How to Find a Good Personal Injury Lawyer
1
Understand the benefits of a qualified lawyer. Personal injury is a specialized area of law. Even though an attorney may be licensed to practice before the court, she may not have the knowledge of the complexities of personal injury law and how to apply them to your case for the best outcome.
The body of law grows and changes daily. A qualified personal injury attorney keeps abreast of the latest developments in both state statutes and the case law coming out of the courts.
Many personal injury cases involve working with an insurance company. You need a lawyer that has established relationships with the auto and health insurance companies that do business in your state.
The right personal injury lawyer understands all facets of your case and the compensation you may be entitled to. [2] The car wreck or the faulty product is usually just the first incident in the chain of your injury and recovery. The repercussions of a serious injury can last for the rest of your life. A skilled lawyer takes the long view and crafts a settlement that meets all of your needs
2
Identify your injury. Even something as obvious as a car accident has several parts. You were physically injured and your car was damaged, but there may be more layers. For example, you lost wages going to medical appointments, your home had to be remodeled to accommodate a wheelchair, you had to rent special equipment, or worse, you or a family member was left disabled and needing permanent care. In cases of slander or defamation, you may have lost a job or business and now you can't find a job.
At this stage, don't worry if you don't get it exactly right. Your lawyer will do a thorough analysis of your case. However, you need to have a general idea of your injuries in order to pick a qualified lawyer.
3
Start your case journal. Before you talk to a personal injury lawyer, write down what you know about the incident. Start with the date and time and the names of everyone you can think of that were involved. If there was a physical accident, list the address. This is the beginning of your case journal. You will record everything you do that is connected with your case from medical appointments to discussions with attorneys and insurance companies
4
Assemble your documentation. Pull together every scrap of paper you can find that relates to your case. At this point, don't try to judge what is or isn't important. That's your lawyer's job.
Any tickets, reports, even business cards, that you received from law enforcement or emergency responders during or after the event.
Your insurance documents and anything you have received from any insurance company involved in the event.
Paperwork and receipts regarding your car or the product that led to your injury.
Pay stubs and a year or two of tax returns to show your income and employment or business record.
Receipts for anything you had to pay out-of-pocket for, including doctor appointments, prescriptions, medical equipment, over-the-counter medicines, or vehicle rentals related to your injury.
Print-outs of emails and screen shots of text messages relating to your injury.
Newspaper clippings or print-outs of news articles from the Internet about your injury.