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I have always found it strange how injured accident victims go about hiring a lawyer. For many years, injured accident victims relied on the yellow pages or television as their main source of information as who they should hire to handle their personal injury claim. Unfortunately the Yellow pages ads never really provided much information at all, and the television lawyer ads were worse. Decisions were usually made based on the size of the ad, the placement within the book, the eye grabbing photos, or the catchy telephone number.
In reality, none of the things that causes one to call a particular lawyer from the yellow pages has any real bearing on whether you should hire that lawyer or not. The same is mostly true about TV advertising. Some of the cheesiest ads have been lawyer ads, and they have been resoundingly criticized and mocked over the years. Sirens, smashing gavels, helicopter sounds, exploding cars, or some talking head spokesperson should not have and influence on whether you call one lawyer or another. Thankfully, things have begun to change.
The Internet has begun to show that yellow page and TV ads for professional services really are a thing of the past. Five minutes spent at a good lawyer website can be more valuable than reading all the lawyers ads in the Northern Virginia Yellow pages. I have spent hours trying to answer questions from the public about problems that they have experienced in their workers compensation and personal injury claims, and will continue to do so. To the extent that you can walk away more knowledgeable after reading from our website, is more valuable to me than any ad we might place in the Yellow Pages.
So what should you look for in hiring a lawyer? Here is a list of some of the important factors to consider in hiring a lawyer:
- Does the lawyer actually go to court or does he/she farm out your file to another firm should the case need litigation. You would be surprised how many lawyers do not handle their own litigation; they merely settle cases, and nothing more. If the insurance company makes a low ball offer there is no way for that lawyer to say “see you in court”. You should consider hiring a lawyer who has confidence in your case so that he/she can and will file suit and take your case to trial.
- If the lawyer does go to Court, how many trials have they had? I have represented injured accident victims in well over 100 trials. Not many lawyers can say that. If something unusual happens in Court what is the probability that your lawyer will know how to handle it. It comes down to one word, experience. An experienced lawyer is your best ally in the Courtroom.
- Is your lawyer willing to discuss the potential value of your case. Many lawyers have difficulty speaking with their clients regarding the value of case for fear of giving the client unrealistic expectations. There is no reason why an experienced lawyer shouldn’t be able to speak with a client regarding the potential value of their case at any time.
- When you call the office, are you able to speak directly with the lawyer, or are your handed off to a staff member? Are you really that unimportant that the lawyer can’t take the time out of his day to discuss your case directly with you? I still can’t understand why people put up with this type of behavior. If you hire a lawyer, and you need to speak directly with that lawyer, for whatever reason. You should, at a minimum, be able to get your call returned promptly. There are many times when clients call me, and I am unavailable as I am in Court, or in a meeting, however there is no reason why I can’t call that client back by the end of the day.
- Does the lawyer return your calls? If he doesn’t, you should think about the kind of relationship you have with your lawyer, and what he or she would do if your didn’t return their calls.
- Does the lawyer have a website, and is he available through e-mail? Welcome to the 21st Century. Yes, you can send me an email, and hopefully I have answered many of your questions on this website. There is no reason for a lawyer not to give you his or her e-mail address.
- When you speak directly to your lawyer, is he or she able to explain things to you without resorting to legal terms? Do you get along well with this person? Lawyers speak for a living. Many can’t stop talking. That doesn’t mean that they are good communicators. Should push come to shove, you might need a good communicator to convince seven jurors that you should get what you deserve.
- How much does the lawyer charge for an injury case? The standard charge is 1/3, and 20% for Workers’ Compensation cases. Why pay more? Perhaps you should speak with someone else should the lawyer ask for a higher percentage. Will the lawyer receive more than the client in connection with an injury claim? This is terrible situation that only makes injured accident victim feel victimized again by the legal system.
As you can see, the list of considerations in hiring a lawyer could go on and on, and I could step on a few more toes along the way, but these are a few of the considerations that should point you in the right direction. Some lawyers don’t want you to hear or read these things. Some would much rather that you make up your mind based on the TV ad with the helicopter sounds, or the police lights. Legal cases can take years. Make sure that you will be able to stick with your lawyer from start to finish.
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- Alexandria Workers Comp. Lawyer / Alexandria Workers Comp Accidents
Tags: hiring attorneys, hiring lawyers, lawyers, Virginia Car Accident lawyers, Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers, Virginia Workers compensation lawyers