Five Tips to Choosing the Best Personal Injury Attorney to Litigate Your Case

Choosing a personal injury attorney could well be one of the most important decisions of your life. Often, injured parties have no idea where to turn to find a good attorney who will fight for them in and out of Court. Since insurance companies virtually never offer a fair settlement to private parties, it is almost a necessity to hire a personal injury lawyer to litigate or negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf. In a previous article, How to find a personal injury attorney: 6 tips, I discussed resources to help you obtain a short list of attorneys for your consideration. If you or someone you love is looking for legal counsel with regard to an accident or other personal injury case, here are 5 tips to help you choose the best attorney to litigate your case.

How to choose a personal injury attorney tip #1: Only consider attorneys who practice personal injury law and are old enough to have experience

Would you go to a podiatrist if you were having heart problems? Certainly not! Personal injury law is a niche. Much the same that physicians specialize in certain areas of medicine, attorneys concentrate. Why be a jack of all trades, when you can be a master of one? Most good personal injury attorneys focus their practice mainly on personal injury cases. Often, larger law firms have an entire department devoted to nothing but personal injury. Narrow down the field by focusing on attorneys who concentrate in personal injury. Make sure any attorney you consider has experience in this field of law or your case may be delayed while your attorney studies up on the procedures. It goes without saying that younger attorneys tend to have far less experience than attorneys who are older. Bear in mind that Law School is generally 3 years long, on top of 4 years of under graduate, so most new attorneys are in their mid-twenties. If you are looking for experience, shoot for an attorney that is over 30.

How to choose a personal injury attorney tip #2: Local attorneys are best, when possible

Whenever possible, try to find a local attorney. Why? Because someone local is more accountable to you. It is far harder to ignore phone calls when you are a local client. Having a local personal injury attorney generally leads to better client satisfaction. There are no long distance calls to make, mail communication is faster, and you can schedule an appointment to meet with the attorney far more easily. In addition, you will be more aware of the personal injury attorney's track record and reputation. Hiring some attorney you saw on TV without knowing much about them can lead to disaster. Local attorneys care about their reputation because they are established in their communities. An attorney in a far off state is less concerned with looking bad or doing a poor job on your behalf.

How to choose a personal injury attorney tip #3: Schedule meetings, but don't commit until you've met them all

If you are able, try to meet with several personal injury attorneys before you make a final decision and commit. Often, there is no fee for a meeting to determine the viability of your case. At an initial meeting, the personal injury attorney should be upfront with you and tell you straight up if you have a case, how long these cases tend to drag on, what type of settlement you might expect if successful and most important of all, the fee structure. For personal injury attorneys, their fees (percentage of your settlement, whether by jury trial or private settlement) are approximately 33-1/3 percent. In addition, many will absorb the costs of litigation (such as filing fees, medical records, etc.) if your case is a strong one. Some, however, pass these expenses back to you, payable whether or not you are successful in your case or not. Aim for the middle, if possible. While your inclination is to choose the most enthusiastic one of the bunch, it does you no good to be given empty promises of achieving a multi-million dollar settlement when, in reality, your case is really worth far less. Be wary of anyone who quotes you an over inflated anticipated settlement amount.

How to choose a personal injury attorney tip #4: Likeability factor

If you have taken my advice regarding tip #3, tip #4 is very relevant. When choosing a personal injury attorney, you are entering into a relationship. Just like any other relationship, it is much easier for all if you two can get along. Therefore, in choosing a personal injury attorney, likeability should factor into the equation. If you do not like your attorney or if they do not like you back, the animus can hamper your case. You might put off relaying information because you dread making the call. To be quite honest, their staff also should factor in. Much of your contact will be with their secretary or paralegal assigned to your file. Some firms have clients meet with an attorney and/or a paralegal at an initial meeting. You need to have a good, positive vibe about whomever you choose to represent you.

How to choose a personal injury attorney tip #5: Size does sometimes matter

Size does sometimes matter. When choosing a personal injury attorney, pay close attention to the size of the law firm. Larger firms will have more attorneys, thus you may have more than one attorney working on your case. Often, these larger firms have newer attorneys called Associate Attorneys, who handle many easier aspects of your case. They gain legal experience and the main attorneys can be free of the routine things that go into litigating a case. The senior attorney will maintain ultimate responsibility for your case, but the junior attorneys will do most of the legal legwork to bring the case to a point where it is ready for trial. A smaller firm, however, will have less people handling your case, which could mean better management. You are more likely to be able to call and reach someone more directly in tune with your case. Don't be shy; ask any attorney you meet with about your case whether he will be assigning a junior attorney to your case or if he will be handling most of the aspects on their own.

Having worked in the legal field for several years, I am confident that my tips will assist you in choosing the best attorney for your case. I base my tips and observations partially on previous experience of needing a personal injury attorney and partly on my own observations from working in the legal profession.