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Sometimes, when you are involved in an accident and the damage is not too serious, you do not necessarily need a lawyer. You can, on your own, negotiate compensation from the guilty party to cover your discomfort. But, if you were involved in a much serious accident which caused you to be hospitalized and damaged your property as well, then it is best to get a personal injury attorney. Do not go out and hire just any attorney, it has to be someone who practices and specializes in this kind of law, personal injury law. Not all attorneys are able and experienced in handling personal injury cases, so make sure you find someone whose livelihood is made on personal injury cases.
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Sounds easy enough, but how do you get the right fir for the job? How can you tell and experienced person from someone fresh out of college? You can start by calling them up and asking for information. Ask them to send over an information kit on your type of case, including things you should know, expect and also ask them why they would be the best team to represent case. You want them to send this information so that you have it in writing and you can make a price comparison with other firms. If they insist that you need to come in for a meeting, decline the offer. If they insist that you can only get the information by coming to their office, you can and should just hang up. What happens when you go to their office? Well, they would have an experienced sales person to sell their services to you. They will offer you all the discounts in the world, as long as you hire them. There will be pressure to cave in, so if you feel that you might not be able stand your ground, why meet up? Either they send the info kit or you will move on.
If you are approached in the emergency room by someone who says they can hook you up with a great attorney, you should give them the cold shoulder. In person solicitation is illegal in most states and knowing this, the firm or their representative who is trying to hook you up should not attempt this. If they call you or mail you first, even before you start attorney searching then you should just ignore them or throw out the mail. Once you have listed down at least 3 lawyers to choose from, here is where you will need to do more work. You will need to interview them personally. You need to get to know them and be comfortable. Only God knows how long your case will take to be settled, so you need someone on your side that is easy to work with and you can trust. There is no point in working with someone you can't stand or trust.
Once you have this information or you are close to deciding who want, ask Portland personal injury attorney them if they have any other referrals. Attorneys are busy people, many people want to engage their services and many can pay more than you so they would be glad to point you to some one else. If they are unable to this, they are starved for business, and this would not be good for you as they will definitely charge you expensively.
Remember to do your homework when finding a suitable attorney; you have at least a few months to a few years to file your claim, so take your time. There is nothing worse then starting the process and realizing your lawyer is not what you expected.
A personal injury attorney is specialized in handling cases regarding personal injury--claims and settlements. An attorney with long years of service may be advantageous but what you must look for is his/her multitude of law skills and of course, a depth of knowledge on your special case. If he/she has a long line of personal injury cases he/she has handled and won in the past, the better. Otherwise, look for someone who already knows the drill.
The search for personal injury attorneys may never be easy especially if you don't know where to begin your search, how to do it and who to look for. If you're living in New York, your hardship may even be twice as difficult. So here are a few tips on how to search and find your personal injury attorney:
Law Firms that are Legally Accredited
Anyone would prefer a top quality law firm to handle their cases. And for you to find the topnotch lawyers, you must be sure that you're looking at law firms that have been legally accredited by legal law accreditation agencies in your country. Start by looking into the State Bar Association's official page and check if the firms you have in mind are recognized by the state bar.
Official Pages
Many law firms in America have a corresponding official website. Use your favorite search engine and narrow your search. For example, if you key in "personal injury attorneys in Manhattan", your search engine will give you a million results. Once you're in the site, be sure to check in the law firm's history. The downside of this is that there's a good chance that the websites won't even tell you the percentage of cases they haven't won compared to the cases they did.
Interviews
Lastly, there is nothing much more convincing than a personal interview. After you've done your background check, set an appointment with the law firm you've chosen. Most of the time, a law firm would ask you about your case first before they decide whether they'd like to be hired or not. I know its upside-down but that's what it usually is (although there are exemptions, of course). In reality, there are firms who may not want to handle your personal injury case especially if the monetary compensations are too low for their standard professional fee. Although not all, most firms will want to get at least 20-30% of the monetary fee once they win the case. Therefore, if you think your case can be handled without the aid of lawyers and legal proceedings, you may do it. A lot of plaintiffs have been handling their cases all by themselves.
