How Do I Find a Good Personal Injury Lawyer?How Do I Find a Good Personal Injury Lawyer?
The way to find the best personal injury lawyer near you is to search your state bar association’s website. It is a non-biased and reputable source of information that seeks to educate and inform. Alternatively, there is no better way to find out what a law firm is like than word-of-mouth referrals from their previous clients. You should always speak to an attorney’s previous clients before signing a contract with them.
Unfortunately, truth in advertising is a shaky concept in the modern world. Remember that the most successful personal injury attorneys have the largest advertising budgets. It is worthwhile to consider well-established personal injury attorneys near you, but don’t leave out of your consideration others are likely equally well-qualified.
Are Personal Injury Lawyers Free?
Personal injury lawyers are not free, but they are affordable. Other than court-appointed attorneys that represent the public in criminal cases, or pro bono work, there is no such thing as a “free lawyer.” Personal injury attorneys operate on a contingency-based fee plan. This means they do not collect money for their services until after they successfully secure a settlement. If you don’t win, you don’t owe. That a firm will take your accident injury case means that in their judgment, the potential for a settlement or trial win is present.
What is not common knowledge, however, is that nearly all personal injury attorneys — especially those modest legal practitioners that can’t afford to produce expensive TV and radio advertisements — operate in the same manner. It is often possible that a lesser-known firm may be just as likely to get the same settlement as a larger one.
What Do Lawyers Charge for Personal Injury Claims?
The maximum rate personal injury lawyers charge varies from state to state. However, the average contingency-based fee charge is 30 percent of the overall settlement. We should note that while personal injury firms operate on contingency-based fee plans, their contracts often contain language that penalizes their client financially should they prematurely end their contract.
Law firms may not require any cash up front in a contingency-based case, but if a client ends their contract before settlement they may be liable for payment for work already done. This means that potential clients should do their due-diligence before signing a contract, because it may not be as easy getting out. Choose a firm that will represent your interests wisely.
How Do I Hire a Different Personal Injury Lawyer When I Already Have One?
It is possible to hire a different personal injury lawyer near you when you already have one. To change attorney representation in the middle of a case seems daunting, but all that it involves is selecting a new attorney and signing a contract with them to represent you. The new law firm will assume the responsibility of informing the previous counsel of the termination of their contract.
This separation allows the client to avoid having to deal with the embarrassment of having to hear their former attorney try to talk them out of dropping their services. Likewise, it prevents clients from having to do the dirty work of firing their lawyer in person. No one wants to argue with someone that argues for a living.
Contact the Professional Team at Hadley Law Firm Today
Reduce the negative impact and potential long-term consequences of your accident by hiring a professional representative to advocate on your behalf with insurance companies and other parties responsible for making it right.
A specialized attorney like those at Hadley Law Firm has the required experience to know what to expect and what tricks the wily might use. In between big city law firms and local home-down lawyers there are dozens of viable attorney firms worth considering.
Find and hire yourself an advocate today. Contact us today.