It’s an unfortunate truth that most individuals will be involved in some type of serious accident in their lives. The average person, for instance, will have to file an auto accident claim once every 17.9 years; and this striking statistic obviously doesn’t take into account the numerous types of other accidents a person could be involved with. Luckily, when an injury is caused due to another person’s negligence, the victim has the right to seek compensation; but it’s imperative that, when they do, they strive to find a lawyer with lots of experience.
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Why Experience Counts
There’s likely not a person out there who would choose an individual fresh out of medical school over a doctor with 20 years of experience, and this same vigilance should be paid when seeking a lawyer for a personal injury.
a. Litigation Ability: Whether or not a lawyer has experience with litigation is an important factor when seeking a legal professional. In many instances, personal injury claims end with a settlement, and this means the inside of a courtroom is rarely seen. This, however, should not be a foregone conclusion. It’s imperative that an injured individual choose a legal representative who isn’t afraid to litigate if it’s the only way to secure a fair outcome for their client.
b. Law has Many Fronts: It’s important to realize that the greatest lawyer in one area of the law may be completely useless in a separate area. A personal injury lawyer who deals with mainly construction site accidents, for instance, may not be as adept at handling auto accident cases. Finding one with actual experience in certain situations ensures they’ve seen all of the ins and outs of the legal system when it comes to these specific circumstances.
c. Future Losses: The aforementioned two factors are important things to look for, but selecting an experienced lawyer is also important due to the possibility of future losses. A $100,000 settlement may seem like a great outcome, for instance, but what if an injury requires long-term care that ends up costing $110,000? Doesn’t seem so great anymore, right? An experienced legal professional will be able to go over the type and severity of a person’s injury and ensure that the settlement offer or award is sufficient to make their client whole again.
Finding an Experienced Lawyer
At one point, finding an experienced lawyer required locating several legal professionals and going blindly into a consultation hoping for the best, but the advent of the Internet changed all of this. An individual can now seek out local lawyers via search engines and then research them even before scheduling a consultation. Using a search engine to find a good list of potential lawyers is vital. For example, you can research Charleston, SC personal injury lawyers by inputting “personal injury lawyer Charleston.”
After finding a few professionals that have good ratings on the Internet, it’s then possible to read reviews from former clients for these legal representatives. This will give an individual an idea of their success rate, whether or not they have litigation experience and whether or not they’re even experienced in handling a certain type of case. As mentioned, all of these factors are vital in finding the correct lawyer for your case.
There are numerous factors that a person should consider when hiring a lawyer, but experience is likely the most important. Having the right combination of experience can make the difference between a fair outcome and a host of regrets for not spending a little more time vetting the correct legal professional for a case. There are plenty of good lawyers out there, but when a person finds one that they feel confident about for their specific case, they’re much more likely to feel positively about their claim’s outcome.
Researcher Lisa Coleman shares why experience makes a difference when filing an injury claim, and how it is so important to a case. She recently read online how an experienced personal injury lawyer Charleston based, Howell and Christmas, LLC, could legally represent an injury claim for a client in two locations, Charleston and Pleasant South Carolina, and handle all the legal proceedings.
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