Missouri Injury Attorney Blog

Hiring a Lawyer David A. Payne Lawyer for Southwest Missouri Injury Law

How do I choose the personal injury lawyer that is right for me?

Ask about the experience and background of the lawyer. Ask with whom you will primarily be dealing with from the lawyer office. Ask how the lawyer will talk with you about the concerns of your case as the process moves forward from the initial conference. Will you meet with him personally when dealing with his office?

Ask the attorney about their experience in taking cases to trial. You want to hire an attorney that has experience taking the Insurance Companies to court.

You may think: I want to settle my personal injury case so what is wrong with an attorney that settles all of his cases instead of filing lawsuits and going to court? The problem with this approach is most insurance companies discount the lawyer's who only do this approach, they discount the claims this lawyer handles--leading to a lower and discounted settlement for you.

Most insurance companies keep track of lawyers' trial record by doing a computerized search based on the firm's taxpayer ID number. If your lawyer settles all personal injury cases, the insurance company knows that and it will be reflected in the pre-trial offer for your claim. So if your lawyer does not try personal injury cases, the insurance company knows they won't have to go to trial. Reactionary as the insurance industry is to documentation and data, they accordingly adjust their settlement offers to reflect and indicate how they assess the risk of your case to them per the data they have regarding the value of YOUR claim.

TRUST: If you don't have trust in you lawyer's complete ability to satisfactorily handle you claim; If you feel your expectations exceed the capabilities of your lawyer and/or any lawyer you are considering hiring; You should consider looking for another attorney with whom a greater trust can be established. Being served by a professional personal injury lawyer need not be a tedious relationship. The process of claims and litigation is far too aggravating in and of itself, your relationship with your lawyer need not be an additional burden.