More than 250,000 people in the United States are currently living with spinal cord injuries. Did you know that an additional 12,000 spinal cord injuries occur each year? This doesn’t include the individuals that lose their lives due to the injuries.
Increased medical treatments and decreased quality of life have a serious impact on the lives of those with spinal cord injuries. You must choose the right spinal cord injuries lawyer. It may seem like a daunting task, but this guide will help you to figure out what to look for when making this decision.
Continue reading to learn how to choose the right spinal cord injury lawyer for your personal injury case.
They’re Knowledgeable About Personal Injury Law
Tort law is constantly changing. Lawyers are still held to Texas’ Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules of Evidence, and other statutory guidelines despite these changes. This means that the right lawyer for your case needs to be up-to-date on the changes in statutes and legal precedent.
A lawyer that is very active in their bar association and regularly attends continued legal education (CLE) seminars are likely to be prepared to take on personal injury cases.
They Understand the Medical Field
A comprehensive understanding of the medical terminology related to your catastrophic injury allows your lawyer to give your case the attention that it needs.
They understand the different injuries, including the extent and severity of medical conditions. They are well-versed in the criteria for diagnosis and prognosis. They can estimate the costs of treatment for future medical intervention and life-sustaining medication.
All of these things help your personal injury lawyer to fight for a fair settlement. It allows them to negotiate on your behalf when it comes to the terms of compensation for your pain and suffering.
They Are Honest and Compassionate
The right lawyer for your personal injury case will be honest with you even when they have to give you bad news. They will inform you of potential weaknesses in your case. They will also let you know if your demeanor may dissuade the jury during your trial.
It isn’t easy to hear that you’re wrong or your case isn’t working out the way you’d like it to. However, if your lawyer tells you that a successful trial is guaranteed, they aren’t being honest. They don’t know how the trial is actually going to pan out in the end.
The right lawyer is going to be genuinely committed to your cause. In fact, if they aren’t already advocates for spinal cord injuries, they are going to become advocates. They are compassionate and they see your case as authentic and invaluable.
If your lawyer is an advocate for spinal cord injury, it’s possible that they have published articles in legal journals or an informative blog on their website.
They Are Open and Accessible
For obvious reasons, your lawyer won’t be available every moment of the day. However, the right spinal cord injury lawyer will be very responsive to your needs. When you ask questions, they will have answers. If they don’t immediately have the answers you are looking for, they will do some research and find those answers.
Your lawyer should keep you informed through every stage of your legal journey.
They Have Trial Experience
It’s possible that your case won’t be settled outside of the courtroom. If you have to go to trial to get results, your lawyer needs to be ready for anything. The right lawyer doesn’t have to have 30 years of experience to guide you through trial, but you don’t want to take the stand with an inexperienced lawyer at your side.
How do you know if your lawyer has enough experience to go to trial? You can usually tell if you have the right lawyer because they are also negotiating on your behalf (even when a trial wasn’t on the table). They might even have started preparing you for trial from the first meeting with them.
A good trial lawyer must have excellent social skills and they need to be able to paint a picture of what happened to you during your injury.
They Have a Good Reputation
A lawyer’s reputation often precedes them. You can tell a lot about a lawyer based on what other people might say about them. Your friends and family might know of someone who can help you, but this isn’t always the case.
You can usually get a pretty good idea of who to trust based on their reviews and testimonials. The State Bar Association is a great place to start looking for information regarding prospective lawyers, including whether or not their eligible to practice law.
Their website may seem like the ideal place to find the testimonials of their past clients, however, this might only cover their positive reviews. Business review websites like Google and Yelp can give you a clearer image of who you are dealing with. Lawyers can’t control what other people say about them on the internet.
The right lawyer for you will have a track record for settlements and verdicts in successful cases related to yours.
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Houston
Choosing the right spinal cord injury lawyer is crucial to getting the compensation that you deserve for the injuries you’ve sustained at the hands of another. When you are deciding who to hire as an attorney, it’s important to trust your gut.
Contact Heard Herman Accident & Injury Trial Lawyers today to learn more about choosing the right lawyer for your personal injury case.