Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer
Choosing a Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer is one of the most important decisions that you will have to make in pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. You may be bombarded by choices; many of them large firms boasting the multi-million dollar settlements they have won for their clients. It is important to acknowledge that even these firms will tell you that large past settlements do not guarantee similar results for all clients. And remember, the first firm you see may not be the firm best suited to meet your needs.
Deciding What Kind of Personal Injury Lawyer You Want
Before you begin your personal injury lawyer search, you should first decide what kind of a lawyer you want. Many personal injury firms look to settle cases as quickly as possible. This means less waiting time for you, but if you are not happy with the final outcome, it might not be worth it. Other large firms deal with hundreds or even thousands of cases at a time and rely on paralegals and administrative assistants to do most of the work. You may never even speak with a lawyer during the entire course of your representation and it is very unlikely that the named partner that you see in the advertisements will be the attorney handling your case. You may be looking for a firm that focuses on treating every client like their only client. Firms, like The Berry Law Group, that are small but hard working and believe in working with their clients to get the best results possible. It is important to speak with the lawyer at the firm and ask them about their trial record. You may be amazed to find that the person you are speaking with is just a paralegal that does not even hold a law degree or bar membership. Furthermore, you may realize that the lawyers at the firm just work to settle cases and are not preparing cases with an eye on trial. Even if a case does not go to trial, preparing it for trial shows the insurance company that you mean serious business and are not just willing to take whatever offer they throw your way.
Researching Personal Injury Law Firms
For most people hiring a personal injury attorney is a one-time deal. An internet search for attorneys will bring up hundreds of law firms all claiming to be the best. You should spend some time reading about each firm you are considering and looking for reviews from clients on websites such as Avvo.com and Yelp.com. Firms with negative reviews or no reviews at all maybe indicative of poor service and lack of satisfied customers.
Contacting Personal Injury Firms
You should next contact several law firms either by phone or by e-mail. Most reputable personal injury firms in Georgia will give you as free consultation. The ease of which your inquiry is returned will generally give you a good idea as to how responsive they will be to you in the future. This will give you a chance to ask questions and get to know your lawyer. It is important that you feel at ease during the conversation. Large firms will take just about any case and pass the cases with smaller potential payouts to other lawyers (or paralegals). This means the person you end up working with may only be loosely associated with the large firm you read about. Small law practices like The Berry Law Group will allow you to speak directly to the lawyer who you will be working with.