Personal injuries – small or big, can be quite aggravating and entitle the victim to compensation from people who are responsible for them. If you or a loved one has been injured, you might want to file a personal injury lawsuit to get compensation for the damages or medical expenses that you have incurred as a result of it.
The process of finding the right personal injury lawyer in Dallas, Texas for your case is not as tricky as many make it out to be. However, you definitely need to put in a lot of thought and diligence into choosing the right attorney to handle your lawsuit. Here are a few criteria that you might want to consider for choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your case:
Credentials
When you set out to hire a personal injury lawyer in Dallas, the first and foremost thing that you should ask is about their credentials. Since you are looking for professional expertise on your lawsuit, it is completely fine to want your lawyer to be qualified and have enough legal experience. Moreover, qualified lawyers are more than happy to help you with any information that you need to know.
Ask your lawyer about the experience they have in the field, and where they got their degree from. Most lawyers are quite forthcoming about such information and will oblige so that you are reassured about their ability to handle your case. Some things you may want to ask here are about any board certifications, awards, and customer reviews that they may have.
Relevant Practice
The second thing that you need to look for in a personal injury lawyer is relevant experience. Remember: having good credentials is completely different from having relevant practice in the field. If you think your personal injury lawsuit might be a tricky one, it is even more important to find a lawyer who has enough experience dealing specifically in personal injury cases.
Ask your lawyer about any previous personal injury lawsuits that they might have handled and whether they have dealt with cases similar to yours. More importantly, ask them about the outcome of these cases. This parameter would give you a better idea about whether your lawyer has enough experience to handle the kind of lawsuit that you have at hand.
Trial Experience
Once you are reassured about the credentials and relevant experience of the lawyer, the next thing you might want to do is find out whether they have experience in trials. About 95% of personal injury lawsuits are settled pre-trial, so even if you get a lawyer who has a lot of experience in dealing with such cases, they might not have enough trial experience.
While discussing your case with potential lawyers, ask them about the probability of your case ending up in trial. If the lawyer thinks that it might happen based on the facts of your case, you should ensure that the lawyer will be able to deal with it if it comes to that. Heading into trial with an inexperienced lawyer might be detrimental to your lawsuit, and might give the defense a significant edge over you.
Fee Structure
Last but not the least, you should make it a point to enquire about the fee structure followed by the lawyer before you hand over your case to them. Most personal injury lawyers in Texas, work on a contingency fee structure. Under this structure, their fee is conditional on securing a settlement for you. This fee structure works pretty well for you as a client, because the lawyer would be motivated to get a settlement for you since their earnings depend on it.
So when you are hiring a personal injury lawyer, you should understand whether they follow a contingency fee structure or not. Moreover, you should also ask about any other kind of legal expenses that you may have to incur during the lawsuit so that you can be prepared for it. This is an important consideration because if you feel that filing a lawsuit is not financially viable for you, it is better to realize it right in the beginning than at later stages.
When Should You Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Now that you know how to find the right personal injury lawyer to handle your case, it is equally important to know whether you are approaching them at the right time, with the right case. As a victim who has been injured by a third party, it is completely justified for you to feel like you are entitled to compensation. But when it comes to lawsuits, it is as much about probability and overall facts of the case, as it is about the expertise of your lawyer.
So even the best personal injury lawyer might advise you against going forward with a personal injury lawsuit if they feel that it might not end in your favor. But even before you proceed with hiring a personal injury lawyer, here are the conditions that you should consider:
- If you have suffered mental or physical trauma from the other party
- If you are sure that the injury did not occur as a result of your negligence
- If you have enough proof to file a lawsuit against the other party
- If you have not claimed insurance for the events leading to injury
If all the aforementioned conditions are fulfilled, then you can definitely hire a personal injury lawyer to file a lawsuit, as your chances of getting a settlement are quite high.
The Verdict
If you or someone you care for has been injured by a third party, and you are sure that it was not caused due to your own negligence, you can definitely file a personal injury lawsuit. In such lawsuits, the chances of settlement are very high, and you need the right kind of lawyer to represent you. Since the other parties will also try hard to reduce or avoid paying compensation, it is important to have a strong case that can ensure that you get what you deserve. Moreover, even before you proceed to hire a personal injury lawyer it is important to ensure that you have the right conditions for your lawsuit to work in your favor.
If you are unsure, you can seek professional help, and for any other questions and information keep a check on this space.