Personal injury lawyers are either specialists in defending injured parties or the opposite parties, but often not both. If you're the injured party, you need a "plaintiff's lawyer."
Surely, you have to do your homework before deciding which lawyer will be your legal attorney.
* First off, you should check biographical information and all else provided on your prospects' websites. Do you think they're experts in what you need? Do their websites contain details that could be useful to you?
* Go through the profile of the lawyer and try to get an idea whether or not he represents injured parties exclusively. If it's hard to tell, call the lawyer's office and inquire directly.
* The search engines are there to assist you, of course. Search for articles or any other online content that provides some ideas on the kind of lawyer your prospect is. Cross-check your references by searching on certain keywords like "trial lawyers" or "personal injury lawyers."
* Find out if the lawyer takes membership to a personal injury trial lawyers' association, or your state's trial lawyers' association.
*If you have hired a particular attorney before for a different case, ask if he has a few names to recommend.
* Ask people if they've heard of certain attorneys and what their opinion of them is.
* Get in touch with your state bar association or check its website to know the standing of the lawyer.
* Check the web archives of your local newspaper. Has the lawyer had a case that enjoyed some publicity? This is probably true if the case involved a huge settlement.
* Before hiring an injury lawyer, always ask for references. You have to talk to people who are credible sources of information regarding the attorney's skills and honesty.
* Ask for any promotional material that the firm might have available, then compare the available information with what you've learned from your references and sources.
* Consider any particular needs you may have. For example, could you need a lawyer who speaker another language besides English?
If you have one prospect who cannot meet you on short notice, don't strike him off your list right away. Good personal injury attorneys are usually busy, and it's not wrong for them to allocate responsibilities to their staff. Nevertheless, you can and should expect anyone in the firm to treat you professionally and courteously.
* Except in special cases, it makes sense to hire a lawyer who has an office in the location of your accident.
Money Matters
If you have a good case, it's possible to hire an attorney on a contingency fee basis. This means you will pay the lawyer a percentage of your settlement, and that's about 25-40%. For additional information, visit the site at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi8q8RqI7Qg.