Hello, my name is Susan Farris and my hobby is learning about the law. I have an uncle who is an attorney and I've always looked up to him and that's why I find subjects on law very interesting. Through speaking with my uncle and doing research on my own, I've learned about all the different fields of law. Each field of law centers on its own subject and most attorneys specialize in a certain area of law. These include criminal, personal injury, family, bankruptcy, criminal, immigration and business. I find each one of these fields very interesting and I have the utmost admiration for lawyers because they help people through their legal struggles. I wanted to share this information with others who have questions about the different types of attorneys and the law.
If you were injured in an accident and those injuries amounted to somewhat more than a few bumps and bruises, it probably won't be long before you start hearing the same advice from a lot of well-meaning friends, coworkers, and family members: "Get a good attorney."
What makes a good personal injury attorney? How do you find one? You can't exactly tell just by looking at an attorney if he or she is good or bad. Unless you know someone who has already experienced a similar situation that can recommend someone, you pretty much have to try to figure out who to hire on your own. Here are some tips to start with:
1.) Don't choose an overly eager attorney.
A good attorney may be willing to take your case, but only after hearing all the details and deciding if the case is both winnable and likely to result in a significant settlement. The attorney isn't being greedy by picking and choosing which cases to take–he or she is being honest and responsible. If your case is only worth two thousand dollars, hiring an attorney isn't going to make it worth a hundred thousand dollars. The good attorney knows this and also knows that you'll probably be able to settle a low-value case on your own without a lawsuit.
Expect a good attorney to ask questions–a lot of them–before he or she decides to take the case. For example, if you had a slip and fall on a puddle of melted ice cream at the local store, be prepared to explain what you were doing right before you fell. Why didn't you see the ice cream on the floor and walk around it? Did it look like it had been there a while? Who saw the accident? How serious were your injuries? Only after hearing the answers to questions like these can the attorney really evaluate your case for its potential.
2.) Don't hire an attorney who makes promises.
A good attorney is smart enough to know that nothing in the law is ever 100% guaranteed. Particularly during the early stages of a claim, it is difficult to predict how a case might proceed. A good attorney cannot
tell you how long your case will take. There are statutory filing limits which dictate that the lawsuit has to be filed within a certain period of time, but that's only the starting point. The actual lawsuit can take much longer. A good attorney knows that there is no way to predict things like how fast you'll heal, how much long-term damage you'll have, how much the other side will want to settle, and how long it will take to gather all the evidence to go to court if negotiations follow through.
tell you he or she will win your case. It is unethical and illegal to guarantee a win in a lawsuit. While some cases may be very strong and your attorney may speak in terms that leave you little doubt about the strength of the case, a good attorney will always make sure that you understand that even the best cases can fall through in unexpected ways.
3.) Don't pick an attorney who seems controlling.
The attorney may want you to see a physician that he or she trusts for evaluation to see if the physician's opinion of your condition matches your own physician's assessment. However, if the attorney wants you to transfer your care to the a different doctor–one of his or her recommendation–you might want to choose a different attorney. That's a sign that the attorney is trying to control the case instead of letting the case dictate the attorney's actions.
The same goes if the attorney tries to push you into a particular decision, such as going to court when you really want to settle. Ultimately, your attorney is there to guide you and advocate for you, but the choice of how to proceed should be up to you because it is your future that's at stake.
Share26 January 2016
