If you’re searching for a personal injury lawyer, you’re going to find a lot of attorneys in the search engine results pages, whether it’s a Google business listing at the top of the organic results, or law firm websites that rank for your search terms. Chances are, you don’t want to wait too long to hire legal counsel, but working with the first attorney who will take your case isn’t always the best move.
Just because a law firm ranks high in the search results doesn’t mean they’ll win your case and get you compensation. Law firms pay for SEO and their ability to rank isn’t a reflection of their track record.
With that said, there are several ways you can assess each lawyer you find to narrow down your search in order to get the best possible outcome for your case.
1. Check their practice areas
Attorneys usually have specific practice areas and areas of expertise. For example, personal injury lawyers commonly take on cases involving dog bites, premises liability, car accidents, and wrongful death. However, not all personal injury law firms specialize in every type of injury. For example, product liability cases require an attorney with experience handling that particular type of case because of all the details and specific laws involved.
Compare your situation with the practice areas listed on an attorney’s website and check them off your list if there’s a mismatch. On the other hand, if the law firm specifically states they handle your type of case, put them in your “maybe” pile and continue assessing them with the rest of your desired qualities.
2. Read client reviews
Reviews are one of the best ways to gauge the integrity, experience, and abilities of a law firm. Granted, sometimes people write bad reviews when things don’t go their way or they get upset that their lawyer couldn’t get them everything they wanted. However, sometimes even the best attorney can’t get perfect results, either because the law won’t allow for it, or they’re blocked by a jury or judge making the final decisions.
Still, client reviews can tell you a lot about how a law firm operates and the kind of results they get on a regular basis. Look for comments that describe attorneys as being respectful, understanding, good listeners, great communicators, and compassionate toward their clients. These might seem like simple personality traits, but they are indicative of an attorney who takes the time to understand their client’s situation fully and cares about the outcome of the case beyond simply winning.
3. Research their track record
You’ll probably see results discussed on every attorney’s website regarding their largest settlements and the high-profile cases they’ve won. This is great, but anyone can publish anything on their website.
The first thing you want to do is Google your lawyer. Find out what people are saying about them on other websites they don’t own. You may not find anything significant, but if there’s anything negative out there, you’ll want to know.
4. Verify their state bar credentials
Before going deeply into research, check your state bar’s database to make sure the person in question has a currently valid license to practice law. This might sound strange, but numerous people have been caught pretending to be lawyers, and some of them legitimately win cases.
If they are licensed to practice law and you end up having a consultation with them, make sure the person you meet with matches the person in the database. If you Google the attorney in question and find websites that show two or more attorneys with the same name, it’s not necessarily a red flag, but it can indicate a stolen identity, so be aware.
You’ll also see any disciplinary actions that have been taken against the attorneys you research, so you can get a good idea of how well they stick to their ethics. However, ethical violations aren’t always intentional, so keep that in mind, too.
5. Get an in-person consultation
Nothing can be a replacement for meeting an attorney in person to get a feel for who they are and how they operate. It’s also the best way to ask about their results. However, don’t jump into consultations with every option. Narrow down your list of possibilities first, and when you have a handful of options, start scheduling consultations. If possible, meet in person rather than over video conferencing, like Zoom.
A good lawyer will help you get the compensation you deserve
Personal injury lawyers are experts at negotiating with insurance companies to get their clients generous compensation. If you need legal assistance, a little research will help you find an attorney who will get you the results you deserve.
