7 TIPS TO HIRING A GREAT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER

7 TIPS TO HIRING A GREAT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
BY: ARTHUR GUELI
if you suffer an injury resulting in significant
damages you will need to hire a personal injury
LAWYER. BUT IN ANY GIVEN CITY, THERE ARE
probably over 20 pages of personal injury
attorney listings in the phone book. how do you
PICK THE RIGHT ONE? WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR? WHAT
questions should you ask?

HERE ARE 7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE HIRING
your injury lawyer...

1) THE SOONER YOU HIRE YOUR LAWYER THE BETTER.
begin looking for your personal injury lawyer
within a week or two after your accident. if
YOU'RE NOT PHYSICALLY CAPABLE YOU SHOULD HAVE A
friend or loved-one start looking. the sooner
you start building your case the better.

2) hire a personal injury lawyer that
specializes in your specific type of injuries.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE SIGNING THE RETAINER
agreement. visit the firm's website and read up
on it's history and each lawyer's biographical
INFORMATION. ASK THE LAWYER FOR SOME REFERRENCES
and ask how much experience they have in
handling cases with similar injuries. what
SETTLEMENT AWARDS DID THEY GET IN THOSE CASES?

3) have a face-to-face meeting with your
PROSPECTIVE LAWYER. YOUR PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
is going to be your closest advisor during this
difficult time. you must feel comfortable and
TRUST YOUR LAWYER. THE ONLY WAY YOU'LL GET A
feel for the lawyer is by having a sit-down to
discuss your case. any good personal injury
LAWYER WILL GIVE YOU AN INITIAL CONSULTATION
free of charge.

4) HIRE A LAWYER THAT WILL TAKE YOUR CASE ON A
contingency fee basis. this means that your
lawyer won't get paid unless you get paid. he
WILL TAKE HIS FEE OUT OF THE MONEY YOU RECEIVE
for your injuries. you can expect your lawyer to
take about 33% of your final settlement - that's
AFTER EXPENSES ARE TAKEN OFF THE TOP. MAKE SURE
you clearly understand the payment structure
before you sign the retainer agreement.

5) beware of ambulance chasers. the goal of
these lawyers is to get lots of minor personal
INJURY CASES AND SETTLE THEM QUICKLY - THEY MAKE
their profit from high turnover. so naturally
they won't put as much time and effort into each
CASE AS THEY SHOULD. (IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A
quick settlement be prepared to accept less than
what your case is really worth.)

6) hire a lawyer with a good martindale-hubbell
rating. this service evaluates lawyers in the
U.S. AND CANADA BASED ON PEER REVIEW. THEIR
website, martindale.com has a helpful lawyer
locator service and will explain the rating
SYSTEM.

7) always be completely open and honest when
DISCUSSING YOUR CASE WITH A LAWYER. TELL THE
lawyer as much as you can about what happened.
try to remember every detail. any documentation
AND PICTURES YOU HAVE OF YOUR INJURIES AND
treatment will be a big help when evaluating
your case.

bonus tip:

8) NEVER GIVE A RECORDED STATEMENT TO A
representative from any insurance company until
you've consulted a lawyer. when the rep. asks
FOR ONE SIMPLY SAY, "I'M NOT PREPARED TO GIVE A
statement at this time." a recorded statement
can be used as evidence and if you're not
PREPARED YOU MIGHT OVERLOOK IMPORTANT DETAILS.
anything you miss (or misrepresent) can be used
against you in settlement negotiations and in
THE TRIAL.

about the author:
learn more about how to hire a great personal
INJURY LAWYER AT
http://www.injury-settlement-guide.com [2]

ARTHUR GUELI WORKS WITH HIS BROTHER CHARLES (A
licensed personal injury attorney) teaching
injured plaintiffs how to obtain fair
COMPENSATION FOR THEIR DAMAGES.

CIRCULATED BY ARTICLE EMPORIUM [3]
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