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Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

When you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence, it’s important to find a personal injury attorney who will fight for you to receive the compensation you deserve. But how can you know you are partnering with the right lawyer for your case? With so many personal injury law firms and legal teams in the market in Middle Georgia, it’s important to zero in on the attorney and firm that will provide exceptional counsel and representation.

When choosing the best personal injury attorney to partner with, ask the lawyers you speak with the following questions:

How Many Cases Like Mine Have You Represented?

Personal injury is a wide-encompassing practice area that can include:

  • Car accidents
  • Semi-truck accidents
  • Catastrophic injuries
  • Workplace accidents
  • Premises liability accidents
  • Medical malpractice
  • Nursing home neglect
  • Product liability incidents

And others. While some attorneys may have valuable experience representing clients in cases involving product liability, they may not have much experience navigating cases involving semi-truck accidents.

It’s crucial to know that the attorney you partner with has extensive knowledge and experience with the practice area that applies to your case and has represented clients with similar causes of action.

How Many Successful Verdicts Have You Won When Representing Cases Like Mine?

It’s one thing to have experience representing particular types of cases that fit into certain practice areas. It’s another thing entirely to have experienced success while representing those cases.

You want to choose a personal injury attorney who has fought for their clients and has successful verdicts to prove their skills and abilities. Along with other factors, a quality lawyer is one with a proven track record of successful settlements because it shows that the attorney:

  • Understands the laws that apply to your case
  • Is skilled at communicating clearly and effectively to their client, their opponent, and the court
  • Has reliable mediation and litigation skills
  • Can counter tricky or complex tactics enacted by opponents like insurance companies or opposing counsel
  • Cares for their clients throughout the entirety of the case

How Available Are You and Your Firm During the Life of My Case?

Some personal injury attorneys are readily available to their clients for case updates and can answer any questions the client has in a reasonable and timely manner. Other attorneys may be more limited in their ability to keep in touch, provide updates, or return phone calls.

Communication with your attorney or legal team is key. You want to always be in the loop, even if that means you mostly speak with a contact person who is not the attorney (such as a paralegal or legal assistant). A lack of communication can make it feel as if your attorney is dropping the ball somewhere, which can cause you to lose confidence in your legal team. The last thing you want to deal with on top of your legal battle is anxiety activated by your own attorney.

Pay attention to how the attorney you are speaking with answers your questions about communication style and pursue the one who readily invites and encourages communication.

How Long Have You Been in Practice?

When you ask about the personal injury attorney’s success rate, you may gather an idea of how long they have been in practice. Still, it’s wise to ask this question outright. You want to know that your attorney has plenty of experience under their belt, and a lawyer who has had years of practice is much more of an ideal partner than a lawyer who is on the newer side.

How Long Have You Been a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Not only do you want to know how long someone has been in practice, you want to know how long they have worked in personal injury law, specifically.

Lawyers can change course and switch from one area of law to another. While the attorney you are speaking with may have 15 years of experience under their belt, 14 of those years could be in real estate law or something else equally distant from personal injury law.

How Long Have You Practiced in This Area?

In addition to understanding their legal background, it’s important to know where the attorney has practiced. While it’s vital to have experience on your side, it’s also highly beneficial to partner with an attorney who understands the local court systems and the officials who work in the courts where your case may be tried.

An attorney who has good relationships with those in the local court system will know how certain judges or other officials operate and can shape their representation around that knowledge, giving your case even more of a boost.

Additional Questions to Consider Asking

  • Do you think I have a good case?
  • Do you see any weaknesses in my case right now?
  • If we cannot reach a settlement, are you comfortable going to trial?
  • What kind of tactics do you typically use in a case like mine?
  • How long do you think it can take to reach a settlement or verdict?

The personal injury attorneys at Clark, Smith & Sizemore have decades of experience practicing in Middle Georgia and fighting for clients like you.

Our personal injury lawyers have fiercely represented clients who have suffered personal injuries and hardships following negligence. From semi-truck accidents and car accidents to workplace accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, catastrophic accidents, fire and explosion accidents, and others, our team has the knowledge, experience, and heart to fight for you to receive the compensation you deserve.

Call us today for a free consultation: 478-254-5040.

Thanks for checking out part 6 in our 6-part series about personal injury. If you missed any of our previous personal injury articles, check them out here!