How To Pick A Lawyer To Handle Your Personal Injury Case
Every where you look there are lawyers who want to represent you or your loved ones when injured or killed due to the negligence of another. It seems like every other television and radio commercial is about a law firm that wants to handle your case. Billboards and other forms of advertisements beckon you to call. Just how is someone supposed to find a competent, qualified and experienced lawyer to handle their claim?
Be A Smart Consumer
A person who is injured or who has lost a loved one and is looking for legal representation is a "consumer of legal services." As a consumer, you have every right to make sure that you are getting the most for your dollar, even though you won't be paying for the lawyer's services until the case is settled. Not all lawyers are equally qualified or have the experience necessary to handle claims for car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, medical malpractice, wrongful death, product liability, boating accidents and plane crashes.
So how do you begin your search? Referrals are always good, but in and of themselves should not cause you to make a decision. The person who is referring you to the lawyer may not have had the same type of case that you have. In other words, different facts or different laws may apply. Advertisements are a good place to start, as is the internet. But they are just that, a place to start.
Good Resources To Check For Lawyers' Experience
What you need to do is look at the lawyer's experience and qualifications. A way to do that is to see how the lawyer is viewed by his peers and the courts. Martindale Hubbell rates lawyers according to their ability and their ethical standards. An "AV" rating is the highest rating that a lawyer can receive from Martindale Hubbell. This rating is peer reviewed, meaning that other lawyers in the community rate the lawyer. So first you should seek out an "AV" rated lawyer. A second resource are "Super Lawyers" and "Law Dragon", who have also created peer reviewed rating systems. The lawyers that make the "Super Lawyers" or "Law Dragon" are deemed exceptional by other lawyers, as wel as by Judges in the community.
The lawyer that you want to represent you should also be a member of his/her state trial lawyer's association and the American Association for Justice, which is a national organization formed by Plaintiff's lawyers. In addition, membership in other associations could be viewed as important as well. I, for one, am on the Florida board for APITLA, which is the Association for Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America. This is a very important organization, because interstate trucking is regulated by the Federal Government and if you do not hire a lawyer who is well versed in trucking law, you may be missing an opportunity to avail yourself of more insurance coverage to help compensate you for your injuries.
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