Skip to main content How Do I Find a Personal Injury Attorney?
If you've recently been hurt because of someone else's dangerous, reckless, or negligent behavior, you may meet your state's grounds for filing a lawsuit to recover compensation. Most people who are seriously injured in an accident like this will have medical bills and missed time at work that can cost them thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. This can quickly become overwhelming, especially if your chief priority should be to recover from the injury itself. When the unfortunate happens and you end up suffering from an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be wondering about your options and asking, “How do I find a personal injury attorney?” Knowing that you have a serious enough case where it makes sense to hire a qualified personal injury attorney is the first step.
A personal injury attorney is a legal professional who works to help personal injury victims to recover compensation for damages or injuries that are the result of someone else's actions or negligence. Personal injury attorneys take on a broad range of cases, so it's helpful to do your research first to verify that the lawyer you're thinking about hiring practices or specializes in that field.
Personal injury attorneys, for example, typically handle things such as car accidents but may also take on cases like workers' compensation injuries, medical malpractice, slip and fall accidents, and dog bites.
At Morgan & Morgan, we’ve been fighting for victims of personal injuries just like you for over 35 years and have recovered over $20 billion. When you partner with the nations’ largest personal injury law firm, our size and resources tell the defendants that you mean business. To find out more, you can contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Really Do?
Communicating with your personal injury lawyer at the outset of your case will give you a better understanding of the types of roles they take on in a personal injury claim. You are not obligated to hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident, and most of these lawyers, such as the ones at Morgan & Morgan, charge on a contingency fee basis and offer a free initial consultation.
A contingency fee means that your personal injury lawyer is not paid for their services in your case unless they are successful in winning you a settlement out of court or a jury verdict in court. This means that your attorney has to think carefully about taking on your case, which is why most of these lawyers will set up initial consultations to discuss the legal grounds in your claim, your evidence, and the possible compensation at stake. Every state has what is known as a statute of limitations, or a strict time period under which you must file your legal claim to have the full right to make recovery as a victim. This is typically anywhere from 2 to 4 years, although in certain circumstances it can be extended longer.
Making a full recovery after a serious accident is not guaranteed. Plenty of people who are injured in critical personal injury cases have extensive injuries and may not ever fully recover.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer for a Wrongful Death Case?
Many people who communicate with personal injury lawyers, like the attorneys at Morgan & Morgan, are doing so because they or a family member was seriously injured in an accident. However, there are other reasons to communicate with a personal injury attorney, such as if your loved one was killed because of someone else's negligence or reckless behavior. A wrongful death lawsuit is usually filed either on behalf of the person who was killed and their estate or through their estate entirely.
Although no amount of money can ever bring back your loved one, filing a lawsuit for wrongful death with attorneys from Morgan & Morgan may give your family the financial resources your loved ones need to close this chapter of their life and move on.
When your whole family has been impacted by the loss of a loved one, it can be hard to gather all the evidence needed and handle each aspect of your claim. It can also be difficult to determine who can be involved in filing the case, which can vary from one state to another. The state laws outline who is able to bring a lawsuit and who may be entitled to recover compensation.
With the complexities involved in a wrongful death claim, it is strongly recommended that you work with a qualified personal injury lawyer to manage your claim final.
How Will a Personal Injury Lawyer Help My Case?
If you only have minor injuries, you may be able to share information about these injuries with the insurance company and navigate a successful settlement. However, that is rarely the case for people who have complex injuries. You may need the support of an injury lawyer to show how your life has changed because of the accident. Your injury lawyer also manages the primary communication between all of these important parties in your legal case.
As an accident victim, you've probably already missed enough time at work and are struggling to deal with the physical complications of your pain. You don't need the added stress of worrying about communicating with these other stakeholders in your lawsuit. This is where Morgan & Morgan comes in to manage those details and make sure that you understand each aspect of what is unfolding in your case at a given time.
Our attorneys are highly experienced at crafting legal cases in personal injury, and we'll make sure that you are kept up to date about what's happening in your claim. You will always have the right to review a settlement offer and to discuss whether or not it makes sense to you before accepting it, or trying to negotiate it with the other side. Our lawyers usually start these cases by evaluating all of your medical and other damage expenses, so that we're clear about what may be a fair settlement offer.
In your case, your lawyer will take on many roles to help you work towards a resolution. Your lawyer will take over the management of your documents, case preparation, and communication with other involved parties as your case moves into the court system.
Many personal injury cases resolve outside of court in settlement discussions. However, some cannot be resolved in those discussions and will proceed toward trial. You can attend all of your medical appointments and take care of what you need to do without having to worry about what's happening in your case. As there are important updates, your Morgan and Morgan lawyer will let you know so you can make decisions as needed.
Do I Have to Hire Someone After Meeting With Them?
When you have a shortlist of what you're looking for in a lawyer, you can use this information to set up an initial consultation with one or two attorneys. You can discuss your options with your lawyer and determine if this person and team is right for you. You might want to ask many questions to determine if this is your final choice to retain for your personal injury claim, such as:
- How long have you practiced in this field?
- Have you worked on other similar cases?
- What kind of outside resources might we need to get through this case?
- What is your fee?
- How would you approach this case?
You are not required to hire the first lawyer you meet with. This is because you need to feel confident with your decision of who to hire. You can weigh all your options and decide the best course of action for your case.
Should I Find a Personal Injury Lawyer Through Referral?
If you know someone else who has dealt with the fallout from a personal injury accident, it can make a lot of sense to ask them which attorney they worked with, especially if they were successful in getting a settlement that allowed them to move on from this part of their life. However, most people may not know someone who has been through a serious accident like this, and therefore conducting internet research is a good way to evaluate your legal rights and decide what is best for you. The internet can tell you a lot about your attorney of choice, including feedback from previous clients about what it was like to work with that law firm.
There are many ways to find a lawyer, and you might do plenty of research to discuss your options. Reading reviews, testimonials, and past case results can give you a sense of what it may be like to work with that firm. You need someone in your corner who can advocate for you and will take your case as seriously as possible.
Morgan & Morgan, for example, has built a nationwide reputation because of our commitment to doing everything possible on behalf of victims.
If an accident has left you asking, “How do I find a personal injury attorney?”—we can help match you to the right one. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
