Finding the lawyer who’s right for you can be a challenge. It can take a lot of research if your legal needs are complex, and even more to find a lawyer you feel you can trust. Regardless of the type of legal case you need assistance with, there are several factors you should consider when hiring a lawyer. The following outlines five key signs to look for when hiring a lawyer.
What To Look For When Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
Hire a Lawyer with The Right Expertise
Just because an attorney went to law school and practices law, that doesn’t mean they are the right person to handle everything from your criminal defense to your estate plan. The legal field has become more and more specialized over time.
In most cases, “specialized” doesn’t mean they receive a special certification for handling child custody cases or defending intoxicated driving cases. But it does mean that lawyers who focus their practice on a particular area will be intimately more familiar with the subject matter, statutes, and case precedent.
This is why many lawyers focus solely on their area of interest, such as criminal law, family law, labor law, personal injury law, elder law, or business law. They will also be more familiar with the tendencies of the judges in your jurisdiction who preside over those areas of law, which can be beneficial to your case. You will, however, want to make sure your attorney is admitted to the bar in your state.
The Lawyer’s Billing Terms Are Clear
You want complete transparency when it comes to how you will be billed for your lawyers’ services. Will you be billed a flat hourly rate for their work, or so they use a contingency fee arrangement, such as in a personal injury case, where they take a percentage of your compensation at the end of the case?
It is critical that you clearly understand these terms. Make sure you hire a lawyer who will explain this to you. If the case will take longer than anticipated and you’re paying an hourly rate, they should explain this to you right away. If you are unsure of how you will be billed or how much you will be billed, you may not have the right lawyer. This leads to the next sign.
Your Personal Injury Lawyer Should Be a Great Communicator
In today’s fast-paced world, it is imperative that your attorney be a great communicator. They must communicate well with their clients, their law partners, other staff, judges, juries, witnesses, etc.
There are many available means of communication nowadays, whether meeting in person, over Zoom, on the phone, or by email. Your lawyer should be responsive to your questions and concerns in a timely manner.
Your lawyer must also be able to communicate well when it comes to explaining the law when representing you. First, they’ll need to be able to explain what’s happening so that you understand it. They also need to communicate well both verbally with other lawyers and in court, as well as in writing through legal briefs, memos, and other communications with other lawyers and witnesses.
In order to be an effective communicator, they must also be a good listener. Sometimes the smallest of details can be crucial to winning a case. If your lawyer is a good listener, he will gather these details from you.
No False Promises
It is also important that your lawyer not mislead you in any way. No case is a guaranteed win, so a good lawyer should not promise you specific outcomes for your case. Instead, your lawyer should provide you with educated legal opinions. An experienced lawyer understands that situations can arise that could change the course of a case for better or worse. No matter how many previous cases a lawyer has won, a good lawyer should be honest and remind clients that their set of facts and circumstances are different from other people’s and make no guarantees.
Lawyers Should Have an Objective, Analytical Mind
Your lawyer should remain objective when handling your case. Believe it or not, you do not want an attorney who is overly sympathetic to your situation. You want them to remain objective and focused on the facts and the law.
Additionally, you want your lawyer to have a sound analytical mind. They must be able to consider the case not only from your side but also from your opponent’s side in order to anticipate what counterarguments the other side will present. This will help your lawyer be better prepared to handle your case.
Hiring A Lawyer
Before you hire a personal injury lawyer for your case, be sure to meet with a few, so that you have options to choose from. These initial case review meetings should not cost you anything. A good personal injury lawyer does not charge anything to his client upfront.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer from The Benton Law Firm for a Free Consultation
If you are seeking an attorney to assist you with a specific legal need, you should contact an experienced Dallas personal injury attorney with The Benton Law Firm at (214) 777-7777 today.