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With more than 1.3 million lawyers practicing in the U.S. today, or about one for every 243 Americans, how do you go about finding the best firm to represent your personal injury case? Of course, you can start by narrowing it down to those who specialize in personal injuries in your particular city. For example, searching the term personal injury law firms Kingston, PA on Google, but no matter where you are, that’s likely to turn up a pretty long list. As a finance professional, there are several steps you can take to find a law firm who meets your budget needs. Read on to learn about how to find a cost-effective personal injury law firm.
Consider The Size Of The Firm
Many people don’t think about this aspect, but the size of the law firm matters. Smaller firms may be less expensive and provide more personal service; however, they may be limited in the services they provide as well as potentially important employee contacts. A larger firm generally has more resources and is more established, but it can also be more costly. To get the best cost for your personal injury law firm, look for a smaller local company who is transparent about contingency fees.
Read The Reviews
Once you’ve narrowed your list down to the size of the firm you prefer, you can narrow it further by reading reviews for each firm on sites, such as the Better Business Bureau to get an idea of what you can expect based on others’ experiences. Simply Googling the name of the firm or the lawyers in it can often turn up some good information. However, remember some firms may use reviews to grow business. Thus, always look for whether a past client feels they were charged fairly for their services. You can also ask for client references and about typical settlement sizes before selecting your lawyer.
Check The Lawyers’ Backgrounds
If your research has turned up positive experiences that mention specific lawyers, look into the backgrounds of those attorneys, including aspects like current licensure and possible disciplinary records. Every lawyer licensed to practice law must be listed in their state bar association directory, which means when checking the website for the state bar association in the state in which you live, you should be able to find them. Their profile will tell you whether there are any potential problems with their ethical legal standards as well as if they can legally practice. In addition, look for a lawyer who deducts their costs before calculating the lawyer fee. Importantly, some lawyers will calculate fees first, which usually indicates you haven’t found the most cost-effective option.
Schedule Consultations With Several Firms
Most law firms and lawyers are willing to provide a free initial consultation. This is your opportunity to find out if the attorney you’ll be dealing with is someone you feel comfortable with enough to trust and can be completely open and honest with. Not only will you need to determine if you can develop a good rapport, but you’ll want to ask questions about the attorney’s experience in handling your particular type of personal injury case or types of damages in a lawsuit. What is his or her success rate? Do you feel confident this person can do the job? Definitely, ask for pricing estimates and average settlements from each of the firms as well to ensure you have full cost transparency.
With many large, and even smaller firms, you may not be dealing with the attorney much directly at all. Find out who you’ll be contacting and how long it typically takes to receive a response. Will it be a paralegal or another type of personal assistant? You’ll want to ask what their fees are if the firm hasn’t already explained those charges over the phone. Follow the steps mentioned above to find a cost-effective personal injury law firm.
