You need a personal injury lawyer but you do not know any? How do you find the best one for your case? How about the one the tow truck driver recommended? Or the one the emergency room clerk or the funeral home employee told you about? Or, how about the one you see advertised on television all the time? You know, the one who has all the billboards and talks like he’s ready to kill for you? Do you ask a relative or friend? Get a recommendation from Yelp? Should you Google “Personal injury attorneys near me” and see who has the best website?
The pros and cons of using those sources to find an attorney.
THE TV AND BILLBOARD LAWYER
What’s wrong with hiring the lawyer that advertises on TV, radio, and billboards? Perhaps there is nothing wrong with choosing your attorney this way and maybe that guy really is a good lawyer. But you should know and consider the following: First, the guy that seems to advertise everywhere, probably does. He is not only advertising in your city but probably in all of the major Texas markets, from El Paso to Beaumont and from Amarillo to the Rio Grande Valley. Second, that guy is NOT going to be the lawyer handling your case. The advertising lawyer is just the face of the firm and probably hasn’t appeared in court in a very long time and is not actually handling any cases at all. Third, the advertising firm relies on volume in order to be able to afford expensive advertising campaigns. The huge volume of cases means that unless you have a case worth millions of dollars, you probably will not get a lot of attention. You may have to leave a lot of voicemails before your calls are returned, and your case will probably be handled by non-attorney staff. If, knowing this, you still want to call that lawyer, go ahead. The firm may get great results for you and make you very happy. But if not, at least you went into it with your eyes open.
THE LAWYER RECOMMENDED TO YOU BY THE TWO TRUCK DRIVERS, EMERGENCY ROOM CLERK, OR FUNERAL HOME EMPLOYEE
Again, there may be nothing wrong with using this method for choosing an attorney and the recommended lawyer may indeed be very good. But you should know that the person who recommended him is being paid to do this. If you act on his recommendation, he will get a check from the attorney for his trouble. To that end, this person may be more concerned with getting some side money than with how well your case will be handled.
REFERRAL FROM A FRIEND OR RELATIVE
If someone you know had a good experience with an attorney, that should only be a starting point for you because your friend’s attorney may not be the best fit for you. You should interview the attorney using the information contained later in this article.
A RECOMMENDATION FROM YELP OR GOOGLE
No matter how an attorney came to be recommended to you, that should only be a starting point. The attorney you end up hiring must win your confidence only after you interview him and he answers your questions to your satisfaction.
WHY IS IT ONLY A STARTING POINT?
As an attorney with close to fifty years of experience, I have worked both with, and on opposing sides, of hundreds of lawyers. I have watched them in depositions and trials. I have seen how they treat their clients, how they handle their cases, and how they perform in front of judges and juries. I have learned from the best, and have also learned from the bad practices and mistakes of the worst. It has always amazed me how bad lawyers can attract a steady volume of clients, all seemingly oblivious to how badly their cases are being handled. How do you avoid being one of those oblivious clients? What is the secret to picking the best lawyer for your case? Read on.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LAWYER:
Your case should be the responsibility of an attorney, not a paralegal
When you called for the first time to see if the firm would take your case, did you talk to an attorney? Or only to a non-lawyer employee? I have never allowed anyone but an attorney to handle the first interview because there are too many important facts a non-attorney can miss. More importantly, the client deserves to have his questions answered by someone with the education, experience, and expertise of an attorney. Neither have I ever allowed my paralegal to prepare my client for a deposition or a taped statement. If the attorney you call has a paralegal interview you, ask if an attorney will be handling your case and ask to meet him. I find that most of my clients are quite anxious about their injuries and about the legal issues surrounding their case. Since I am an expert in cases like theirs, I am able to put them at ease by explaining what they should expect from their doctors and from the adjuster.
Your attorney should be responsive
You should never have to leave your attorney more than one voicemail before he calls you back. It has always been my practice to return all calls within the hour. If I am in trial, I will return them that night after court. I once worked for an attorney that would never accept calls from his clients until they called back three or four times. He told me that way, his clients would think he was a busy man. The truth is, if your attorney is too busy to return your call, it generally means he is not well organized, he is lazy, he has other priorities, or he does not want to give you the respect you deserve. Do not hire that guy. Ask about his policy on this before you agree to sign the contract.
Your attorney should freely give you case status
When you call for status on your case, will you get it from the attorney and will you get it within 24 hours? Too many attorneys ignore their clients simply because they do not know how to marshal their time or they have not done anything to move your case along. At my office, you can easily get your lawyer on the phone and he will gladly explain what is being done on your case. Again, ask about his policy on this before you sign the contract with him.
- Does this attorney handle only personal injury cases and only on the plaintiff side? Some attorneys represent defendants as well as plaintiffs. Still other attorneys handle contract cases, probate cases, and criminal cases in addition to plaintiff’s personal injury cases. There are very few attorneys that can handle a variety of cases and handle them well. For me, I think the attorney should stick to what he does best. At my firm, all we handle is plaintiff personal injury cases.
- Does the attorney know how to handle the serious injury or wrongful death case? Almost any attorney can handle a small auto accident case. And just about anyone can get the insurance limits on a broken bone car wreck case. But can he handle the big case with huge insurance limits? The death case, the paralysis case, or the traumatic brain injury case? Does he know what experts to hire to develop your case and to prove the true value of your case? Can he understand from reading your medical records that your case has a high value? For example, experience and knowledge tell me that a fused ankle has a much higher value than a broken ankle. Will the attorney be happy to settle your case for $1.5 million and blissfully leave $3 million on the table because he does not know what a jury would likely do with those facts? That make work out for him because he can make it up on the next case, but that is not a good settlement for you. Ask him if he has handled cases like yours and how he determines the value of such a case before you sign a contract with him.
- Can the attorney speak knowledgeably with you about your injuries? An attorney experienced in handling personal injury cases has developed a vast knowledge of medical terminology, medical procedures, and medical diagnoses. Your attorney should be able to discuss your medical status, explain your MRI report, and explain the generally prescribed treatments and medications. In my practice, I feel I can take more time with these matters than the doctor can and I have found that knowing more about their medical situation helps clients feel better about their situation.
- Is the attorney genuinely concerned for you? Even though I have done this for many years, I still feel genuine empathy for each client. I consider them family. I realize none of them chose to be in a situation where they were having to deal with adjusters and attorneys and I see my job as doing everything I can to make their journey through the process as painless as possible. I mean it when I say, I treat clients like family.
CONCLUSION
No one ever wants to hire an attorney, but sometimes you have no choice. No matter what resource you use to find an attorney, the only way to make sure he is the best lawyer for you is to know what questions to ask at the interview and to be well-armed with this inside information. Remember, you do not have to hire the first lawyer you talk to. In the end, the best referral source is you, based on your interview and your judgment as to whether he seemed sincere, honest, and competent.
I understand and I try to make my clients as comfortable as possible by given them as much information as possible. If you are looking for a personal injury attorney trust me, Robert A. Rodriguez for fair compensation in personal injury cases. With 30+ years of experience and a commitment to clients and community, I AM the advocate you need. I hope if you ever find yourself in need of an attorney, you will read my blogs before you begin your journey. If I can answer any questions for you in your search, contact me today. The information is free. Good luck to you always. Best of luck to you in your selection.