This blog continues our investigation of the variety of ways clients find the best injury lawyers. The selection of a personal injury lawyer may be the most important decision the client makes throughout the entire injury litigation process. I have a nationwide network of injury attorneys that I refer cases to. Contact me if you are in need of an injury attorney, especially in the Pittsburgh area.
A person injured in an accident should not ever select an attorney by the recommendation of someone they meet at an accident scene. Ambulance chasers appear at accident scenes as if by magic. Lawyers should build their practice by way of a reputation of competency, not by chasing accidents. Attorneys who get their cases from ambulance chasers are breaking the law. It is illegal to pay for cases. In many cases, the injuries are faked or exaggerated. You should resist the illusion of easy cash presented by ambulance chasing attorneys. Lawyers who pay for cases get caught and lose their license to practice. If the lawyer you select gets disbarred, the insurance company may suspect that your case is a fraud. It is not worth the risk.
One way to find an excellent personal injury lawyer is through the recommendation of family members or good friends. This is also a great way for lawyers to find good clients. Clients who come to an attorney because of a favorable recommendation from someone they trust are the most loyal of clients. And they generally have relatively good cases. “Word of mouth” is the best advertising, and it is always free
Consult Your Local Bar Association
You can check with the local bar association to see if any lawyer you are considering has a good reputation. If his or her disciplinary record is clean, you can continue to consider this lawyer. Some bar associations will not recommend lawyers. They prefer to remain neutral.
Read Legal Journals
Other clients consult legal journals that have the results of injury cases. These publications are available online, in law libraries, or through the bar association. They provide the details of injury cases, names of lawyers, and results of jury trials. You may be able to find an attorney who has handled cases like yours. One such journal is Jury Verdict Review. www.jvra.com
The Internet
Many people conduct their own Internet research. Lawyers should have an Internet presence, preferably a website that has a professional appearance. This website may tell a lot about the lawyer’s personality, and will provide insight into the firms areas of practice.
Getting a Referral from One Lawyer to Another Lawyer
A very good way to find a lawyer is through the recommendation of an attorney you trust. Often the referring lawyer will receive a referral fee from the attorney who will represent you. This assures that he will seek out the best possible referral since this maximizes his fee. It also means that the lawyer who represents you won’t receive a full attorney’s fee for his work. Perhaps he will give less attention to your case since his fee is reduced.
Do a Google search on any law firm to whom you are referred. Use Google or any other search engine you are comfortable with. For example, if you Google “Evan Aidman” you will learn more about me than I would probably want you to know. You can even read about my lawsuit against a lawyer who stole my entire website and posted it on his own.
