Hundreds of thousands of people end up in emergency rooms and hospitals annually due to preventable injuries. Unfortunately, these accidents and related medical needs happen again and again because other people continue to fail to do their part in preventing injuries in the first place. The spectrum ranges from unsafe driving to a lack of awareness of safety in commercial spaces and interactive environments. As a result, thousands of dollars are spent on related healthcare and medical responses, but, even more importantly, many people suffer injuries that could be permanent and life-changing as a result.
Legal Remedies Can’t Always Restore, but They Do Compensate
Of course, the primary remedy for an injured party due to someone else’s mistake or failure to prevent harm is the legal system for civil recovery for a personal injury. And to access that system, injured parties work through attorneys who represent them in that legal system, seeking a potential recovery and financial compensation for restoration. That said, while there are lots of attorneys available in Massachusetts for hire, picking the right one, like experienced brain injury lawyers, can make a big difference in a personal injury lawsuit’s success or miss.
What to Look for in a Springfield PI Attorney
Finding the right attorney for a personal injury isn’t rocket science, but it does take doing a bit of homework. Fortunately, people typically have a lot of resources around them. One of the best ones is their own community.
Get Referrals
If a personal injury attorney has been established and proven, they’re going to have developed a reputation for the customers and clients they have helped. That starts to develop a following by word of mouth. The most valuable thing about this kind of resource is that the recommendation typically comes from a real client who has been helped by the given attorney. However, don’t stop with just a name. If possible, ask a few follow-up questions if someone recommends an attorney. Ask about the case, how they helped, what kind of lawsuit it was, and did they only negotiate or did the attorney also end up filing and going to court. Because there is a big difference between pre-filing negotiation for a simple settlement and litigation, having an attorney who can do both is a better place to be with representation.
Always Research the Cost Approach
Experienced PI attorneys work on what is known as a contingency basis. This means they recover when a settlement or judgment is achieved. They don’t charge their client service costs upfront. Injured parties needing legal help should definitely steer towards those attorneys who follow a traditional PI cost structure of contingency. That said, the typical range is close to 33 percent of gross recoveries. If the cost structure is notably higher, that too may be a sign of whom to avoid.
Experience Matters
Ideally, a client wants to be represented by a PI attorney who has experience in litigating as well as familiarity with the local court rules. The argument about who is responsible for an injury takes substantive legal skill. However, knowing where to file, when, how to use the technical rules of court as an advantage, and what mistakes to avoid in the procedure is known as expertise in procedural law. It can make a big difference long before a lawsuit ever actually gets to trial. And mistakes can be costly.
Make Sure the PI Attorney Hired Will Actually Do the Work
Many attorneys who have a working office have multiple other attorneys working for them part-time or as contractors. While the case is represented by the attorney a client talks to at first, the work may actually end up being handled by a contractor. This isn’t ideal, especially if a client is expecting the expertise of the attorney they chose and talked to. Make sure the PI attorney you hire will be the one actually doing the representation. Otherwise, you may end up being swapped out for a lower-quality lawyer without knowing it.
Watch out for Concerns with the State Bar
Attorneys have to register with their state bar, which also keeps track of concerns and problems with poorly behaving attorneys as well. When a lawyer abuses their professional status too many times, they can be debarred and lose their license to practice. Typically, such characters already have a track record of problem cases before they get debarred, which is logged at the state bar. This basic research tool is rarely used, but it’s an easy public way to confirm and avoid a problematic attorney situation before one gets involved.
Look for Practical Honesty in a First Consultation
A good PI attorney is going to be realistic about a case once he or she has enough details to make an assessment. Experienced and ethical attorneys are not going to take on a weak case simply for the sake of maybe working up a little bit of business. They are busy with real cases that have solid possibilities. So, when an attorney provides an honest assessment of what is actually possible to recover from verses promising the sun and the moon, that’s probably a better choice of attorney than the alternative. Practicality and realistic assessments of what legal arguments can be successfully made show signs of skill, knowledge, and realistic judgment of what legal strategies will work, especially in the local court system.
Again, there are lots of attorneys in the state of Massachusetts who can provide representation and are licensed to practice. That doesn’t mean each and every one of them is the best choice for a personal injury case. And the harder the case is, the more experience and skill is needed to make it successful. Don’t leave your recovery to chance with a wild pick and no research. A bit of time spent seeking out the right talent can pay dividends later in how well a personal injury case proceeds and reaches a good conclusion because it was handled the right way from the start.
