How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer in Georgia
If you or a loved one has suffered catastrophic injuries, it’s important to find the right Georgia personal injury attorney to represent you. You are probably facing serious physical impairment or permanent disability as a result of the accident. Victims of catastrophic injuries may require extensive treatment, therapy, and assisted living care. You may not be able to return to your job and perform the day-to-day activities you enjoyed before the accident.
Insurance companies will do everything they can to save money, and that includes denying claims and minimizing the true extent of the victim’s injuries. Your Columbus personal injury lawyer will fight to get you a fair settlement, and a good attorney is always prepared to go to trial if the other side refuses to make a reasonable offer.
After a catastrophic accident, your health and financial stability depend on having the right attorney to represent you. It’s essential to find a lawyer with the experience, skill, and tenacity to help you get the best possible settlement. Here are some steps you can take to make choosing the right lawyer a lot easier.
Find Someone Who Puts You at Ease
It’s extremely important to meet your attorney face-to-face before making your decision. Most personal injury attorneys offer a no-cost consultation, and this is a great opportunity to get to know your attorney before making your final decision.
First impressions mean a lot. You will spend a lot of time with your personal injury lawyer, and you’ll want to find someone who makes you feel comfortable. If it’s not a good fit, you can always find a different lawyer.
One red flag is when the attorney does a lot more talking than listening. If they begin to tell you how they are going to handle your case before you’ve had an opportunity to tell them about the important details, then the lawyer probably won’t be very responsive or understanding as your case moves along through the legal system.
Determine if Their Experience Matches Your Needs
You wouldn’t hire a plumber to fix your car, so you should be suspicious if a criminal defense attorney offers to handle your personal injury case. When it comes to choosing a personal injury attorney, experience matters a lot.
Even if you find a personal injury attorney with solid references, you’ll want to ensure they have the right background to handle your type of case. Prevailing in a personal injury lawsuit requires an extensive knowledge base and years of courtroom experience. An attorney who usually works with dog bite victims may not be ready to take on a large trucking company whose driver has harmed your loved one.
Make Sure Your Attorney Is Willing to Go to Court
A lot of attorneys make their living by accepting the insurance company’s first offer, collecting a fee, and calling it a day. But when the other side knows that your attorney isn’t ready to fight, you won’t get the money you need to cover the cost of your medical bills and other expenses, such as lost wages and occupational therapy. That’s why you’ll want to determine if your attorney knows how to win in court.
Research Your Attorney’s Background
Before hiring a lawyer, you’ll want to review their track record. Learn about the types of cases they have won and the verdicts and settlements they have obtained for their clients. You’ll also want to find out which professional organizations they belong to and how they are evaluated by independent rating agencies. Nothing beats client reviews for discovering how an attorney has performed in the past and how happy people are with their services.
Carefully Review Any Agreement Before Signing on with an Attorney
If a Columbus personal attorney agrees to take your case on a contingency basis, there won’t be any upfront fees, and you will only have to pay the attorney if they win your case. Before signing any contingency agreement, you’ll want to read it carefully. Make sure that the agreement spells out all the legal fees and financial obligations the attorney will be charging, and don’t hesitate to ask questions if anything about the contract is unclear to you.
Are You Suffering from Catastrophic Injuries?
At Butler Prather LLP, we treat every client with respect and compassion. Our experienced trial lawyers have won hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients in over 30 states. Our Georgia injury attorneys have won nine verdicts that exceed $100 million. We’ve also won over 60 verdicts and settlements of over $10 million.
Call us at (706) 322-1990 to schedule your complimentary consultation today.