Hiring the right personal injury lawyer is essential to maximize your chances of winning your case. However, determining who the best personal injury attorney for you is can be a challenge. Read below if you’re searching for a personal injury attorney in Cameron, TX or Navasota, TX.
How Can I Find the Best Personal Injury Lawyer for My Case in Cameron, TX or Navasota, TX?
Search Based on Practice Area
What type of personal injury case are you dealing with? Car accident? Medical malpractice? Premises liability? Determine which area of personal injury law fits your case best and search for an attorney based on that. Not every personal injury attorney focuses on every type of personal injury case.
Working with someone who specializes in cases like yours may maximize your chances of winning your case. Experience is essential when you’re searching for somebody to represent you in a personal injury case.
Search for Someone Local
If you have to travel for hours to meet your attorney face-to-face, then it’s not going to be convenient for you going forward. Try to find someone in your local area or the areas closely surrounding it. Many attorneys have specific geographical locations they serve because they know it’s easy for clients from those areas to meet regularly if necessary.
Search for Someone Charging a Contingency Fee
Attorneys can be expensive, and there’s a good reason for that. However, hiring a costly attorney isn’t always feasible, especially if you’re dealing with hospital bills and time off work to recover from your injuries. Luckily, many attorneys practicing personal injury law charge a contingency fee for their services. This means you don’t have to pay them out of pocket. Instead, your attorney will take a percentage of your settlement if you win.
Sometimes your attorney’s fees may be factored into the settlement, so you’ll win a sum to cover your damages plus an extra sum factored in to pay your attorney. If you don’t win your case, then your attorney won’t be paid,
Search for Someone with a Good Track Record
Just because an attorney specializes in a specific area of the law it doesn’t mean they have a high success rate for their clients. Speak to your attorney about their track record. Have they won cases similar to yours? Did those wins happen recently?
Ideally, your attorney will have more wins than losses, and their wins will be recent. It’s never a good idea to work with an attorney who’s on a losing streak, as you risk walking away with nothing and having to deal with the expenses related to your injury by yourself.
Search for Someone with Testimonials
A good track record is a must, but your attorney should also be easy to work with. Ask if there are any client testimonials you can look at before hiring the attorney. If the testimonial seems satisfied with the attorney’s work and finds them easy to work with, then that’s ideal. There may also be testimonials written online by former clients, so be sure to research any attorney that you’re considering hiring.
Search for Someone You Get Along With
Personal injury cases often take months, and sometimes years, to settle. It’s essential to work with someone you’ll be able to get along with for this time. If you feel uncomfortable with your attorney, then you may not be willing to be as open and honest with them as you should. Plus, nobody deserves to have to work with somebody they can’t get along with. Your attorney should be friendly, easy to talk to, and a person who makes you feel at ease.
Search for Someone With a Well-Organized Office
Somebody can be the best attorney in the world, but if they have an unorganized office, then working with them may be a risk. Somebody organized may be more likely to meet deadlines, store paperwork appropriately, and keep track of all elements of the case without issue. If you walk into your attorney’s office and there are files everywhere and no organizational system in sight, then it may be a good idea to look elsewhere for legal aid.
Search for Someone Punctual
Punctuality is as important as organization. If your attorney is frequently late or often misses meetings with short notice and no explanations, then they are probably not the best person to work with. Experienced professionals do everything they can to show up when they say they will, call on time, and keep you up-to-date.
It can be both irritating and bad for your case if your attorney regularly fails to meet you when they say they will. You need to know you can trust the person you’ve hired to defend you.
Search for Someone Honest
As stated above, you need to know you can trust your attorney, so work with somebody you feel is honest. An attorney who’s upfront with you about your chances of success, the timeframe of the case, and about how much you may be able to win, is ideal. If your attorney is vague or avoids answering questions, then look elsewhere.
Search for Someone With Courtroom Experience
Your attorney will do everything they can to help you settle your case without going to trial. Many personal injury cases settle without trial, but some eventually go to court.
That’s why you must always work with an attorney who has courtroom experience. You may not feel confident walking into the courtroom if it’s your attorney’s first time representing a client in front of a judge and jury.
Vital Questions to Ask a Personal Injury Attorney You’re Considering Hiring
Will You Be Working On My Case?
When you contact a law firm for a free consultation, the first attorney you talk to might not always be the one who takes care of your case. This won’t apply if you’ve contacted an attorney who works without a firm, but they may still have paralegals and other staff who support them and help with certain aspects of cases. It’s important to know exactly who will be dealing with your case for your own peace of mind.
What Will This Process Be Like?
It’s a good idea to find out what the process will be like before you dive straight into a personal injury claim. Listen to how well your attorney describes the process and determine how it makes you feel.
If your attorney doesn’t slow down and explain things to you when you’re confused, then they may not be the best fit for you. If the attorney is vague and doesn’t wish to talk you through the steps, then they may not be easy to work with.
Will I Have to Pay Anything Out-of-Pocket?
You may have to pay filing fees or court fees out of pocket during your case. Considering your attorney might not get paid if you don’t win the case, it’s often expected of you to cover these costs. Ask your attorney whether they expect you to cover these costs so you can know ahead of time.
Do you need a personal injury attorney in Texas? Contact Brian C. Gutierrez for a free consultation with an attorney who has tried cases to jury all over Brazos County.
