What You Need to Know About Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Philadelphia
I’ve been involved in an accident. I’m hurt. I’ve got medical bills. I need more medical care. I don’t know which kind of doctor to see for my injuries. I can’t work. Do I need a personal injury lawyer? Where do I begin searching for a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer?
Making the decision on whether to hire a personal injury attorney and which Philadelphia personal injury lawyer to hire, can be stressful. There are so many things to consider after an accident if you’ve been hurt due to someone else’s negligence. The countless tasks involved are time-consuming, and the challenges, emotions and legal issues that accompany the unfamiliar process of what to do following an accident only serve to compound the stress necessary to recover from personal injuries. In a car accident case, for instance, just getting your car repaired and having the insurance company pay for that and reimburse you for a rental car can take many hours on the phone.
While there is not a single person or organization that can assist with everything, the right accident lawyer in Philadelphia can help. Getting the best advice possible to start the process can make all the difference. All consumers have access to information on the internet, as well as other information and sources that can be used to narrow the search in hiring a personal injury lawyer. But, there is a systematic way by which you can start getting answers to your questions.
Questions to Ask Your Prospective Personal Injury Lawyer
- Can he/she provide you with a sample fee agreement and explain how it works?
- Can he/she provide a written explanation of the steps involved in a personal injury case in Philadelphia?
- Can he/she provide you with a professional biography that outlines how the lawyer and the other lawyers at the firm have been handling personal injury matters?
- What professional affiliations do they have?
10 Factors to Consider When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney in Philadelphia & Plymouth Meeting:
- Ask an attorney you already know for a referral. He or she may have inside knowledge on who is experienced in handling personal injury cases.
- Ask a friend or family member for a referral to an attorney that they have been pleased with.
- The internet can be a good place to start. Of course, not all Philadelphia personal injury lawyers or law firms use the internet as a source of marketing. That does not mean they are not competent. It only means that they do not see the value in internet marketing, and may get their clients from other sources. Most of our clients here at Carpey Law come from referrals from other attorneys or from other clients. But the internet is a source to find a list of best personal injury attorneys in Philadelphia and their specialties. Just remember to be careful about advertising claims, and about attorneys who claim to be “specialists” in all sorts of areas of the law. In addition, you may not want an attorney who handles as many cases as possible, and may not have the time to pay special attention to your case, or that your case will be handled by inexperienced and unsupervised employees. In checking out attorneys on the internet, be sure to look at their online reviews and testimonials on Google, Avvo, and other review sites.
- Most local bar associations offer a lawyer referral service that lists lawyers who have signed up and paid a fee. This also may be a good place to start. But always talk to more than one personal injury attorney, before you make a final decision.
- If someone recommends a personal injury attorney, and you permit them to have the attorney call you, great. But run from any attorney who calls you first without your prior approval.
- Beware of any accident lawyer who contacts you in writing just after you are injured for the sole purpose of soliciting your claim.
- Experience – obviously, the longer an attorney has been practicing a particular area of the law, the more he or she will know about it, and more he or she will understand how to get the most out of your case.
- Experience actually litigating cases is a must.
- Experience actually trying cases is a must.
- Respect in the legal community – does the attorney teach other lawyers in Continuing Legal Education courses, or has the attorney you intend on hiring written about his or her legal specialty for others?
How Stuart Carpey Handles Personal Injury Cases
Our firm’s lead attorney Stuart A. Carpey has many unique approaches to his work, all of which have contributed to Carpey Law’s continued success. One of Stuart’s valued approaches to his work is to keep an open line of communication between his office and his clients. Stuart believes it is important that clients know the process of their personal injury case, both in the claims and litigation stages. Many lawyers don’t explain the case process from beginning to end, and Stuart disagrees with that approach. If a client doesn’t know how a case works, or if a client isn’t sure about the status of their case, he or she can be left feeling lost or confused. The Carpey Law Advantage ensures that a client will feel confident that they have placed their case in capable hands.
I Tell It Like It Is
I will always provide an honest assessment of the case with its strengths and weaknesses. If the odds of winning the case are high, I want you to know that from the beginning. By the same token, if you have a difficult case, you should know that too.
I Go To Trial For My Clients
Many lawyers never try a case. I try cases – not all of my cases, but many. In truth, most cases (of all types and including personal injury cases) settle some time before trial because both sides ultimately realize their risks. But it is my belief that to be a competent Philadelphia personal injury attorney, you must try cases and you must handle a case from the beginning as if it is going to be tried.
See more: How Stuart Carpey Prepares His Cases for Trial