Buyer Beware When Hiring a Personal Injury Law Firm

Posted: September 12, 2016

As a potential client for any personal injury firm, beware of the package of goods which firms are selling you. Many firms have a tendency to create an image via their fancy offices, website, advertising, and their one-on-one meetings with you, which is not necessarily representative of what they will actually do for you once they get your case. This image is typically, just that, an image, not a reality.

What many firms do not tell you is that their results, whether they are verdicts or settlements for a personal injury or medical malpractice case, are not always what they appear to be. So, just be informed and do your research.

Some helpful tips when doing your research.

1. Ask questions about the verdicts and settlements. Many firms post their huge results up at the top of their page to show off their firm’s success. But what they might not tell you is that the verdict and/or settlement is stale, as in it occurred several years ago. They also might not be forthright and tell you that the actual attorney who worked up that case and was a large part of attaining that large verdict and/or settlement is no longer working at the firm and is now working elsewhere. So ask when did you get this verdict? Is the attorney who helped get this result still working here?
2. Ask questions about turnover at the firm. Is the firm a revolving door for staff and attorneys? You do not want to be working with several attorneys and having your case handed off to one attorney after another. Moreover, the firm likely has some internal issues, which have not been resolved, and can indirectly or directly hurt the progress and results of your case.
3. Ask questions about case load per attorney. If the attorneys are overwhelmed with too many cases, your case is bound to be overlooked and the process of litigating it gets delayed.
4. Ask questions about who will actually be working on your case, are you getting an attorney with experience? Keep in mind, experience does not necessarily equate to years of practicing but the actual experience someone has conducting depositions, doing discovery, going to trial, handling pre-trials and mediations, etc. Some attorneys with less years under their belt, may have more experience than someone who has been practicing for years.
5. Many firms will tell you that a partner will be taking the lead, but what does that mean? Does the partner work the entire case up by himself? With the associate? With a law clerk? Or do they only get involved once in a while when a client is upset or a mediation and/or trial is about to occur?
6. Personal injury and medical malpractice cases can take years to resolve. So, yes, you have to be patient and not expect results immediately. However, you also deserve to be updated when there’s an update regarding the case. Ask what is the procedure for updating clients?
7. Meet the actual attorneys who will be working on your case. See what vibe you get from them. Remember, you’re likely going to be working with these people for years. You want to feel comfortable with the attorney(s) you’re hiring.

At MLG, we pride ourselves on integrity, professionalism and small firm care with big firm results. If you feel a loved one has been injured, it is important that you contact a qualified personal injury attorney as soon as possible.  Contact the Law Office of Martin L. Glink today at 847-394-4900.