Daily News Star - If you've been injured through someone's negligence, don't rely on the insurance companies to compensate you. You need a personal injury lawyer who represents you.The insurance companies have many lawyers, whose job is to make the insurance payout as low as possible.
·They may offer you a quick settlement check
·Don't accept it
·Don't sign anything they present to you, without first consulting a personal injury attorney who represents you
Don't delay
Statutes of limitation vary in length. Personal injury cases can be complex and lengthy, requiring much discovery and much expert testimony on medical questions. So you want to get the process started as soon as possible, to avoid disqualification from an expired statute of limitation.
If you're severely injured, ask a friend to get it started for you. A friend could collect a list of names and write up a list of questions that you devise together. A friend could even make initial calls and set up interviews for you.
First, find some candidates
·Ask your friends if they know of any good personal injury attorneys. They may have stories to tell, either recommending a lawyer or warning you off.
·Look online; do a search for personal injury lawyers in your location, and examine their websites.
·Call the Texas Bar Association, or your city bar association.
·Look in the phone book if it's important to find one very close by.
When you have a list of candidates, start calling them to set up interviews.
You can already start assessing these lawyers when their phones are answered. How does this person treat you? Their degree of courtesy and helpfulness will be important if you choose this lawyer, as you'll be calling periodically to give information or request it. So you want to choose a lawyer whose staff is professional and helpful.
Ask lots of questions
Have your list of questions written down. As you talk with the lawyer and understand the answers he gives, check off each question. If you don't understand the answer, ask more questions until you do.
Among your questions, including these:
·How many cases have the lawyer handled that involved the same type of injury as yours? You want to choose one who already has working relationships with the appropriate experts
·Has the lawyer taken any of these cases to trial, and if so, how many, and how many did he win?
·The more he's won, the more likely it will be that he'll win for you because his reputation will be known by the insurance company lawyers.
·Insurance companies would usually rather settle out of court for more money than risk a court case that brings them negative press or an even bigger settlement amount
·Is the law firm offering a "no recovery, no fee or costs" deal? If not, move on. You want a lawyer who'll cover the costs of investigation and negotiation, and possible costs of a trial, rather than charging you as things proceed. When you obtain a settlement, the lawyer can keep a specified percentage of it to reimburse himself for those costs. This is known as a contingency fee.
Choose an attorney who has time for you
As you interview each candidate, notice whether they seem to respect you. Are they listening to you? Are they willing to take this time with you, to understand your position and injuries? If you get the sense that the lawyer's too busy for you, move on.
When you hire a lawyer, you're paying him or her for a service. Why pay someone for shoddy service? You want a person who'll:
·Establish a clear arrangement with you up front regarding fees and costs
·Return your phone calls promptly
·Keep you updated on the progress of your case
·Provide you with copies of all documents
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