HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER
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If you turn your television on any
weekday afternoon you will see a continuous stream of ads for personal injury
lawyers.
Pick up your phone book and you will
see page after page of lawyer ads.
How do you know which lawyer to choose?
Other entries on Injury Board have
discussed the qualifications that a personal injury lawyer should have. But how do you find the right lawyer with
these qualifications.
The answer starts with a discussion
of what you should not consider when choosing a personal injury lawyer.
You should not assume that the
lawyer with the biggest yellow page ad or most yellow page ads is the best
lawyer for you.
You should not assume that the
lawyer with the most TV advertising is the best lawyer for you.
All the yellow page ads and the TV
ads mean is that the lawyer has paid a lot of money for advertising. It does not mean that they will be the best
lawyer for you.
Some lawyers even use TV or movie
personalities in their ads. Certainly, the movie star you see in the ad
will not be involved in your case if you hire the law firm who sponsored the
ad.
Ben Glass, a prominent personal
injury and medical malpractice lawyer in northern Virginia has written a book entitled: The Truth about Lawyer Advertising. This book has useful information that you
should consider when hiring a lawyer.
One way to find a good personal
injury lawyer is to ask the lawyers you know who do not do personal injury work
for recommendations for a personal injury lawyer. You should ask as many lawyers as possible
for these recommendations.
You should interview a lawyer that
you are considering before you make your selection. Ask these lawyers how many personal injury
cases they have actually taken to court and tried in front of a jury. Ask them what trial lawyer organizations they
are active in and what positions they have held in these organizations. Ask them if they have written legal articles
for legal publications. Ask if they have
lectured to trial lawyer groups on trial practice issues.
It is also helpful to ask your
friends or acquaintances who have had personal injury claims how they feel
about the lawyer who represented them.
You should check to see if the
lawyer you are considering is Board certified.
The National Board of Trial Advocacy is the certifying agency that
certifies the competency of personal injury lawyers. Check their web site for a listing of the
Board certified lawyers in your area.
It is not an easy job to find the
right personal injury lawyer for your case.
However, the more you ask around and the more lawyers you interview the
better you will be informed and able to make the proper choice.