D. Finding A Lawyer
Accident lawyers are of all types, but the good ones are all energetic. Manic is often a good thing in a personal injury attorney. Kind and sympathetic is nice, but angry and demanding can be better, so long as they don't treat their clients that way. The personal injury business is fully staffed by affable jerks on the defense side, so a combative nature is a logical survival adaptation for plaintiff lawyers.
Highly intellectual lawyers who relish the thrill of matching wits with other lawyers are sometimes very good personal injury lawyers, and particularly these days, you may not get to trial in any complex case without a really smart plaintiff's lawyer.
How do you get a really smart plaintiff's lawyer? It may vary based on the case. A guy who's done three hundred dog bite defense cases and then flips sides may be incredible if your kid gets disfigured by a Doberman. Regardless of the breed of dog, however, you'll have no trouble finding an excellent lawyer if the dog was owned by the Sultan of Brunei. In other words, big injury plus deep-pocket defendants equals good lawyers interested in your case. Why? Because lawyers have to eat like everyone else, and they need to find fewer big cases, and talk to fewer clients, if those clients have serious injuries caused by solvent defendants.
Be prepared to sell yourself and your case to a lawyer. Dress well, act polite, and bring your spouse, but keep boyfriends and girlfriends out of the visit. Bring all your photos and documents, but not a huge box. Save that for the second visit, because no lawyer needs another box of unread documents to sit in her office. Have a clear idea of what your damages are. If you suffered time off work, figure it out on a calendar ahead of the meeting. If you lost wages, bring your pay stubs to show the amount. If you were injured physically, show the lawyer photos of the injury. If you have medical bills, bring copies. If you had conversations with the insurance company, be candid about what happened, and always, always show the lawyer anything you've signed.
The lawyer will want you to sign a retainer. Take my advice, and take it home and read it. Talk to another lawyer about the case. Get her retainer and take it home. Then think about it, and decide who you had the best rapport with. Give them points for that. Think about who conducted the meeting with least interruptions. Give them points for that. Think about which one was the most thoughtful of his secretary and seemed least anxious. Give them points for that. Think about which one said good things about you, and made you feel confident in your case, and give them points for that. Deduct points for arrogance, distraction, greed, or excessive promises. Tally the score, and call back the lawyer who seemed to have the best balance of brain and heart, and request a second appointment. Read the agreement carefully and ask questions about anything you don't understand. Sign the agreement with confidence.
Call the lawyer regularly every month, whether they call you or not. Ask questions about how things are progressing. Get to know his or her secretary. If the process stalls, ask for a meeting to bring you up to date and review progress. Be careful about questioning your lawyer's competence or confidence. They hate that, and may drop you without a moment's hesitation, and this is true of some of the best. Take a different approach. Treat your lawyer like an intelligent professional with a special area of expertise. Ask them to educate you about what you need to know to appreciate how they are handling your case. As in every situation, this attitude will bring out the best in your lawyer, and they will bring out the best in your case.
>> Go To Settlements
By Charles Carreon
Highly intellectual lawyers who relish the thrill of matching wits with other lawyers are sometimes very good personal injury lawyers, and particularly these days, you may not get to trial in any complex case without a really smart plaintiff's lawyer.
How do you get a really smart plaintiff's lawyer? It may vary based on the case. A guy who's done three hundred dog bite defense cases and then flips sides may be incredible if your kid gets disfigured by a Doberman. Regardless of the breed of dog, however, you'll have no trouble finding an excellent lawyer if the dog was owned by the Sultan of Brunei. In other words, big injury plus deep-pocket defendants equals good lawyers interested in your case. Why? Because lawyers have to eat like everyone else, and they need to find fewer big cases, and talk to fewer clients, if those clients have serious injuries caused by solvent defendants.
Be prepared to sell yourself and your case to a lawyer. Dress well, act polite, and bring your spouse, but keep boyfriends and girlfriends out of the visit. Bring all your photos and documents, but not a huge box. Save that for the second visit, because no lawyer needs another box of unread documents to sit in her office. Have a clear idea of what your damages are. If you suffered time off work, figure it out on a calendar ahead of the meeting. If you lost wages, bring your pay stubs to show the amount. If you were injured physically, show the lawyer photos of the injury. If you have medical bills, bring copies. If you had conversations with the insurance company, be candid about what happened, and always, always show the lawyer anything you've signed.
The lawyer will want you to sign a retainer. Take my advice, and take it home and read it. Talk to another lawyer about the case. Get her retainer and take it home. Then think about it, and decide who you had the best rapport with. Give them points for that. Think about who conducted the meeting with least interruptions. Give them points for that. Think about which one was the most thoughtful of his secretary and seemed least anxious. Give them points for that. Think about which one said good things about you, and made you feel confident in your case, and give them points for that. Deduct points for arrogance, distraction, greed, or excessive promises. Tally the score, and call back the lawyer who seemed to have the best balance of brain and heart, and request a second appointment. Read the agreement carefully and ask questions about anything you don't understand. Sign the agreement with confidence.
Call the lawyer regularly every month, whether they call you or not. Ask questions about how things are progressing. Get to know his or her secretary. If the process stalls, ask for a meeting to bring you up to date and review progress. Be careful about questioning your lawyer's competence or confidence. They hate that, and may drop you without a moment's hesitation, and this is true of some of the best. Take a different approach. Treat your lawyer like an intelligent professional with a special area of expertise. Ask them to educate you about what you need to know to appreciate how they are handling your case. As in every situation, this attitude will bring out the best in your lawyer, and they will bring out the best in your case.
>> Go To Settlements
By Charles Carreon