attorneys in each state or region for their results, like The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100. You can look up whether your attorney is listed on your state bar’s website or if they are a member of the American Bar Association. Their own website may also list awards and accolades they have earned over the years.
Openness
A great attorney doesn’t surprise you. They tell you their fee structure upfront and get you to sign an agreement before doing any work on your case. A good attorney is honest and straightforward. Along with effective communication, they must be honest with you every step of the way so that you understand what is happening with your case.