If you are looking to hire a personal injury attorney and you have no experience with the field (for example, if you have never had any reason to hire an attorney in the past) the prospect of finding out which attorney will be the best fit for you can seem like a daunting process. However, there are several questions that you can ask your attorney—either in the initial phone call you have with them, or at your first meeting—that will help you to make the decision as to whether this attorney will be a good fit for your needs. Ideally, you should speak to more than one attorney before you commit to the one who will assist you in pursuing your personal injury claim. A Coral Springs personal injury attorney should be happy to answer your questions in a direct, forthright manner; if you feel uncomfortable with the answers you receive from one attorney, you should compare and contrast with what another lawyer says in response to the same questions. While you may have specific questions in mind, some general questions are also of use.
When you meet with your prospective attorney for the first time, or talk to them on the phone, it’s a good idea to start out with a few questions about the attorney’s background and experience. For example, you can ask where they attended college and law school, how many personal injury victims they represent each year, which organizations your attorney belongs to, and how long he or she has been practicing law. While there are many good lawyers who have been practicing law only a short time, and certainly lengthy experience is not necessarily an indicator of an attorney who is going to win your case, to some degree experience and education will be a defining characteristic of your attorney’s approach to your case. Lawyers who have more experience will generally be more confident, and will have formed relationships with judges, defense attorneys, and other members of the legal field; this can give them an edge when it comes to trial.
You can also ask about their style of practicing law. Consider asking questions about subjects such as your attorney’s professional personality (for example, whether they are aggressive in their demeanor towards the other party’s representation). You can also ask what their style is in regards to working with clients; do they present the options and ask you to make a decision on your own, or do they recommend a particular course of action based on their knowledge and experience? An experienced Coral Springs personal injury lawyer should be able to answer these questions directly, and if needed, explain what they mean. After all, lawyers are required by their position to communicate.
Finally, you should be able to ask them about their opinion of your case, and what the next steps will be. You should settle with your prospective attorney ahead of time what the legal fees you will be responsible for will be, whether or not the attorney will be handling your case on their own, as part of a team, or if they will be supervising an associate attorney in moving your case forward. Your Pompano Beach personal injury attorney should also be able to give you a good idea, even at a first meeting, of whether or not your case has any likelihood of succeeding; they may even be able to provide you with a ballpark idea of a realistic settlement or judgment, based on the information you provide. Don’t feel pressured to hire any particular attorney right off the bat; make sure that you feel absolutely comfortable with the attorney you are hiring.