HOW DO YOU HIRE THE “RIGHT” LAWYER FOR YOUR CASE?
Many times, individuals ask me how do I know if I’m hiring the right lawyer? How do I know if they are good? How do I know what their track record is? First and foremost is a recommendation from another lawyer or a past client is a good start. You always want to meet and discuss your case with a lawyer that is actually going to be handling your case. In that meeting, the lawyer should be willing to provide you with his or her credentials and qualifications and be willing to discuss their work history. More importantly, in discussing your case you want to have a certain comfort level with that lawyer. Open, honest, easy communication is important for the attorney-client relationship. As the client, you should be comfortable sharing your feelings and experiences with your lawyer. Likewise, your lawyer should be a good listener and be willing to listen to how the injuries have impacted your life. You want to look at a lawyers’ credentials and experiences and see whether they have handled cases similar to yours. There is a variety of ways that motor vehicle collisions happen. Some involve buses, some involve trucks, some involve passenger cars, some involve motorcycles. You’re going to want to ask the lawyer have you handled a case involving a school bus, if your case involves a school bus. Have they tried a case involving a motorcycle to a jury? Those are questions that as a potential client you want to know whether your attorney has experience handling cases similar to yours. You will also want to look at the online reviews. I wouldn’t rely entirely on the internet to determine if a lawyer is right for you, however I would encourage looking at past client reviews or testimonials to get a sense of how that lawyer related with past clients. I also wouldn’t rely on advertising. Again, the meeting with the lawyer face-to-face and discussing your case is probably the best way to determine what lawyer is right for you. You also want to ask the lawyer’s track record in trying cases to a jury. You’ll want to know if your lawyer is actually willing to try the case to a jury and take the matter to a verdict. Ask for references. Past clients will verify the work performed by the lawyer. Lawyers should be happy to provide you with a list of past clients, so they can tell you whether they were satisfied with the representation and work performed.