There are currently more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States alone. That may sound like a lot, but not all of those lawyers will be good choices for your unique legal needs. If you’re looking for a Brooklyn injury lawyer, you should avoid hiring the first lawyer you come across.
Instead, you should carefully consider a few important factors so that you end up with the best choice. But where should you start? Keep reading and learn more about the questions you should ask before you hire a New York injury attorney.
1. What Is the Lawyer’s Experience?
The experience of a lawyer is one of the most important factors you should consider. The last thing you want is to choose an injury lawyer in Brooklyn who has little to no experience dealing with a personal injury case. If you choose such a lawyer, you will find that they won’t be very effective at helping you.
On the other hand, if you choose a lawyer that has many years of experience in this field of practice, you will be in good hands. This is because a more experienced lawyer will naturally know more about how to handle certain situations and help the situation turn in your favor.
2. Is There a Team of Lawyers?
While one lawyer alone can be quite helpful, a team of lawyers can be even more beneficial. This is especially true for large and complicated personal injury cases. A team of lawyers acts as extra support in a particularly complicated case.
If a lawyer does not have a team available, this does not necessarily mean that the lawyer is a bad choice. On the contrary, a lawyer without a team may still be very beneficial to you. It will mainly depend on your unique legal situation as to whether you should choose one lawyer or a lawyer with a team.
3. How Does the Lawyer Charge?
Different lawyers may charge in different ways. It is important to understand your lawyer’s method of charging you so you aren’t surprised or confused later on. Some lawyers prefer to charge by the hour.
As you can imagine, this can become quite expensive if you require a lot of the lawyer’s time. On the other hand, some lawyers charge by taking a percentage of the settlement. Depending on the percentage that the lawyer takes, this may be quite a lot of money or not much at all.
So, keep this in mind when considering how a lawyer charges you for legal services.
4. What Is the Lawyer’s Track Record?
When hiring a Brooklyn personal injury attorney, you will want to be aware of the lawyer’s track record. A lawyer’s track record has to do with how many cases the lawyer has won (or lost). If you find that the lawyer you’re talking to has lost a large number of cases, this is a sign that the lawyer may not be very effective.
On the other hand, if a lawyer has won most, if not all, of his cases, this is a very good sign that the lawyer knows exactly what they’re doing. This, of course, can benefit you greatly if you decide to choose that lawyer to represent you in your personal injury case.
5. What About Specific Personal Injury Experience?
General experience, as mentioned before, is important for a lawyer to have. However, specific experience cornering cases that are similar to yours are also important. This is because the lawyer will have experienced cases like yours before and will have a better idea of how to approach and work through your case.
This is very important because every case is unique. The last thing you want is a lawyer who hardly knows what they’re doing when representing you because of the unique nature of your case.
6. What About Severe Injuries?
Some personal injury lawyers only deal with minor injuries. If you are dealing with a serious or even catastrophic injury such as a brain injury, lost limb, or other injuries, you will likely need to seek out a specific lawyer. Fortunately, there are quite a few lawyers out there that specialize in severe injuries.
It is important to choose the right kind of lawyer in this case. You don’t want to choose a lawyer that hardly knows about severe injuries if that’s what you’re dealing with.
7. How Often Do Cases Go to Trial?
Usually, personal injury cases don’t go to trial. However, if a lawyer typically has cases that go to trial more frequently than usual, you should be aware of this.
That way, you can know more about what you should expect if your case does happen to go to trial. This will complicate matters, but a good lawyer should be able to handle it.
8. How Long Does It Take To Return a Call?
If you call your lawyer with important information, you will want to get a return call as soon as possible.
A good lawyer will answer your call and your questions right away rather than leave you waiting by the phone for hours or even days.
Hiring a Brooklyn Injury Lawyer
Hiring a Brooklyn injury lawyer doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are certain things you should consider. In particular, you should ask a lawyer plenty of questions relating to the lawyer’s experience, track record, charging method, and so on. As long as you ask these important questions, you should know all the most pertinent information about that lawyer and it should be easy for you to pick the right one for you.
To learn more about finding the right lawyer, contact us here.