12 preguntas que debe hacer antes de contratar a un abogado de lesiones
- ¿Cuáles son sus revisiones por pares?
- ¿Qué porcentaje de sus casos son referencias de otros abogados?
- ¿Envían cartas de "solicitud" a los hogares de posibles clientes después de un accidente?
- ¿Solo cobran una tarifa si hay una recuperación?
- ¿Qué significa cuando los abogados dicen "sin honorarios si no hay recuperación"?
- ¿Tienen los recursos financieros y de personal para asumir mi caso?
- ¿Qué tipo de casos manejan diariamente?
- ¿Cuánto tiempo llevan manejando casos de lesiones personales?
- ¿Realmente juzgan demandas en la corte?
- ¿Enseñan o dan conferencias en seminarios de educación jurídica?
- ¿Son miembros de organizaciones legales que se especializan en representar a los heridos?
- ¿Están certificados por la National Board of Trial Advocacy?
Desglosamos estas preguntas y por qué es importante hacerlas a continuación.
Si ha resultado lesionado como resultado de la negligencia de otra persona, enfrentará muchas decisiones importantes en los días, semanas y meses posteriores a una lesión.
Encontrar el abogado "correcto" para representarlo es a menudo el factor más crítico para una recuperación exitosa.
Las compañías de seguros tienen los recursos financieros para contratar abogados calificados que se especializan en defender reclamos por lesiones personales. La experiencia y las habilidades de su abogado desempeñarán un papel fundamental en la cantidad de compensación que reciba.
La mayoría de las víctimas de lesiones no saben que los mejores y más exitosos abogados de lesiones personales en su comunidad cobran honorarios que son los mismos que los abogados sin experiencia que no tienen antecedentes de éxito en la corte.
No cometa el error de elegir un abogado de lesiones personales solo de los anuncios. Hay abogados sin escrúpulos que resolverán su caso rápidamente para lo que sea que la compañía de seguros ofrezca porque estas firmas trabajan en una base de "alto volumen" y "rotación rápida". Cada comunidad tiene una serie de abogados “aspirantes” a lesiones personales a quienes les gustaría tomar su caso y resolverlo rápidamente por poco dinero para usted (pero un alto rendimiento por la inversión de tiempo del abogado).
Entonces, ¿cómo puede encontrar un buen abogado para una demanda por lesiones personales graves?
Al igual que las decisiones más importantes, debe hacer “tarea” con los abogados de su comunidad. Cuando decide reunirse con un abogado para discutir su caso, debe hacer las preguntas correctas para averiguar si el abogado tiene un historial comprobado de éxito.
El propósito de este informe gratuito es brindarle información que la mayoría de las víctimas de lesiones nunca se molestan en conocer sobre los abogados que manejan reclamos por lesiones personales. Si sigue los consejos contenidos en este informe, puede hacer la diferencia entre ganar su caso o irse a casa con nada o significativamente menos de lo que vale su caso.
1. Existen fuentes que califican a los abogados de lesiones personales en función de lo que dicen sus colegas sobre ellos.
¿Cómo encuentra un abogado de primera categoría para un caso de lesiones personales graves? Hay recursos que puede consultar antes de decidir con qué abogado programar una consulta. Una de las formas más confiables de investigar las calificaciones de un abogado es verificar las fuentes que califican las revisiones de abogados de lesiones personales en función de lo que dicen sus colegas abogados (y sus competidores) sobre ellos. Por favor, comprenda que no hay otro sistema oficial de "calificación" para los abogados de lesiones personales además de la revisión por pares de otros abogados. Estos son los sistemas de calificación de revisión por pares que debe consultar:
- El Registro de Abogados de Martindale-Hubbell ( www.martindale.com ) tiene calificaciones de revisión por pares de más de 1 millón de abogados en todo el país. Publica breves biografías de estos abogados. Por más de 130 años, Martindale-Hubbell ha sido la fuente más respetada de información fidedigna y confiable sobre los miembros de la comunidad legal en los Estados Unidos. Una calificación "AV" identifica a un abogado y una firma con una capacidad legal muy alta a preeminente y es el reflejo más alto de experiencia, experiencia e integridad y excelencia profesional en general. Las calificaciones de Martindale-Hubbell son establecidas por abogados para abogados y dice: "indica claramente una demostración de los más altos estándares profesionales y éticos".
- Los mejores abogados de América. ( www.bestlawyers.com ) Los abogados enumerados en Best Lawyers han sido seleccionados por sus pares como "los mejores" en 57 especialidades, incluidas las leyes de lesiones personales y negligencia médica.
- Superlawyers. ( www.superlawyers.com ) Super Lawyers es una lista anual de abogados destacados de más de 70 áreas de práctica que han alcanzado un alto grado de reconocimiento de pares y logros profesionales. Law & Politics realiza el sondeo, la investigación y la selección de Súper Abogados en un proceso diseñado para identificar a los abogados que han alcanzado un alto grado de reconocimiento de pares y logros profesionales. Solo el cinco por ciento (5%) de los abogados en cada estado son nombrados Súper Abogados.
2. Pregúntele al abogado, "¿Qué porcentaje de sus casos son referencias de otros abogados"?
Si desea saber quiénes son los mejores abogados de lesiones personales en su comunidad, pregunte a los abogados que practican allí. Es importante averiguar si un porcentaje significativo de los casos de un abogado proviene de referencias de otros abogados. En cualquier campo o profesión, los profesionales que trabajan en el campo generalmente saben quién es bueno y quién no. Si tiene un abogado o un amigo que practica la ley, ese podría ser un buen lugar para comenzar. Incluso si él o ella no maneja casos de lesiones, es probable que tengan colegas que estén familiarizados con los abogados de lesiones personales o negligencia profesional que sus pares reconocen como los mejores en su comunidad.
3. Tenga cuidado con los abogados que envían cartas de "solicitud" a su hogar después de un accidente.
Recientemente, un número cada vez mayor de abogados de lesiones personales ha estado contratando corredores o "gophers" para obtener informes de accidentes de tránsito preparados por oficiales de policía locales y estatales. Una vez que se obtienen los informes de accidentes, un miembro del personal del bufete de abogados revisará el informe para encontrar el nombre y la dirección de la víctima del accidente. El bufete de abogados luego enviará una carta de “solicitud” a la víctima de la lesión informándole que el bufete de abogados está listo y dispuesto a representar a la víctima del accidente en un caso de lesiones personales. En nuestra comunidad, no es inusual que una víctima de accidente reciba entre quince y veinte cartas de solicitud de firmas de abogados. Hay una firma de abogados en el sur de Indiana que envía una solicitud a cada víctima de accidente de tráfico en todo el estado donde hay un informe policial.Hay firmas de abogados que continuarán enviando cartas de solicitud después de que se envíe la carta inicial e incluso harán que un miembro del personal llame a la víctima del accidente y le pregunte si recibió las cartas de solicitud.
La gran mayoría de las firmas de abogados que confían en las cartas de solicitud operan en una base de "volumen alto y rotación rápida". Tienen dificultades para atraer referencias de clientes satisfechos u otros abogados, por lo que recurren a enviar cientos (y a veces miles) de cartas de solicitud con la esperanza de que reciban respuestas a sus correos masivos. Probablemente sea seguro decir que las víctimas de lesiones que eligen un abogado en base a una carta de solicitud que reciben por correo no están investigando mucho sobre la firma de abogados que están contratando. Muchos estados están en proceso de promulgar normas y leyes para prohibir a los abogados enviar cartas de solicitud a las víctimas de accidentes.
4. Prácticamente todos los abogados de lesiones personales ofrecen una consulta gratuita y no cobrarán una tarifa a menos que haya una recuperación.
Cualquiera que haya visto o recibido algún tipo de publicidad (comerciales de televisión, páginas amarillas, sitios de Internet, cartas de solicitud por correo directo, etc.) de firmas de lesiones personales rápidamente se da cuenta de que cada abogado de lesiones hace las mismas ofertas:
- "Sin cargo si no hay recuperación".
- "Consulta inicial gratuita".
- "Te visitaremos en casa o en el hospital".
Un abogado que le ofrece una "consulta gratuita" y le dice que él o ella no le cobrará una tarifa a menos que haya una recuperación en su caso (conocido como un acuerdo de "tarifa contingente") no le está ofreciendo nada fuera de lo común. Casi todos los abogados que se especializan en el manejo de casos de lesiones personales harán la misma oferta.
5. ¿Qué significa cuando un abogado dice "sin honorarios si no hay recuperación"?
Casi todos los abogados de lesiones personales manejan casos de lesiones con base en honorarios contingentes. Una tarifa "contingente" significa que no hay tarifa de abogado a menos que haya una recuperación y la tarifa es un porcentaje de la cantidad recuperada. (es decir, generalmente el 33,33% de la cantidad recuperada). Eso significa que el abogado no le cobrará al cliente una tarifa a menos que haya una recuperación. Suena simple, ¿verdad? No tan rapido. Esta es un área donde las víctimas de lesiones personales deben tener cuidado antes de tomar una decisión sobre un abogado para su caso.
Si un abogado acepta manejar su caso de lesiones sobre una base de honorarios contingentes y pierde el caso, no habrá un problema sobre si le debe algo al abogado por los honorarios de su abogado. No debes nada. Un tercio de nada es nada. Sin embargo, los consumidores deben entender que existe una gran diferencia entre los honorarios de abogados y los "gastos" del caso. Casi todos los casos de lesiones personales implicarán algunos "gastos" del caso que deben pagarse para preparar el caso correctamente. Los gastos del caso son dineros pagados a terceros para mantener el caso en marcha: honorarios de testigos expertos, honorarios de reportero de la corte, cargos por registros médicos, cargos por informes médicos, honorarios de presentación y muchos otros gastos que intervienen en una demanda por lesiones personales.
Los gastos de casos son manejados de manera diferente por diferentes firmas de abogados. En un caso típico de accidente automovilístico, donde el acuerdo es menor de $ 100,000, los gastos del caso generalmente son menores de $ 5,000. Sin embargo, en un caso de lesión personal grave que involucra lesiones permanentes o catastróficas, o en un caso de negligencia médica, los gastos de litigio pueden ascender a $ 50,000 o más. Hay diferentes maneras en que estos gastos de litigio en curso son manejados por diferentes empresas, dependiendo, en gran parte, de la filosofía de la empresa y los recursos financieros de la empresa:
- Una forma es exigirle al cliente que pague la totalidad o una parte sustancial de los gastos del litigio al comienzo de un caso o de manera continua. Ese método puede crear serios problemas financieros para un cliente.
- Otra forma es que el abogado pague todos los gastos a medida que avanza el caso, con el cliente reembolsando al abogado de cualquier recuperación al final del caso, después de que se deduzca la tarifa de contingencia del abogado. Por ejemplo, si la recuperación es de $ 270,000, y el abogado y el cliente han acordado una tarifa contingente de un tercio más el reembolso de los gastos adelantados por el abogado, y el abogado ha adelantado $ 10,000 para los gastos del caso, el desembolso final del el acuerdo se verá así:
- recibirá $ 170,000
- el abogado recibirá $ 90,000 por sus honorarios de abogado;
- Se reembolsarán $ 10,000 al abogado para reembolsar los gastos.
¿Qué pasa con los gastos si se pierde el caso? Algunos abogados tienen la política de no pedirle al cliente que reembolse a la firma de abogados por los gastos "de su bolsillo". Otros abogados esperan que el cliente reembolse a la firma de abogados todos los gastos si se pierde el caso. Como consumidor que tiene opciones, debe conocer la política del abogado sobre el reembolso de gastos en situaciones donde se pierde el caso. Si un abogado trata de decirle "no se preocupe por eso, nunca he perdido un caso" , no acepte esa respuesta. Incluso los mejores abogados de lesiones personales pierden casos de vez en cuando.
6. ¿Tiene este abogado los recursos financieros y de personal para enfrentar mi caso?
Como se señaló anteriormente, los juicios que involucran lesiones personales graves o catastróficas pueden ser muy costosos para llevar a los tribunales. Por ejemplo, un caso típico de negligencia médica puede involucrar tres, seis o incluso más especialidades médicas, cada una de las cuales necesita contratar a un testigo experto para tratar los problemas de esa especialidad. Un caso de lesiones graves contra una empresa de camiones puede involucrar a expertos en reconstrucción de accidentes y expertos en seguridad de camiones, así como a los expertos que serán necesarios para testificar sobre la naturaleza y el alcance de las lesiones de un cliente (médicos tratantes, planificadores de atención de la vida, expertos vocacionales, economistas, etc.) Si un abogado carece de los recursos para financiar un caso adecuadamente, se pueden cortar las esquinas a expensas del caso del cliente. O un cliente puede ser presionado para que tome un acuerdo inadecuado.Vale la pena contratar a un abogado que tenga los recursos financieros para llevar un caso a juicio, si es necesario.
7. ¿Qué tipo de casos maneja este abogado diariamente?
Algunos abogados son "médicos generales" que manejan muchos tipos diferentes de casos legales, incluido el caso de lesiones personales ocasionales. Si tiene un reclamo de lesiones personales graves, querrá un abogado que maneje casos de lesiones personales día tras día. La práctica del derecho se ha vuelto tan compleja que es prácticamente imposible para un abogado de práctica general estar al tanto de todos los desarrollos en la ley de lesiones personales y negligencia médica. La mayoría de los abogados contratados por las compañías de seguros para defender casos de lesiones personales son especialistas experimentados que limitan su práctica a la defensa de casos de lesiones personales. Es probable que un médico general se encuentre en una gran desventaja cuando se enfrenta a un bufete de abogados que se especializa en la defensa de casos de lesiones personales.
8. ¿Cuánto tiempo lleva este abogado manejando casos de lesiones personales?
En su mayor parte, los abogados que manejan casos de lesiones personales o negligencia médica cobran a las víctimas de lesiones la misma tarifa "contingente" sin importar cuánto tiempo hayan estado practicando. Si un abogado con solo 3 años de experiencia le cobrará la misma tarifa que un abogado con 25 años de experiencia y 100 juicios por jurado de lesiones personales en su haber, debe considerar contratar al abogado más experimentado. La experiencia de su abogado puede hacer una gran diferencia en el resultado de su caso.
9. ¿Este abogado realmente intenta demandas en la corte?
La mayoría de los laicos creen que todos los abogados de lesiones personales van a los tribunales y juzgan los casos de manera regular. Nada mas lejos de la verdad. Un porcentaje significativo de abogados que se consideran “abogados litigantes” o “abogados de lesiones personales” tienen poca o ninguna experiencia en juicios con jurado. Una de las primeras preguntas que debe hacer es si el abogado trata casos en la corte y, de ser así, con qué frecuencia. Esta es una pregunta importante que muchos laicos nunca piensan hacer.
Los abogados que defienden casos de lesiones personales conocen a los abogados de lesiones que realmente juzgan casos y aquellos que no. Las compañías de seguros usan esa información para evaluar su riesgo. Una de las primeras preguntas que un ajustador de seguros hará cuando se presente un reclamo serio es: ¿Quién representa al demandante?
Solo hay una forma de obtener el mejor precio para su caso en un acuerdo. La compañía de seguros debe creer que su abogado está listo, dispuesto y capaz de juzgar el caso en la corte. Si contrata a un abogado que siempre se conforma y nunca va a la corte, prepárese para tomar un descuento sustancial en su caso.
10. ¿Este abogado enseña a otros abogados?
Los abogados que frecuentemente dan conferencias en seminarios de educación legal (llamados "CLE" - o educación legal continua) tienen la estima de sus colegas profesionales. Se les pide que hablen en seminarios de educación legal porque otros abogados quieren escuchar lo que tienen que decir. Los abogados que regularmente escriben artículos en publicaciones legales suelen ser las autoridades en el campo y saben de qué están hablando. Muchos abogados de lesiones personales enumerarán los temas de sus charlas o publicaciones en su sitio web. Si desea saber si un abogado le enseña a otros abogados sobre la evolución de la ley de lesiones personales o si escribe artículos sobre litigios por lesiones personales, debe consultar el sitio web del abogado o solicitar una copia del currículum del abogado.
11. ¿Es este abogado miembro de organizaciones legales que se especializan en representar a personas lesionadas?
Hay organizaciones nacionales y estatales formadas por abogados dedicados a la representación de víctimas de lesiones. Estas organizaciones patrocinan publicaciones legales y programas de educación legal. También realizan actividades de cabildeo por los derechos de los consumidores. La organización nacional más prominente es la Asociación Americana de Justicia (AAJ). En el estado de Indiana, la Asociación de Abogados Litigantes de Indiana (ITLA) es una organización estatal de abogados demandantes dedicada a los derechos de las personas lesionadas. Ciertamente puede encontrar un abogado que no pertenezca a ninguno de estos grupos, pero ¿por qué querría que ese abogado lo represente en una demanda por lesiones graves?
12. ¿Es este abogado un abogado litigante civil "certificado por la junta" por la Junta Nacional de Defensa de Juicio?
Durante muchos años, la profesión médica ha utilizado un sistema de pruebas y evaluación por pares conocido como "certificación de la junta". La certificación de la junta está diseñada para identificar a los médicos que tienen experiencia en una especialidad o subespecialidad particular de la medicina. En los últimos años, el sistema legal ha comenzado a emular el proceso de certificación de la junta en la profesión médica. La Junta Nacional de Defensa de los Juicios (NBTA) es una organización nacional que tiene un proceso para que los abogados de juicios civiles logren la certificación de la junta. La National Board of Trial Advocacy es parte de una organización de certificación de abogados más grande llamada National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. La certificación de la NBTA como "abogado de juicio civil" solo está disponible para abogados con amplia experiencia en la sala del tribunal y en la preparación de casos para juicio.Además de tener experiencia en la sala del tribunal, el solicitante también debe aprobar un examen de todo el día antes de recibir la certificación de la NBTA como abogado litigante civil.
If you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you will be facing many important decisions in the days, weeks and months following an injury.
Finding the "right" lawyer to represent you is often the most critical factor in a successful recovery.
Insurance companies have the financial resources to hire skilled lawyers who specialize in defending personal injury claims. The experience and skills of your lawyer will play a pivotal role in the amount of compensation you receive.
Most injury victims do not know that the best, most successful personal injury attorneys in your community charge fees that are the same as inexperienced lawyers who have no track record of success in the courtroom.
Don't make the mistake of choosing a personal injury lawyer from ads alone. There are unscrupulous lawyers who will settle your case quickly for whatever the insurance company will offer because these firms work on a “high volume” and “quick turnover” basis. Every community has a number of personal injury “wannabe” lawyers who would like to grab your case and settle it quickly for low dollars for you (but a high return for the lawyer’s time investment).
So how do you find a good lawyer for a serious personal injury lawsuit?
Like most important decisions, you need to do some “homework” on the lawyers in your community. When you decide to meet with an attorney to discuss your case, you need to ask the right questions to find out if the attorney has a proven track record of success.
The purpose of this free report is to provide you with insights that most injury victims never bother to learn about lawyers who handle personal injury claims. If you follow the advice contained in this report, it may make the difference between winning your case or going home with nothing or significantly less than your case is worth.
1. There are sources that rate personal injury lawyers based on what their colleagues say about them.
How do you find a top-notch lawyer for a serious personal injury case? There are resources you can check before deciding which lawyer to schedule a consultation with. One of the most reliable ways to research a lawyer’s qualifications is to check sources that rate personal injury lawyer reviews based on what their fellow lawyers (and their competitors) say about them. Please understand that there is no other official “rating” system for personal injury lawyers besides peer review by other lawyers. Here are the peer review rating systems that you should check out:
- The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry (www.martindale.com) has peer review ratings of more than 1 million lawyers across the country. It publishes short biographies of these lawyers. For over 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been the most respected source of authoritative and reliable information about members of the legal community in the United States. An “AV” rating identifies a lawyer and a firm with a very high to preeminent legal ability and is the highest reflection of expertise, experience, and integrity and overall professional excellence. Martindale-Hubbell ratings are established by attorneys for attorneys and it states: “clearly indicates a demonstration of the highest professional and ethical standards.”
- The Best Lawyers in America. (www.bestlawyers.com) The lawyers listed in Best Lawyers been selected by their peers as “the best” in 57 specialties, including personal injury and medical malpractice law.
- Superlawyers. ( www.superlawyers.com) Super Lawyers is an annual listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Law & Politics performs the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers in a process designed to identify lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent (5%) of the lawyers in each state are named Super Lawyers.
2. Ask the lawyer, “What percentage of your cases are referrals from other lawyers”?
If you want to know who the top notch personal injury lawyers are in your community, ask the lawyers who practice there. It’s important to find out whether a significant percentage of a lawyer’s caseload comes from referrals from other lawyers. In any field or profession, the professionals who work in the field usually know who’s good and who’s not. If you have an attorney or a friend who practices law, that might be a good place to start. Even if he or she doesn’t handle injury cases, they are bound to have colleagues who are familiar with the personal injury or malpractice lawyers who are recognized by their peers as being the best in your community.
3. Be careful about lawyers who send “solicitation” letters to your home following an accident.
Recently, an increasing number of personal injury lawyers have been hiring runners or “gophers” to obtain traffic accident reports prepared by local and state police officers. Once the accident reports are obtained, a member of the law firm’s staff will comb through the report to find the name and address of the accident victim. The law firm will then mail a “solicitation” letter to the injury victim informing him/her that the law firm is ready and willing to represent the accident victim in a personal injury case. In our community, it is not unusual for an accident victim to receive fifteen to twenty solicitation letters from law firms. There is a law firm in southern Indiana that sends a solicitation to every single traffic accident victim in the entire state where there is a police report. There are law firms that will continue to send solicitation letters after the initial letter is sent and will even have a staff member call the accident victim and ask if they received the solicitation letters.
The vast, vast majority of law firms that rely on solicitation letters operate on a “high volume, quick turnover” basis. They have difficulty attracting referrals from satisfied clients or other lawyers so they resort to sending out hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of solicitation letters hoping that they will receive responses to their mass mailings. It’s probably safe to say that injury victims who choose an attorney based on a solicitation letter they receive in the mail aren’t doing a lot of research on the law firm they are hiring. Many states are in the process of enacting rules and laws to prohibit lawyers from sending solicitation letters to accident victims.
4. Virtually all personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation and will not charge a fee unless there is a recovery.
Anyone who has ever seen or received any type of advertisements (TV commercials, yellow pages, internet sites, direct mail solicitation letters, etc.) from personal injury firms quickly learns that every injury lawyer makes the same offers:
- "No fee if no recovery."
- "Free initial consultation."
- "We will visit you at home or in the hospital."
A lawyer who offers you a “free consultation” and tells you that he or she will not charge a fee unless there is a recovery in your case (known as a “contingent fee” agreement) is not offering you anything out of the ordinary. Almost every lawyer who specializes in handling personal injury cases will make the same offer.
5. What does it mean when lawyer says “no fee if no recovery”?
Almost every personal injury lawyer handles injury cases on a contingent fee basis. A “contingent” fee means that there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery and the fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. (i.e. usually 33.33% of the amount recovered). That means that the lawyer will not charge the client a fee unless there is a recovery. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast. This is an area where personal injury victims need to be careful before they make a decision on a lawyer for their case.
If a lawyer agrees to handle your injury case on a contingent fee basis, and loses the case, there’s not going to be an issue on whether you owe the lawyer anything for his or her attorney fee. You don’t owe anything. One third of nothing is nothing. However, consumers must understand that there is a big difference between attorney fees and the case “expenses.” Almost every personal injury case will entail some case “expenses” that need to be paid in order to prepare the case properly. Case expenses are monies paid to third parties to keep the case going: expert witness fees, court reporter fees, charges for medical records, charges for physician reports, filing fees and the many other expenses that go into a personal injury lawsuit.
Case expenses are handled differently by different law firms. In a typical motor vehicle accident case, where the settlement is less than $100,000, the case expenses are usually less than $5,000. However, in a serious personal injury case involving permanent or catastrophic injuries, or in a medical malpractice case, the litigation expenses can run up to $50,000 or more. There are different ways these ongoing litigation expenses are handled by different firms, depending, in large part, on the firm’s philosophy and the firm’s financial resources:
- One way is to require the client to pay all or a substantial share of the litigation expenses at the start of a case or on an ongoing basis. That method can create serious financial issues for a client.
- Another way is for the lawyer to pay all the expenses as the case goes along, with the client reimbursing the lawyer out of any recovery at the end of the case, after the lawyer’s contingency fee is deducted. For example, if the recovery is $270,000, and the lawyer and the client have agreed to a one-third contingent fee plus reimbursement of the expenses advanced by the lawyer, and the lawyer has advanced $10,000 toward the case expenses, the final disbursement of the settlement will look like this:
- you will receive $170,000
- the lawyer will receive $90,000 for his attorney fee;
- $10,000 will be paid back to the lawyer to reimburse expenses.
What happens to the expenses if the case is lost? Some lawyers have a policy of not asking the client to reimburse the law firm for the “out of pocket” expenses. Other lawyers expect the client to reimburse the law firm for all the expenses if the case is lost. As a consumer who has choices, you need to find out the lawyer’s policy on expense reimbursement in situations where the case is lost. If a lawyer tries to tell you "don’t worry about it, I’ve never lost a case," don’t accept that response. Even the very best personal injury lawyers lose cases from time to time.
6. Does this lawyer have the financial and staffing resources to take on my case?
As noted above, lawsuits involving serious or catastrophic personal injuries can be very expensive to take to court. For example, a typical medical malpractice case can involve three, six or even more medical specialties, each one of which needs to have an expert witness hired to deal with issues in that specialty. A serious injury case against a trucking company can involve accident reconstruction experts and trucking safety experts as well as the experts who will be needed to testify about the nature and extent of a client’s injuries (treating physicians, life care planners, vocational experts, economists, etc.). If a lawyer lacks the resources to fund a case properly, corners can be cut at the expense of the client’s case. Or a client can be pressured into taking an inadequate settlement. It pays to hire a lawyer who has the financial resources to take a case all the way to trial, if necessary.
7. What kinds of cases does this lawyer handle on a daily basis?
Some lawyers are “general practitioners” who handle many different types of legal cases, including the occasional personal injury case. If you have a serious personal injury claim, you will want a lawyer who handles personal injury cases on a day-in, day-out basis. The practice of law has become so complex that is it virtually impossible for a general practice lawyer to stay on top of all the developments in personal injury and medical malpractice law. Most of the lawyers who are hired by insurance companies to defend personal injury cases are seasoned specialists who limit their practice to the defense of personal injury cases. A general practitioner is likely to be at a major disadvantage when he or she goes up against a law firm that specializes in the defense of personal injuries cases.
8. How long has this lawyer been handling personal injury cases?
For the most part, lawyers who handle personal injury or medical malpractice cases charge injury victims the same “contingent” fee no matter how long they have been practicing. If a lawyer with only 3 years experience is going to charge you the same fee as a lawyer with 25 years experience and 100 personal injury jury trials under his or her belt, you should strongly consider hiring the more seasoned lawyer. The experience of your lawyer can make a very big difference in the outcome of your case.
9. Does this lawyer actually try lawsuits in court?
Most lay people believe that all personal injury lawyers go to court and try cases on a regular basis. Nothing could be further from the truth. A significant percentage of lawyers who hold themselves out to be “trial lawyers” or “personal injury lawyers” have little or no jury trial experience. One of the first questions you should ask is whether the lawyer tries cases in court, and, if so, how often. This is an important question that many lay people never think to ask.
Lawyers who defend personal injury cases know the injury lawyers who actually try cases and those who don’t. Insurance companies use that information to evaluate their risk. One of the first questions an insurance adjuster will ask when a serious claim comes in is: Who is representing the plaintiff?
There is only one way to get top dollar for your case in a settlement. The insurance company must believe that your lawyer is ready, willing and able to try the case in court. If you hire a lawyer who always settles and never goes to court, be prepared to take a substantial discount on your case.
10. Does this lawyer teach other lawyers?
Lawyers who frequently lecture at legal education seminars (called “CLE” – or continuing legal education) have the esteem of their professional colleagues. They are asked to speak at legal education seminars because other attorneys want to hear what they have to say. Lawyers who regularly write articles in legal publications are usually the authorities in the field and know what they are talking about. Many personal injury lawyers will list the topics of their speaking engagements or their publications on their website. If you want to know whether a lawyer teaches other lawyers about developments in personal injury law or writes articles about personal injury litigation, you should check the lawyer’s website or ask for a copy of the lawyer’s resume.
11. Is this lawyer a member of legal organizations that specialize in representing injured people?
There are both national and state organizations comprised of lawyers who are dedicated to the representation of injury victims. These organizations sponsor legal publications and legal education programs. They also conduct lobbying activities for the rights of consumers. The most prominent national organization is the American Association of Justice (AAJ). In the State of Indiana, the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) is a statewide organization of plaintiff attorneys dedicated to the rights of injured persons. You can certainly find a lawyer who doesn’t belong to any of these groups, but why would you want that lawyer to represent you in a serious injury lawsuit?
12. Is this lawyer a “board-certified” civil trial lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy?
For many years, the medical profession has utilized a system of testing and peer evaluation known as “board certification.” Board certification is designed to identify physicians who have expertise in a particular specialty or sub-specialty of medicine. In recent years, the legal system has begun emulating the board-certification process in the medical profession. The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is a national organization that has a process for civil trial lawyers to achieve board certification. The National Board of Trial Advocacy is part of a larger lawyer certification organization called the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. NBTA certification as a “civil trial attorney” is only available to attorneys who have extensive experience in the courtroom and in preparing cases for trial. In addition to having courtroom experience, an applicant must also pass an all-day examination before receiving board-certification from the NBTA as a civil trial attorney.
If you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you will be facing many important decisions in the days, weeks and months following an injury.
Finding the "right" lawyer to represent you is often the most critical factor in a successful recovery.
Insurance companies have the financial resources to hire skilled lawyers who specialize in defending personal injury claims. The experience and skills of your lawyer will play a pivotal role in the amount of compensation you receive.
Most injury victims do not know that the best, most successful personal injury attorneys in your community charge fees that are the same as inexperienced lawyers who have no track record of success in the courtroom.
Don't make the mistake of choosing a personal injury lawyer from ads alone. There are unscrupulous lawyers who will settle your case quickly for whatever the insurance company will offer because these firms work on a “high volume” and “quick turnover” basis. Every community has a number of personal injury “wannabe” lawyers who would like to grab your case and settle it quickly for low dollars for you (but a high return for the lawyer’s time investment).
So how do you find a good lawyer for a serious personal injury lawsuit?
Like most important decisions, you need to do some “homework” on the lawyers in your community. When you decide to meet with an attorney to discuss your case, you need to ask the right questions to find out if the attorney has a proven track record of success.
The purpose of this free report is to provide you with insights that most injury victims never bother to learn about lawyers who handle personal injury claims. If you follow the advice contained in this report, it may make the difference between winning your case or going home with nothing or significantly less than your case is worth.
1. There are sources that rate personal injury lawyers based on what their colleagues say about them.
How do you find a top-notch lawyer for a serious personal injury case? There are resources you can check before deciding which lawyer to schedule a consultation with. One of the most reliable ways to research a lawyer’s qualifications is to check sources that rate personal injury lawyer reviews based on what their fellow lawyers (and their competitors) say about them. Please understand that there is no other official “rating” system for personal injury lawyers besides peer review by other lawyers. Here are the peer review rating systems that you should check out:
- The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry (www.martindale.com) has peer review ratings of more than 1 million lawyers across the country. It publishes short biographies of these lawyers. For over 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been the most respected source of authoritative and reliable information about members of the legal community in the United States. An “AV” rating identifies a lawyer and a firm with a very high to preeminent legal ability and is the highest reflection of expertise, experience, and integrity and overall professional excellence. Martindale-Hubbell ratings are established by attorneys for attorneys and it states: “clearly indicates a demonstration of the highest professional and ethical standards.”
- The Best Lawyers in America. (www.bestlawyers.com) The lawyers listed in Best Lawyers been selected by their peers as “the best” in 57 specialties, including personal injury and medical malpractice law.
- Superlawyers. ( www.superlawyers.com) Super Lawyers is an annual listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Law & Politics performs the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers in a process designed to identify lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent (5%) of the lawyers in each state are named Super Lawyers.
2. Ask the lawyer, “What percentage of your cases are referrals from other lawyers”?
If you want to know who the top notch personal injury lawyers are in your community, ask the lawyers who practice there. It’s important to find out whether a significant percentage of a lawyer’s caseload comes from referrals from other lawyers. In any field or profession, the professionals who work in the field usually know who’s good and who’s not. If you have an attorney or a friend who practices law, that might be a good place to start. Even if he or she doesn’t handle injury cases, they are bound to have colleagues who are familiar with the personal injury or malpractice lawyers who are recognized by their peers as being the best in your community.
3. Be careful about lawyers who send “solicitation” letters to your home following an accident.
Recently, an increasing number of personal injury lawyers have been hiring runners or “gophers” to obtain traffic accident reports prepared by local and state police officers. Once the accident reports are obtained, a member of the law firm’s staff will comb through the report to find the name and address of the accident victim. The law firm will then mail a “solicitation” letter to the injury victim informing him/her that the law firm is ready and willing to represent the accident victim in a personal injury case. In our community, it is not unusual for an accident victim to receive fifteen to twenty solicitation letters from law firms. There is a law firm in southern Indiana that sends a solicitation to every single traffic accident victim in the entire state where there is a police report. There are law firms that will continue to send solicitation letters after the initial letter is sent and will even have a staff member call the accident victim and ask if they received the solicitation letters.
The vast, vast majority of law firms that rely on solicitation letters operate on a “high volume, quick turnover” basis. They have difficulty attracting referrals from satisfied clients or other lawyers so they resort to sending out hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of solicitation letters hoping that they will receive responses to their mass mailings. It’s probably safe to say that injury victims who choose an attorney based on a solicitation letter they receive in the mail aren’t doing a lot of research on the law firm they are hiring. Many states are in the process of enacting rules and laws to prohibit lawyers from sending solicitation letters to accident victims.
4. Virtually all personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation and will not charge a fee unless there is a recovery.
Anyone who has ever seen or received any type of advertisements (TV commercials, yellow pages, internet sites, direct mail solicitation letters, etc.) from personal injury firms quickly learns that every injury lawyer makes the same offers:
- "No fee if no recovery."
- "Free initial consultation."
- "We will visit you at home or in the hospital."
A lawyer who offers you a “free consultation” and tells you that he or she will not charge a fee unless there is a recovery in your case (known as a “contingent fee” agreement) is not offering you anything out of the ordinary. Almost every lawyer who specializes in handling personal injury cases will make the same offer.
5. What does it mean when lawyer says “no fee if no recovery”?
Almost every personal injury lawyer handles injury cases on a contingent fee basis. A “contingent” fee means that there is no attorney fee unless there is a recovery and the fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. (i.e. usually 33.33% of the amount recovered). That means that the lawyer will not charge the client a fee unless there is a recovery. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast. This is an area where personal injury victims need to be careful before they make a decision on a lawyer for their case.
If a lawyer agrees to handle your injury case on a contingent fee basis, and loses the case, there’s not going to be an issue on whether you owe the lawyer anything for his or her attorney fee. You don’t owe anything. One third of nothing is nothing. However, consumers must understand that there is a big difference between attorney fees and the case “expenses.” Almost every personal injury case will entail some case “expenses” that need to be paid in order to prepare the case properly. Case expenses are monies paid to third parties to keep the case going: expert witness fees, court reporter fees, charges for medical records, charges for physician reports, filing fees and the many other expenses that go into a personal injury lawsuit.
Case expenses are handled differently by different law firms. In a typical motor vehicle accident case, where the settlement is less than $100,000, the case expenses are usually less than $5,000. However, in a serious personal injury case involving permanent or catastrophic injuries, or in a medical malpractice case, the litigation expenses can run up to $50,000 or more. There are different ways these ongoing litigation expenses are handled by different firms, depending, in large part, on the firm’s philosophy and the firm’s financial resources:
- One way is to require the client to pay all or a substantial share of the litigation expenses at the start of a case or on an ongoing basis. That method can create serious financial issues for a client.
- Another way is for the lawyer to pay all the expenses as the case goes along, with the client reimbursing the lawyer out of any recovery at the end of the case, after the lawyer’s contingency fee is deducted. For example, if the recovery is $270,000, and the lawyer and the client have agreed to a one-third contingent fee plus reimbursement of the expenses advanced by the lawyer, and the lawyer has advanced $10,000 toward the case expenses, the final disbursement of the settlement will look like this:
- you will receive $170,000
- the lawyer will receive $90,000 for his attorney fee;
- $10,000 will be paid back to the lawyer to reimburse expenses.
What happens to the expenses if the case is lost? Some lawyers have a policy of not asking the client to reimburse the law firm for the “out of pocket” expenses. Other lawyers expect the client to reimburse the law firm for all the expenses if the case is lost. As a consumer who has choices, you need to find out the lawyer’s policy on expense reimbursement in situations where the case is lost. If a lawyer tries to tell you "don’t worry about it, I’ve never lost a case," don’t accept that response. Even the very best personal injury lawyers lose cases from time to time.
6. Does this lawyer have the financial and staffing resources to take on my case?
As noted above, lawsuits involving serious or catastrophic personal injuries can be very expensive to take to court. For example, a typical medical malpractice case can involve three, six or even more medical specialties, each one of which needs to have an expert witness hired to deal with issues in that specialty. A serious injury case against a trucking company can involve accident reconstruction experts and trucking safety experts as well as the experts who will be needed to testify about the nature and extent of a client’s injuries (treating physicians, life care planners, vocational experts, economists, etc.). If a lawyer lacks the resources to fund a case properly, corners can be cut at the expense of the client’s case. Or a client can be pressured into taking an inadequate settlement. It pays to hire a lawyer who has the financial resources to take a case all the way to trial, if necessary.
7. What kinds of cases does this lawyer handle on a daily basis?
Some lawyers are “general practitioners” who handle many different types of legal cases, including the occasional personal injury case. If you have a serious personal injury claim, you will want a lawyer who handles personal injury cases on a day-in, day-out basis. The practice of law has become so complex that is it virtually impossible for a general practice lawyer to stay on top of all the developments in personal injury and medical malpractice law. Most of the lawyers who are hired by insurance companies to defend personal injury cases are seasoned specialists who limit their practice to the defense of personal injury cases. A general practitioner is likely to be at a major disadvantage when he or she goes up against a law firm that specializes in the defense of personal injuries cases.
8. How long has this lawyer been handling personal injury cases?
For the most part, lawyers who handle personal injury or medical malpractice cases charge injury victims the same “contingent” fee no matter how long they have been practicing. If a lawyer with only 3 years experience is going to charge you the same fee as a lawyer with 25 years experience and 100 personal injury jury trials under his or her belt, you should strongly consider hiring the more seasoned lawyer. The experience of your lawyer can make a very big difference in the outcome of your case.
9. Does this lawyer actually try lawsuits in court?
Most lay people believe that all personal injury lawyers go to court and try cases on a regular basis. Nothing could be further from the truth. A significant percentage of lawyers who hold themselves out to be “trial lawyers” or “personal injury lawyers” have little or no jury trial experience. One of the first questions you should ask is whether the lawyer tries cases in court, and, if so, how often. This is an important question that many lay people never think to ask.
Lawyers who defend personal injury cases know the injury lawyers who actually try cases and those who don’t. Insurance companies use that information to evaluate their risk. One of the first questions an insurance adjuster will ask when a serious claim comes in is: Who is representing the plaintiff?
There is only one way to get top dollar for your case in a settlement. The insurance company must believe that your lawyer is ready, willing and able to try the case in court. If you hire a lawyer who always settles and never goes to court, be prepared to take a substantial discount on your case.
10. Does this lawyer teach other lawyers?
Lawyers who frequently lecture at legal education seminars (called “CLE” – or continuing legal education) have the esteem of their professional colleagues. They are asked to speak at legal education seminars because other attorneys want to hear what they have to say. Lawyers who regularly write articles in legal publications are usually the authorities in the field and know what they are talking about. Many personal injury lawyers will list the topics of their speaking engagements or their publications on their website. If you want to know whether a lawyer teaches other lawyers about developments in personal injury law or writes articles about personal injury litigation, you should check the lawyer’s website or ask for a copy of the lawyer’s resume.
11. Is this lawyer a member of legal organizations that specialize in representing injured people?
There are both national and state organizations comprised of lawyers who are dedicated to the representation of injury victims. These organizations sponsor legal publications and legal education programs. They also conduct lobbying activities for the rights of consumers. The most prominent national organization is the American Association of Justice (AAJ). In the State of Indiana, the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) is a statewide organization of plaintiff attorneys dedicated to the rights of injured persons. You can certainly find a lawyer who doesn’t belong to any of these groups, but why would you want that lawyer to represent you in a serious injury lawsuit?
12. Is this lawyer a “board-certified” civil trial lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy?
For many years, the medical profession has utilized a system of testing and peer evaluation known as “board certification.” Board certification is designed to identify physicians who have expertise in a particular specialty or sub-specialty of medicine. In recent years, the legal system has begun emulating the board-certification process in the medical profession. The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is a national organization that has a process for civil trial lawyers to achieve board certification. The National Board of Trial Advocacy is part of a larger lawyer certification organization called the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification. NBTA certification as a “civil trial attorney” is only available to attorneys who have extensive experience in the courtroom and in preparing cases for trial. In addition to having courtroom experience, an applicant must also pass an all-day examination before receiving board-certification from the NBTA as a civil trial attorney.
