Did you know that in 2018, there were nearly 98 million emergency room visits for injuries? From car crashes to assaults to workplace injuries, people are hurt every day through no fault of their own. If you are injured as a result of the negligence (or wrongful act) of another person, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and even pain and suffering. To ensure that you are adequately compensated for your injuries, you should consider hiring a San Diego personal injury lawyer.
To learn more about what you should be looking for in an accident lawyer, read on.
Look for Experience
Not all personal injury lawyers are created equal. Because there are so many types of personal injury cases, you might find that attorneys specialize in one type of case, such as car accidents or slip and fall accidents.
If you have a medical malpractice case, for example, you want a personal injury lawyer that specializes in medical malpractice, because they are likely to have a much more in-depth understanding of the medical field and malpractice laws than other types of injury attorneys.
Similarly, if you are injured in a trucking accident, you need an attorney who knows the ins and outs of the trucking industry as well as the regulations that govern commercial trucking.
Do some preliminary research to find attorneys in your area that specialize in your particular type of accident or injury to create a shortlist of potential lawyers.
Get References and Read Reviews
One of the best sources of references is other attorneys. If an attorney is well-respected in the legal field by their colleagues, it says a lot about their effectiveness and performance. If you know someone in the legal field, even if they aren’t an injury attorney, ask them who they recommend you hire and who they recommend you avoid.
Referrals from trusted friends and family members are also valuable. Word of mouth is often the best advertising an attorney can get, so when they have satisfied past clients, that is a good sign that you may also be happy with their performance.
Search online as well. Many different sites have attorney reviews from past clients. You can use these to get other perspectives on the attorney. Use all of this information to pare down your shortlist of potential attorneys even further.
Schedule a Consultation
Most injury attorneys will provide a free consultation or case evaluation. This is your opportunity to speak to each of the attorneys on your shortlist either in person or on the phone. Make sure you go into the meeting prepared with a list of questions, details about your case, and other relevant information.
As you are speaking with the attorney, make note of their communication style. How they communicate with you is likely how they will communicate with the insurance company, other attorneys, court personnel, and your doctors. If they don’t communicate with you well, they probably won’t communicate with anyone else involved in your case very well either.
Some of the important questions you should ask during this meeting include:
- How much experience do you have?
- Have you handled cases similar to mine?
- What is your success rate and what kinds of settlements have you gotten for past clients?
- What is your fee structure?
- Who will pay for any upfront costs, such as copies of medical records, expert witnesses, or additional medical exams?
- Who will handle my case?
- How often will you update me and how will you communicate?
- What is your assessment of my case?
- How long do you think my case will take?
- What kind of settlement do you think I can expect?
While your attorney can’t guarantee things like how long the case will take or the settlement that you’ll get, they should be able to give you general answers to these questions based on their experience with similar cases.
Pick an Attorney with Trial Experience
Most personal injury cases result in a settlement that the injury victim and the insurance company agree upon. However, in some cases, the insurance company does not provide a fair settlement and your attorney may advise you not to accept it. If you and the insurance company do not agree on a settlement, the case will go to trial.
If your case goes to trial, that is not the time you want to discover that your attorney has limited or no experience litigating cases in front of a jury. Choosing a personal injury attorney in San Diego with trial experience ensures that if your case ultimately doesn’t settle, you won’t have to find a new, experienced trial attorney in the middle of your case.
Use These Tips To Find a San Diego Personal Injury Lawyer
Finding the best San Diego personal injury lawyer is extremely important to make sure that you are compensated for your injuries and any lost income that you may experience. Accidents can have long-term impacts on your health, prevent you from working, and can result in permanent disability.
In these cases, you need to make sure that the responsible party adequately compensates you so that you can pay for your medical care and support yourself and your family if you have to miss work.
If you are in need of a California attorney, contact us at Sweet Law today. Our attorneys specialize in personal injury cases and are available to provide free case consultations.
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