Personal Injury Attorney: 5 Traits To Avoid

Medical bills, therapy, and lost wages can all add up to a small fortune, which is why it is important to choose the best personal injury attorney that you can find. Settlements are not guaranteed regardless of your case, and sometimes injuries can be long lasting, altering your life for several years or even forever. Most cases are more complicated than they may seem on the surface, so choosing the right lawyer is crucial. Here are five characteristics to avoid when choosing your legal counsel.

1. Disorganized
Legal professionals require a high level of organization in order to best serve their clients. That means paperwork needs to be in order, arrival to appointments on time, and all communication with the client and others carefully documented for future reference. If your personal injury attorney is consistently late, doesn't call when promised, or expects you to do the bulk of document gathering - hire someone else. A missed deadline or appointment can unravel your case quickly. They are working for you, so don't put up with slackers.

2. Disheveled
It may seem unimportant, but how a lawyer presents themselves to a client should be taken into account. A judge would never show up to court without the proper attire, so why should your personal injury attorney arrive to a meeting in shorts and a t-shirt? Even during a home or hospital consultation, a lawyer should dress and act as a professional.

3. Guarantees
Ambulance chasers like to lure new clients by promising huge settlements. Unfortunately, there are too many variables to predict the potential outcome of any case before a significant amount of work has been done. A personal injury attorney should never make guarantees or promise absolutes to clients. Remember that the individual or business you are filing a claim against will also likely have strong legal counsel, which will be working hard to minimize their losses as well. Choose realism over idealism.

4. General
Seeking a specialist is always a good decision when it comes to choosing a lawyer. Even within a specialty there can be further division, such as lawyers you work with primarily malpractice cases against private hospitals, or those who take on mostly slip and fall accidents. When interviewing potential firms, take note of their areas of expertise and their most recent cases. You don't want to be a guinea pig for someone trying to move into his or her practice into a different direction.

5. Untrustworthy
If you don't trust the firm or lawyer you've chosen, why are you continuing to work with them? It happens sometimes that people choose a legal representative too hastily and later regret it. In order to maintain honest communication and keep the case moving in the right direction, you need to be able to develop a strong and trustworthy relationship with your counsel. If you do decide to hire a new lawyer, they will release the former and often will deduct whatever is owed from their own bill, so you won't have to deal with any unpleasantness.