FINDING COUNSEL

Look for a Proven Track Record

Suffering a serious injury or the death of a loved one in an accident is always a traumatic event. On top of the physical and emotional pain that one is experiencing, there is the question of how to protect one's legal rights and seek reasonable compensation from the person or entity that caused the accident. That means finding an attorney. But what kind of attorney? And where does one look?

Anyone who turns on the TV or reads the yellow pages will realize that personal injury attorneys are spending millions of dollars on advertising directed at accident victims. Unfortunately, the net effect of this advertising is a completely bewildered public. For one thing, lawyers' ads are often misleading. One attorney recently proclaimed in a yellow page ad that "insurance companies pay bigger settlements to attorneys who have obtained million dollar verdicts." While the truth of that statement is undeniable, the attorney in question had never had a verdict of any kind in a personal injury case, much less a million-dollar verdict.

Choosing an unqualified attorney can have disastrous consequences in a personal injury or wrongful death case. There are certain skills and background that are critical in order to effectively handle such cases. In addition, the attorney must have built up a bankroll sufficient to afford the $50,000 or more in out-of-pocket costs associated with large cases. If the attorney cannot afford this expense, then the case will be given a bare bones treatment, which will lead to a grossly inadequate recovery.

The attorneys who advertise frequently on TV do not generally have the skill and experience level necessary to handle a major case. Instead, they appeal to an injured person's interest in quickly settling her case. Unfortunately, a quick settlement is almost always a bad settlement. When one suffers a lifelong injury, it may take months, or even years, to know the full extent of that injury. Moreover, it is impossible to know the full value of the case until all of the evidence has been gathered through painstaking efforts, and no insurance company ever pays full value without a prolonged lawsuit.

The bottom line is that you have the ability to seek out the most qualified, effective legal representation available. To do so, you must look beyond bold, unsupported claims in 30-second TV ads and ask for detailed written proof of an attorney's record.

Our law firm will do everything possible to obtain the highest settlement possible.