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how to find a lawyer

What Should I Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer?

May 18, 2015 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

I’ve written about how to choose a lawyer, but when you’re meeting with an injury attorney, what questions should you ask? If you’ve never been through the process before, how do you know what you need know – or ask? The fact that you’re thinking about this shows that you’re already on the right path! As we have heard, we need to know both the knowns and the unknowns.

“What do you need from me?”
You and your lawyer are a team, and like any successful team, you need to work together to be successful. A good trial lawyer will let you know early and often what he or she needs from you. We often hire an investigator or request records and reports, but you probably have information that we don’t (what doctors or hospitals you have been to, names of people who can help). If the lawyer doesn’t ask, be sure you ask the lawyer what you can provide.

“Who pays my medical bills?”
This is one of the most frequent – and most important – questions I get asked. You or a loved one has been hurt and you probably have a bunch of medical bills stacking up on the kitchen table, with more coming. This question has many answers depending on your situation, but an experienced attorney can walk you through each scenario, and may also be able to help you navigate getting them paid. Be sure to ask this question early – before the bills go into collections!

“How long will this take?”
This is a hard (but fair) one because I’m giving a question that doesn’t have an answer. Each case is different, and each case takes different twists and turns that we won’t see until we’ve started the journey. However, it’s important that your lawyer keeps in touch with you throughout the case – letting you know what’s happening, what to expect, and how things are going.

 

These are just a few of the questions you’ll want to ask a lawyer – there will be more. The most important thing to remember, though, is to maintain a dialogue throughout your case.

How Do I Choose A Lawyer?

January 27, 2015 by Jay Stefani Leave a Comment

Jay Stefani and Ken Levinson

The simple fact is most people don’t know a lawyer. That’s an easy fact for lawyers to forget; we’ve gone through law school, we work with lawyers each day, we meet new lawyers at various functions. For better or for worse, we know a lot of lawyers. But what do you do when you suddenly need a lawyer? You don’t know where to look or how to choose “the right” lawyer. On top of all that, you’re probably looking for a lawyer because something terrible just happened – so you’re also nervous, worried, and stressed, on top of being confused.

Where do I look for a lawyer?
Thanks to our shrinking world, it’s pretty easy to find a lawyer. We can search the Internet for anything and everything (you probably got to this article by asking Google: “How do I choose a lawyer?”). You can even tailor your search by looking for a specific type of lawyer (divorce, injury, real estate, etc.).

Odds are you belong to a group of some sort: church, school/alumni, sports league for the kids, neighborhood, etc. Don’t underestimate the power of networking (“I know a guy who knows someone”). Ask around.

Finding lawyers – at least numerous options – isn’t too difficult. But how do you know you’re hiring a good lawyer? How do you know you’ve found the “right” lawyer for you and your case?

How do I choose a good lawyer?
Here’s a secret: a lot of lawyers are good at what they do, assuming you’re talking to the right kind of lawyer. If you were injured, make sure you’re talking to a lawyer who handles injury cases. If you’re buying or selling a house, talk to lawyers who handle real estate matters. That sounds obvious, but be sure to look for lawyers who actually do what you want them to do.

Some lawyers are general practitioners – that’s OK sometimes, but other times you want someone who has a lot of experience in what you need. It makes sense, right? If I have the flu, I’ll see a general physician. If I blow out my knee dunking over Lebron James (humor me), I want to see an orthopedic surgeon. Some states (like Illinois) don’t allow lawyers to say they specialize, but looking at a lawyer’s website will give you good sense. Does the lawyer list a couple dozen practice areas or does she list just a few related areas?

Once you find a lawyer with experience in the field you need, how do you choose the best lawyer for you?

How do I choose the best lawyer for me?
The best lawyer in a particular practice area may not be the best lawyer for you. Once you have found lawyers that handle your type of case, I strongly urge you to speak with (preferably meet with) a few of them. Depending on the type of case you have, you may be working with this person for the better part of a year or more. You want your lawyer to be someone you can trust, someone you believe, and someone who genuinely cares about your case. You can find a lot of information online about an attorney, but you can’t get a sense about the kind of person that lawyer is without having a conversation.

I am always skeptical of the attorney who pressures a prospective client to sign up right away. Is there a deadline rapidly approaching in your case? If so, the attorney should be explaining why your selection is time-sensitive. If not, why is he or she adding stress to the equation? Your choice of a lawyer is very important, and the lawyer is the last person who should be adding pressure to your decision. You don’t want to drag your feet, but you should never feel rushed.

I hope this article better helps you understand the process of choosing a lawyer for your case. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

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