Hiring a personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis, IN, can be a daunting task for anyone. Not only are you trying to recover from your accident, but you’re also faced with a wall of results that all essentially promise the same thing. If you’re interested in avoiding common mistakes, we’ll look at what you can do to take control of the situation.
1. Misunderstanding Personal Injuries Laws
There’s a reason why lawyers specialize in different types of law, and it’s because no one can know every single law (and its most common interpretations) under the sun.
Types of Personal Injury Accidents
There are numerous accidents that can fall under this specific section of the law. Personal injury can involve vehicle collisions, in which case the lawyer would need to know the local laws that govern the roads. Or they may occur in international waters, in which case the lawyer would need to know maritime laws for cruises that leave from the US.
Working with the Right Indianapolis, IN Attorney
If you work with a personal injury attorney without expertise in what happened to you, you’re likely to run into some major snags along the way. For instance, a personal injury who’s used to working with slip-and-fall cases in retail stores will know what leadership is expected to do to help keep their customers safe. More than that, they’ll be able to give you more concrete information based on how other cases were tried.
2. Failing to Check the Lawyer’s History
The attorney’s history can include anything from licensing information to past client reviews to the associations they’re in. Ideally, you’ll be checking into all of it because excellent reviews can be fabricated, and website wording can be twisted to misrepresent the facts. As you’re looking into the lawyer’s qualifications and professional connections, consider the minimum qualifications to join different groups.
Time on the Job
A personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis, IN, with plenty of experience, will have built up relationships with everyone from judges to clerks to bailiffs. These inroads can end up making a real difference in your case, which is why it helps to hire someone with an established record in your city.
How to Read Personal Injury Attorney Reviews
Reviews can really help you understand what you’re signing up for. Make sure that you look at what the reviews are really saying about the lawyer and their staff. There is no such thing as 100% satisfaction from clients, as some people will be upset no matter how they’re treated.
The best thing that a prospective client can do is look for trends throughout the reviews. If every second person complains that their emails were rarely answered, you can bet that yours won’t be answered either. If there are only a few poor reviews and the lawyer has responded with their side of the story, this is a good sign.
3. Not Asking Enough Questions
It’s entirely reasonable to skip questions when it comes to hiring a personal injury attorney. Again, this is a time when your energy should be going toward putting the whole event behind you. The goal of talking to an attorney is to give them the case so you can step away from it for a while. Unfortunately, some personal injury attorneys will count on this separation in order to charge people more without actually providing a better service.
Save Time Later with Better Discussions
Asking questions at first can save you a lot of hassle down the road. You should be getting into specifics of what types of trials the personal injury attorney has completed, how the staff operates, and whether your case will stand up to the rigamarole that is our legal system. A personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis, IN, will need to have the resources to try your case, and those resources can mean anything from time to knowledge to connections.
Ask How the Personal Injury Lawyer Will Get Paid
Most offer free consultations as well as a contingency fee basis. The idea is that they work hard for their clients because they don’t get paid otherwise. However, some lawyers will operate at high volume, meaning they put less effort into each case in hopes that one major settlement will balance out the rest. It’s important to find out how the lawyer gets paid so you’re aware of what your take-home will be at the end.
Looking Past the Advertisements
If you live in Indianapolis, you’re probably no stranger to multiple advertisements there are for personal injury. It’s not just billboards and television commercials; you might get direct mail right after an accident has occurred.
All of this bombardment can work because most personal injury victims are looking for any relief they can get. There are few areas where this mistake applies to more than fee structures. It’s important not to get lured in by false promises made everywhere you look.
4. Having an Unrealistic Timeline
When you’re injured, the first thing on your mind is likely how you’re going to get through everything. You’re probably in the process of healing, which means taking medication and going to doctor’s appointments. You’re missing work, which can end up landing you in debt if the absences are ongoing. When you hire a personal injury attorney, the question becomes how quickly you’ll be able to recoup some of these costs.
Mapping out the Future
Before you hire an attorney, it’s critical to discuss how much time it will take before you get the justice you deserve. A lawyer who rushes through everything is likely to miss key points of the case. They may fail to interview a witness that can make or break your settlement. They may miscalculate the expenses that you incurred due to the accident, such as the cost of a babysitter while you were in the hospital or clinic. In addition, you have to consider the court process, which can be notoriously slow.
Contact Mike Stephenson and Brady Rife
If you’ve experienced a personal injury, it’s undeniably important to hire the right attorney in Indianapolis. The best thing that you can do when you’re in the midst of looking for one is to slow down just a little. Taking a little time now can save you months of back-and-forth later. When you work with professionals who have a handle on their specialty, it becomes a lot easier to handle the ups and downs of your case. Plus, you’ll have a much better chance of coming out ahead.
