When someone else causes you an injury, they are liable for compensating you for any damages you suffer due to their actions. Sometimes recovering damages is as simple as making a handshake deal with the person who injured you. More often than not, however, starting a legal claim is necessary to recover your damages. To help initiate legal proceedings, however, you will need an injury lawyer.
Many people have never hired a lawyer before, so they do not know where to start their search. Because finding the right lawyer can feel like a daunting task, we put together this quick guide. In our guide, you will find some of the most frequently asked questions about hiring an injury attorney.
Do I Need To Hire An Injury Lawyer Who Is Near Me?
Your injury lawyer does not have to be your next door neighbor, but it helps if they are nearby. If you need to go to your lawyer’s office to drop off or sign documents, you won’t want to drive an hour away to do so. The further away from you, your lawyer is, the more of a hassle meeting in person becomes.
Many other issues can arise if you hire a lawyer that is not near you. If your case goes to trial, for example, your legal practitioner may need to travel to go to court, which may ultimately affect your costs.
On top of everything else, it is helpful for your lawyer to be geographically close to you. Trust is the foundation of attorney-client relationships. Part of trusting someone is knowing them. If your attorney is from the same area as you, you have that in common even before you meet one another. Having something in common can help build the trust that will serve as the foundation to our professional relationship with your attorney.
On the other hand, you should not sacrifice experience and skill for proximity. It’s important to have an attorney with knowledge about the specific area of law your case falls into, as well as years of experience handling those types of claims. If you need to travel further to find a lawyer with the right skillset, do not hesitate to do so.
How Do I Find The Right Lawyer Near Me?
Not every attorney is right for every client or case. To find the right injury attorney for your case, first, make a list of five to ten potential attorneys. With the list in hand, you can then consult with each of the attorneys to see which one is the right fit for you. Before your consultations, prepare a list of questions that you will ask each attorney you speak to. If you use the same questions with each attorney, you can objectively compare their answers.
Finding Local Injury Lawyers
To find injury attorneys in your area, you can use general search engines like Google or specialized lawyer search engines like Avvo and Findlaw. Just type in your geographic area and “injury lawyer” and look through the results. More often than not, these websites will also show you client reviews, so you can learn a little more about each attorney before giving them a call.
You can also search for attorneys through your local bar association. The California Bar Association maintains a directory of local California Certified Lawyer Referral Services (LRS). The California Bar Association breaks the directory down into smaller geographic areas. Select the area closest to you, and you will find injury attorneys in your area.
Questions to Ask
The questions you ask each of the attorneys you speak to should reflect what is most important to you. Aside from the questions you come up with yourself, you can start with general questions like:
- How do you bill your clients?
- Have you won any awards or recognition for exemplary service?
- Why did you choose to practice personal injury law?
- How do you approach each case?
- What do your prior clients have to say about your work?
- What was the most difficult case you handled, and how did you overcome the challenge?
Start by writing down these questions, then see what sorts of questions you can come up with that are most relevant to your needs specifically.
Contact Silva Injury Law, Inc. Today
If you were injured in California and are considering filing a lawsuit to recover damages, the injury attorneys at Silva Injury Law, Inc. are here to help you. You deserve compensation for the damages you suffered. Our team is here to make sure that you do recover those damages. Our passion is our clients, and our mission is their complete satisfaction. Don’t just take our word for it. Check out our client testimonials page to see what our clients have to say about us. Make sure to include Silva Injury Law, Inc. in your search for an injury lawyer near you. Contact us today!
Find Out How We Can Help
At Silva Injury Law we promote healing through compassionate advocacy. With each case tailored to the individual, we look our for your best interests by evaluating your unique circumstances. Contact us today for a FREE in person or remote consultation.