Personal injury, whether from a slip and fall or by any other means, may constitute financial compensation to the victim. If you sustain an injury that causes severe enough injury to disable you either temporarily or permanently, you will need to retain the services of a personal injury attorney.
If you retain the service of a personal injury attorney, to make sure you hire persons qualified for this area of law, there are several key questions you should ask.
Qualifications
Questions such as what area of specialty does their firm work in. All attorneys will want to take your case, but not all attorneys are qualified or experienced in every type of injury case, it is best to hire an attorney experienced in your specific type of injury. Ask what they charge, most personal injury attorney fees are based on the amount of the claim, and most do not require cash
Retainers
Retainers as they will collect their fees from the settlement award. Although some may require less than the maximum amount allowed them by law, so if they have a good track record and will take less of your money this would be better for you.
Experience
Obviously you want them to have as much experience as possible in your type of injury so ask them how many cases they have handled and for how long, also they should have a high percentage of success. The longer they have tried your type of injury case and the higher success rate they have had in the past, the more likely it is they will have success in reaching a settlement for you.
Referrals
Ask if they are referred by other attorneys, if so, this is even better for you. The best chance you have for success would be that if they were referred by other attorneys to handle cases like yours due to their expertise. Knowing how much time it will take to settle your case is often good information to have, especially if you are disabled and need the money to pay bills.
Stress
Often the stress from waiting and worrying can cause other problems. Stress is one of the main causes for heart attack and other health issues. Stress also hinders the body’s ability to heal. Your attorney should give you updates as to how the case is going, ask how often they will update you to help ease your stress from wondering how the case is going. Of course you won’t get daily reports, but every week or two you should get an update as to how the case is proceeding. Following these guidelines should help you receive the compensation you are due. As with anything else, doing your research beforehand will yield the best results.
