Whether you’ve been involved in a car accident, or been injured at work, an accident can be a life-changing experience that can leave you feeling dejected and frustrated. Though you’ll probably feel demotivated and won’t want to do anything, it’s important to remember you might be entitled to compensation.
The first step to achieving justice is finding the perfect personal injury lawyer, who can guide you through proceedings in a complex legal system. It’s difficult to know where to begin when searching for a lawyer, but this article will guide you through the process.
Seek Recommendations
Family and friends are great resources in the event of an accident. They’ll be there to support you through difficult times, and they become more useful if they can refer you to a competent lawyer. You can ask family and friends whether they’ve had a positive experience with an accident lawyer before, and if they have you can take note and contact that person. Even if they haven’t worked with a personal injury lawyer, they might know someone who has, or know a legal firm or other specialist lawyer. In this case, you can contact relevant parties and ask them to refer you to someone who specializes in your area.
Research Candidates
With a prospective lawyer recommended by family and friends, you can conduct online research to learn whether they’re suitable for your case. If your family and friends couldn’t refer anyone, a simple Google search will bring up thousands of results. Use as many keywords as possible to narrow your results, including things like geographic location and the type of lawyer you’re looking for. For example, a Canadian citizen might type in ICBC lawyer Surrey, and potentially include other terms to improve their search. When you arrive on lawyer websites, assess their background information, because experience is everything.
Assess Experience
A lawyer’s body of work speaks volumes, where the more situations they’ve encountered, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with your case. A lawyer with five years experience in personal injury is more likely to be an expert. Lawyers who are fully committed to personal injury will be more likely to give your case the attention it deserves. A positive, transparent track record which highlights success is always reassuring too.
Consider Reputation
Today’s society is driven by feedback and testimonials, where decisions are often made on the basis of other people’s experiences. When you arrive on a lawyer’s website, they should have customer testimonials that will guide your decision making. If not, you can conduct a Google search to determine their reliability. Reputation is important to learn whether a lawyer can be trusted or not, and a reputable lawyer with no previous misconduct can guide you to a successful outcome. There are various platforms that review lawyers, including your local bar association, who will provide comprehensive information on the records of professionals.
