You got into a crash, you’re hurt, your car is wrecked – what now? Your insurance company is giving you a hard time. Call a lawyer! Oh, I don’t know a lawyer.
- Injury lawyers are all the same. False. Although all injury lawyers have a law degree (presumably – lol), there are big differences in their skills as in any profession or business. Lawyers’ years of experience, personality, involvement in associations, network, board certifications, trial experience, ability to communicate, past results, ad a host of other factors weigh into the quality of their advice.
- Advertising lawyers are better than non-advertising lawyers. Not a thing. There are terrible or very inexperienced law firms that have the funds to advertise (trust fund, anybody?) and some great firms use forms of advertisement. Nobody should choose a lawyer solely based on advertisement. Interview a few and know their credentials.
- It’s all about the money. For greedy lawyers, yes. For “justice” lawyers, no. Most lawyers care about their clients and truly want to help them. Interview potential representation to make sure you feel comfortable, and feel that the lawyer is a good person, with your best interested at heart.
- I can do what the lawyer does. Insurance companies routinely take advantage of unrepresented people. We have seen people accept $2,500.00 for claims worth over $100,000.00, but they have signed a release and there is nothing that can be done to change this. There is much that goes into handling a personal injury claim.
- Contingency fees are too high. Not true. The idea behind contingent fees is that the attorney’s interest and the clients’ interest are the same. The more money derived for the settlement or verdict, the more each shall receive. The goal is to maximize the clients’’ award. This arrangement also limits the risk to the client, because if the case has an issue, the client has paid nothing out of pocket.
- All personal injury lawyers are “Ambulance Chasers”. No! Most reputable injury lawyers derive their cases through referrals, from past happy clients, other lawyers, accountants and doctors. Are some unscrupulous lawyers violating ethical rules and soliciting clients? Yes, but hopefully a few bad apples won’t spoil the bunch.
- I don’t need a personal injury attorney, my business partner, business lawyer, or friend can guide me. Wrong- Big Mistake! It is important to hire an expert – A lawyer who specializes in handling the nuances of such claims every day. Again, we live in a specialized world- hire the most qualified lawyer in the field. Would you have your chiropractor perform surgery on your shoulder? Good Luck!