Your Guide to Choosing a Top Personal Injury Attorney
Finding the right lawyer after a serious accident can be the key to navigating the legal process with confidence and positioning a claim for the best possible outcome.
It may also seem like an overwhelming task, especially if you’re enduring physical pain, emotional stress, and financial uncertainty. With that, knowing who to trust and how to get started can present real challenges.
- What Makes a Personal Injury Attorney Good?
- How Do I Find a ‘Good’ Personal Injury Attorney?
- How Soon Should I Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer?
- How Will a Lawyer Evaluate My Personal Injury Case?
- Will There Be Legal Fees to Evaluate My Case?
- How Does My Personal Injury Attorney Get Paid?
- Who Covers the Expenses of Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
- How to Turn Insight into Action When Your Recovery Is on the Line
To explore more information crucial to the success of personal injury cases, check out How to Prepare for Your First Meeting with a Personal Injury Lawyer, Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Cases in Texas, and Settlement vs. Trial: Which Is Better for Your Texas Injury Case?.
What Makes a Personal Injury Attorney Good?
“Good” personal injury attorneys will have verifiable:
- Expertise: They will have handled several cases like yours, giving them deep knowledge of what it takes to investigate, build, and present your case.
- Results: It’s not enough to have experience with cases like yours—a good personal injury lawyer will also have a record of winning, with settlements and verdicts that speak for themselves.
This type of information is often available on experienced attorneys’ websites, making it easy to weed out the less qualified lawyers before contacting them.
How Do I Find a ‘Good’ Personal Injury Attorney?
- Look for experience: Choose an attorney who focuses on personal injury law and specializes in handling cases similar to yours. In other words, if you were hurt in a traffic collision or at work, search for an attorney who focuses on car accident claims or workplace injury cases.
- Check reviews and reputation: Read client testimonials, Google reviews, and feedback posted on third-party sites, like Avvo or Martindale-Hubbell. You can also look up specific personal injury attorneys with the Texas Bar Association to verify they are in good standing and see if they have had any formal complaints filed against them.
- Schedule a free consultation: Book a no-cost, no-obligation meeting with at least a few personal injury attorneys who you’re considering. Use this time to get advice and gauge their professionalism.
- Ask about results: When you meet a personal injury attorney, inquire about their verdicts and settlements, especially in cases like yours.
- Evaluate communication: A good lawyer will explain things clearly, keep you updated, and make time for your questions. They will also listen and be honest about your options, the strength of your potential claim, and any risks or challenges that may lie ahead.
- Discuss the fee structure: Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if they win your case. Make sure you understand their percentage and any additional costs.
- Trust your instincts: You should feel confident that the attorney you retain is competent, honest, and truly on your side. If you aren’t comfortable or anything feels ‘off,’ don’t ignore it and take it as a sign that you may need to keep looking for the right attorney.
- Meet multiple professionals: If you’re not ‘sold’ on an attorney after meeting with him or her, don’t be afraid to consult with other lawyers.
How Soon Should I Contact a Personal Injury Attorney?
If you’re considering reaching out to a personal injury lawyer, the sooner you do so, the better. That’s because:
- There are strict deadlines for filing a claim. In Texas, most personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the accident. Some cases, however, may even shorter time limits. If the window of opportunity closes before you’ve filed, your claim could be dismissed, and you could lose the chance to seek justice in civil court.
- Over time, memories can fade, and evidence can disappear. This could mean that witnesses no longer remember what happened, key evidence is no longer available, and it’s more difficult to prove negligence later.
- A skilled personal injury attorney can start helping you immediately. This could involve gathering and preserving vital evidence, shielding you from insurance company tactics, and building a stronger case from the start.
In other words, there are really no benefits to waiting to consult a personal injury attorney if you have a claim—and there can be plenty of advantages to contacting them as soon as possible after a serious accident or catastrophic injury.
How Will a Lawyer Evaluate My Personal Injury Case?
- Your story: A lawyer will ask you to explain what happened in detail, having you go over the events before, during, and immediately after the injury-causing event.
- Available evidence: If available when you meet with the attorney, any records, photos, videos, or reports you have related to the accident or your injuries will also likely be reviewed by an attorney.
- Case law: Depending on your claim, a lawyer may analyze your case across available precedent to determine its viability, strength, and/or best available strategies.
- More: Other factors personal injury attorneys may look at when evaluating potential cases can be who the defendant(s) are, whether there may be multiple plaintiffs, how long ago the incident occurred, and what’s happened since then.
With that, some lawyers may ask you to share documents, digital records, or anything else you have pertaining to your case before or after you meet with them, so they can dig deeper and deliver:
- A comprehensive assessment of your best options for moving forward
- Sound reasoning for why they would like to take on the case or why they may be passing on it.
Will There Be Legal Fees to Evaluate My Case?
No, most experienced personal injury attorneys offer free consultations and case evaluations to help victims get the answers they need to make an informed decision.
So, you can consult multiple lawyers before deciding on who to retain and what you want to do going forward.
Like making significant medical decisions, getting a second or third opinion on your case can only help you be more confident that you’re making prudent moves as you proceed.
How Does My Personal Injury Attorney Get Paid?
Personal injury attorneys generally work on contingency, meaning that:
- You pay no attorney’s fees unless compensation is recovered for your claim.
- If your lawyer wins your case, (s)he will usually take a pre-agreed-upon percentage of the final settlement or verdict.
This fee structure can align your lawyers’ interests with yours without creating additional financial burdens to get your case started (or resolved).
Who Covers the Expenses of Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
- Court filing fees
- Records retrievals
- Expert witness fees
- Evidence preservation costs
If compensation is secured for the claim, the lawyer will usually be reimbursed for these fees from the settlement or award. This is distinct from the attorneys’ fees themselves, and trusted firms usually itemize these fees, so there’s full transparency and no surprises.
Please be aware that in serious accident and injury cases, attorney fees and case costs pale in comparison to what victims can secure from negligent parties, particularly with a good lawyer who can:
- Leave no stone unturned when it comes to quantifying the losses and calculating what’s fair for the claim.
- Negotiate strategically with defendants and make judicious calls on when it may be better to fight it out in court.
How to Turn Insight into Action When Your Recovery Is on the Line
Hiring the right personal injury lawyer isn’t about picking a name from a billboard—it’s about finding an advocate who will fight for your future with skill, passion, and experience.
When it’s time to take the next steps, make sure you have a trusted legal partner who will be a true advocate, protecting your rights and interests in the pursuit of justice.