Finding A Good Injury Attorney
After an injury, you need a good injury lawyer to help you pursue financial compensation. You are likely dealing with high financial costs from your car accident or other cause of your injury. The medical bills are piling up, you may be losing time at work, and many other costs are caused by another person’s negligence. In addition to it all, your injuries are painful and cause significant psychological harm as well.
Fighting for compensation means negotiating with insurance companies, negotiating a settlement, or even filing a personal injury lawsuit. This process is complicated and defendants will try to deny you coverage — even when they are clearly at fault. This is why you need a skilled personal injury lawyer at your side. Your attorney can guide you through the legal process and represent your interests while you focus on recovering. A good injury lawyer helps alleviate the stress and protects your legal rights to compensation.
But how do you find a good personal injury lawyer? Here you will learn what defines a good injury lawyer and how to find the right attorney for you.
What Makes a Good Personal Injury Lawyer?
You want the best personal injury attorney possible when dealing with your injuries. Your life has been turned upside down by your accident and you deserve to know you are in capable hands. However, this may be your first time looking for a personal injury attorney. This makes it difficult to know what is “good” when looking for the right choice.
The following traits can help you identify an outstanding personal injury attorney you want to represent you:
An Experienced Lawyer
You want to choose an attorney that has years of experience under their belt. An experienced personal injury lawyer has represented clients in numerous types of injury cases and knows how to handle them all. You want someone with the skills and real-world knowledge of working on real cases. Law school teaches attorneys how to do quite a lot, but nothing beats experience in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.
An experienced attorney also knows how to run their staff, manage their law office, and has a good rapport with other lawyers and judges. You want this experience to work in your best interests at all times.
A Thorough Investigator
A dedicated personal injury attorney knows just how important the investigation stage of your case really is. You do not want an attorney who simply takes your word for it or works off of a basic police report. You want a litigator who delves into the facts of the case and identifies the critical evidence you need to win a personal injury settlement or verdict. An independent investigation can help identify:
- Who was at fault for the accident
- How the accident occurred
- What evidence is available to prove the case
- What challenges could your case face, if any
- What compensation you might be owed
- The best strategy to prove your personal injury claim
A seasoned attorney utilizes their staff, outside experts, and many other sources to investigate your claim fully.
A Talented Negotiator and Litigator
Not every case should head to trial. In most cases, it is actually more beneficial to you to settle your case when you get a fair and appropriate offer. You need an attorney who is a savvy negotiator and mediator. You want someone who can talk to the other side, convince them of their fault, and ensure you get a fair settlement offer at the same time. This can save the time and stress of litigation when possible.
Sometimes, the other side refuses to offer a fair settlement. When this happens, you need a highly skilled litigator in your corner. You want a personal injury attorney with years of trial experience and one who has won millions of dollars in compensation for their clients. A talented litigator can prove your case and pursue the compensation you deserve.
A Great Communicator and Listener
A personal injury attorney must be a good communicator and listener in the courtroom, but it is even more important in how they deal with you. You are the client and you want someone who really cares and listens to what you are going through. Your attorney should provide a consultation of your case to learn about it, plan a path forward, and help you pursue monetary damages in your case.
You also want an attorney who always keeps you apprised of your case. Too many clients hire lawyers who barely call or provide any updates. These clients feel like they are in the dark about what is happening in their own case. A good personal injury attorney communicates with you often and clearly. They answer your questions and keep you involved in the key aspects of your case.
How To Find the Right Injury Lawyer for You
Looking for the traits above can help you pick the right attorney. But how do you actually go about looking for an attorney? You have access to several resources and indicators to help you determine the right attorney for your case. Some tips on how to find a good personal injury lawyer include:
Investigate the Attorney’s Experience
You already know how important an attorney with experience is., but how do you learn what experience they have? You should consider several resources when determining an attorney’s level of experience. A personal injury lawyer’s website should show their experience with personal injury cases, including each of their practice areas. The website should provide you with some education about your type of accident, but your lawyer can provide the details necessary for your particular case.
A quality website indicates that the firm has the resources to handle your claim and cares about educating potential clients. You can also look at the attorney profiles on the website to determine whether they have the necessary experience to handle your personal injury claim. It should include the partners, associates, and other attorneys who could be involved in your case. It should discuss what they do, their track record, and information about their education and trial experience.
Client Testimonials
One way to know if you will like an attorney is to hear from their previous clients. Client testimonials tell you why a previous client enjoyed working with an attorney. These testimonials and reviews can be found on the attorney’s website, attorney review sites, and even within a Google search. Look for comments with specific information about why they liked that attorney.
Client testimonials give you an indicator of an attorney’s personality, work ethic, and success record. You can see what they have done for others and may be able to do for you.
Look For a Track Record of Success
Some attorneys have experience but a low track record for success. They may give in to lowball settlement offers from insurance companies to avoid doing real work on your behalf. The right attorney is willing to put in the effort and win fair compensation for their clients.
Consider a few questions when looking at a lawyer’s track record of success:
- Have they won millions of dollars for their clients consistently?
- Do they have a track record of success in catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims — not just minor injury claims?
- Does their record of success span multiple areas of personal injury law?
The right attorney will get a “yes” to each of these questions.
Referrals From Friends or Acquaintances
You may know someone who has worked with a good personal injury lawyer. Your friends, family members, or coworkers may have been in a car accident and hired a lawyer. If they liked the lawyer they worked with, this might be a good starting place to consider when picking your own attorney.
Don’t make your final decision on this recommendation alone. Consider the other factors when making the choice that fits you best.
Attorney Referrals
Maybe you have an attorney for other areas of your life, such as an estate attorney or someone who represented you in a less serious accident case. Some small firms have excellent attorneys, but they may not have the resources to handle complex litigation, catastrophic injury cases, or to fight back against powerful companies. An attorney referral ensures you have access to a powerful legal team your lawyer trusts to handle your injury claim.
Why Choose Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers?
At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, we know that picking a good personal injury lawyer is very important. Our dedicated and professional lawyers have the experience and skills necessary to handle your accident claim. We know the overwhelming feelings you might have following an accident and how to help alleviate that stress. Our lawyers have decades of experience winning compensation for personal injury clients just like you.
Our firm is included in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, an award granted to personal injury attorneys successful in obtaining multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for their clients. We consistently deliver large verdicts for our clients. In fact, we recently won the largest jury verdict in Louisiana history as of March 2023. We won $409,000,000 for clients whose daughter was killed by a negligent truck driver and the company that let him get behind the wheel. These and countless other verdicts show our dedication to clients and our proven track record of success in personal injury lawsuits.
We offer a free consultation of your case and are available 24/7 to speak with you. Contact us online or call us at (318) 221-1508 to get started.
