As of 2022, there were 27 oil refineries in the state of Texas. As America consumes millions of barrels of petroleum per day, the over 100,000 workers at these refineries must work hard. On top of that, there are many dangers these workers face every day.

But there are regulations in place that should protect these workers from death or injury at the hands of such dangers. Unfortunately, oil refinery managers don’t always follow the proper safety procedures. When they don’t, an incident such as a refinery explosion can take place.

Are you a victim of a refinery explosion caused by negligence? If so, you deserve proper compensation. Read on to learn how to get a lawyer that will get you that.

Use Online Lawyer Referals

Yes, you can type “oil refinery explosion lawyer near me” into your favorite search engine. But all you’ll get are pages of links and brief descriptions. You’ll have to analyze each lawyer’s page that you’ll find.

Try using a lawyer listing site instead. These sites have reviews of lawyers built into the search results. You can get a better idea of the quality of a lawyer right away.

Contacting your state’s local bar association is another thing you can do. Most of them have free referral services that can help you find an attorney. You can find your state’s local bar association on the proper page of the American Bar Association site.

Get Referrals From Your Coworkers

Your oil refinery coworkers can be another source for lawyer referrals as they’ve likely worked with them. Older coworkers should be an especially good source of referrals. They may have been in several types of explosions before.

Ask your coworkers if they’ve had an oil refinery injury before. If they have, ask them if they used a lawyer. You can then ask them if they’d recommend the lawyer they used.

Write down each lawyer that your coworkers recommend. After talking to several coworkers, you should build up a sizable list. You can then investigate each of these lawyers.

Get a Refinery Explosion Lawyer

Who will handle your plant explosion case better: a general lawyer or a lawyer that has experience in dealing with such cases? The latter should win you your compensation. The former is less likely to do so.

No two cases are alike, but many cases have similarities. In similar cases, lawyers will deal with the same laws and people.

For every similar case a lawyer takes, they will become more familiar with the laws related to these cases. They will also learn how to deal with the types of people involved in a case. All this experience will help a lawyer fight a better fight for you.

Get a Local Texas Lawyer

You need a Texas lawyer for a Texas case. The reasons why are similar to why you need a refinery explosion victim lawyer for a refinery explosion case.

Texas laws that regulate oil refinery plants may not be the same as those in other states. So a lawyer that used to live out of state won’t create an argument as quickly as one in Texas will. The former will need to spend time researching the laws.

As a refinery explosion survivor, you’ll need compensation as soon as possible. Medical bills are often due right away, but workers’ compensation cases can stretch on for months. Choosing the faster, in-state lawyer is the better choice.

Get a Qualified Lawyer

Don’t forget to check a lawyer’s site for other types of qualifications as well. Make sure that the lawyer you choose has many years of experience. Also, you need to choose a more experienced lawyer over one that isn’t as experienced.

But what’s most important is licensing. Every lawyer that practices in a certain state must have a license from that state. To get that license, a lawyer must pass that state’s bar exam and meet other certain requirements.

Look for a License

So if you’re researching a Texas lawyer, make sure the Texas Bar Association has granted them a license. You can match anything you find on the lawyer’s site with what’s on the local bar association site.

If you see a lawyer practicing without a license, refuse to work with them. What they’re doing is illegal. You should also report them to your local bar association.

Set a Lawyer Budget

The amount that you’ll pay for a case can vary. Lawyers have a few different kinds of payment plans that they use. For a refinery explosion case, you will likely get a contingency fee deal.

What’s a Contingency Fee?

A contingency fee is a percentage of the compensation that the lawyer will win for you. Often you’ll pay your lawyer around a third of your final compensation or less.

A refinery explosion case is often a worker’s compensation case. Many lawyers should agree to a contingency fee plan for your refinery explosion case. The best part of this is that you don’t have to pay a contingency fee should your lawyer lose the case.

But don’t expect a contingency fee plan to save you from all payments. You may still have to pay court filing fees, evidence gathering fees, and similar costs. So it’s still a good idea to set a budget.

Set a Maximum Budget

Look at your finances. Figure out how much you can set aside to pay a lawyer. Use that as your maximum for how much you can pay a lawyer.

Ask a potential lawyer for a price estimate. If it’s more than your budget, you should get another lawyer.

Let Us Take Your Case

As you can see, there’s a lot involved in getting the best refinery explosion lawyer. But if you want the best compensation, you’re going to have to work for it.

But your search may end here. Here at Heard Trial Lawyers, we have locally and nationally recognized personal injury and trial lawyers. We’ll give you the advantage you need to win big.

Contact us today for a free consultation.