If you have been injured in an accident, you have a lot on your mind. You are working to heal while dealing with the difficulties an injury can bring to your personal and work life. The last thing you want to do is get stuck in the tedious process of finding an attorney to work with you on your personal injury case.
While it might feel like a burden, finding the right attorney can be essential to getting what is due to you after an accident that was not your fault. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you get the full justice, compensation, and results you deserve.
Make sure you find the best lawyer for your unique situation. Learn how to choose a personal injury attorney for your case.
How to Choose a Personal Injury Attorney
Knowing how to choose a personal injury attorney comes from asking the right questions. Discuss the following topics with potential lawyers to find the one best suited to take on your case.
Experience
Look for an attorney who has experience that matches the unique details of your case. Talk to a potential attorney about their past cases and the type of personal injury they specialize in. They may focus in one of the following types of personal injury cases:
- Auto accident
- Boating accident
- Medical Negligence
- Slip and fall
- Premises liability
- Workplace accident
- Animal attack
- Assault and battery
- Wrongful detail
Discuss the details of your injury and if they have handled cases that are similar to yours. Have they worked with a client who has an injury similar to yours? Also, discuss the location of your accident. Find out if they have successfully fought personal injury cases that occurred at the workplace, in a public place, at a commercial business, in a medical facility, or at an individual’s home.
The more their experience aligns with your case, the better they will be able to develop arguments to fight on your behalf.
Fees
Talk to potential attorneys about their fee structure. You don’t want to end up with an attorney you can’t afford or one that takes a majority of your award. Discuss the different fee structures and what you will be expected to pay.
- Hourly Basis: The attorney tracks their time and charges a rate per hour.
- Flat Fee Basis: The attorney charges a set rate for a specific case.
- Contingency Basis: The attorney is paid based on the outcome of the case.
In some cases, attorneys also charge for the time their team puts in on a case or for court fees. Be sure to ask what other charges could arise during your case to get a full idea of the cost.
Related: How Much Does an Attorney Cost? 8 Questions to Consider
Working Style
Many large law firms have a few attorneys who are the face of the practice. Potential clients meet with them during consultations, hire them, and then never see them again. At many firms, clients are often passed over to a team of associate attorneys or paralegals once work on their case begins.
If you want to work directly with the attorney you meet with, discuss their working styles before hiring them. Will they pass you over to an associate? Will they communicate directly with you? Will they be working on your pleadings and arguments? Will they be in court with you?
Related: Want to Sue for Personal Injury? Take These 4 Steps
Expected Award
During the consultation, ask the attorney if they have an expectation for your case. Try to get an idea of what type of personal injury compensation you may receive. Discuss the following types of compensation with the attorney and what they think you can fight for.
Special Compensation Damages
- Immediate medical bills (hospital expenses, surgeries, prescriptions, etc.)
- Future medical bills (physical therapy, massage therapy, prescriptions, chiropractor sessions, pain management treatment, mental health treatment, etc.)
- Cost of home-care and domestic services
- Lost income
- Loss of future earnings
- Property damage
- Costs of altered plans (canceling a vacation, wedding, etc
General Compensation Damages
- Debilitating long-term physical impairments
- Physical disfigurement or deformities
- Emotional trauma (stress and anxiety)
- Loss of consortium or companionship
- Damage to lifestyle because of the injury
Wrongful Death Damages
- Pre-death medical bills
- Cost of funeral and burial
- Loss of consortium or companionship
- Emotional distress of surviving family
- Loss of financial contribution
Punitive Damages: Extra compensation awarded when there is proof that the injury was a result of malicious or intentional conduct.
Related: How to Prove Fault in Personal Injury Case
How to Pick a Personal Injury Attorney: Get a Free Consultation
Knowing how to choose a personal injury attorney and what questions to ask is the first step in the process. The next step is finding a personal injury lawyer and scheduling a free consultation.
During a free consultation, go through each of these categories and ask questions to help you determine if the attorney is the right fit for you and your case.
Get started with your free consultation with a personal injury attorney today. Request a call with TJ Grimaldi. Schedule your consultation or call 813-226-1023 now.
TJ Grimaldi joined McIntyre in 2011. McIntyre recruited TJ to create the divisions of personal injury and family law, as well as to expand the existing criminal defense practice at the firm. During TJ’s tenure at McIntyre, he has helped oversee and grow these practice areas. He continues to practice in these divisions while also expanding his own practice areas to include estate planning and immigration law. TJ is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.
