Finding the Right Personal Injury Lawyer
There are literally hundreds of attorneys in the Kansas City and surrounding area. But, when you have been injured in an accident that is due to the negligence of another, you want a personal injury lawyer with specific experience in personal injury law.
Why? A personal injury attorney will have critical skills that others might not:
- Trial experience
- Negotiation experience
- An in-depth understanding of negligence and other torts
- An in-depth understanding of medical diagnoses
- A comprehensive understanding of personal injury law
How do you go about finding a lawyer in a sea of so many?
- Ask friends, family, and co-workers if they know of someone for you to talk to. You may not select that person, but they could be a wealth of information about other candidates.
- Try using lawyers.com. After you narrow your search to the type of lawyer and city/state, the site will provide you with a list of attorneys including rankings, phone numbers, websites, and general information.
- Nolo, Findlaw, and Super Lawyers are other online legal services that can provide you with a list of attorneys like lawyers.com. Consider getting in touch with local legal associations such as the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.
- Your state or county bar association typically has a lawyer referral service and look-up.
Of course, you can always Google, too.
In general, these resources will help you generate a list of personal injury lawyers to consider.
Contact Nash & Franciskato. We can help you navigate the process and take the burden off your shoulders of knowing what to do.
What factors should you consider?
You have a list, now what? You want to make sure you look at criteria such as:
- Are they licensed to practice in the state you were injured in?
- Areas of Practice. Do they practice personal injury law? Do they handle cases similar to your situation?
- Search them out online and on social media, and ask others about them, do they have good reviews on Google and legal sites such as lawyers.com and Super Lawyers?
- Years of Practice.
- Disciplinary record. Have they had any complaints filed against them, suspensions or disbarment?
- Trial Experience. Successful, impressive track record.
What can help you narrow down your list?
- Check to see if the attorney has a professional, informative website.
- Read through any blogs that may be similar to your situation. This can give you insight into how the attorney or the firm approaches their cases.
- Look at the attorney’s profile posted on their website, which should include education, experience, areas of practice, and associations/memberships, as well as other legal sites.
- Look for client testimonials and/or case results. If you don’t find any on the website, you can always call and ask for client referrals and the outcome of other cases.
- Have they received industry-related awards and recognition – Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, Best of the Bar, Super Lawyer, etc.?
Interview your final candidates
Make sure that you speak to the attorneys you are considering directly. Take the opportunity to ask about their legal background, experience handling cases similar to yours, and outcomes, both successful and not.
Talking with someone in person gives you a chance to evaluate their service and communication skills and their willingness to be an advocate for you and your family.
Ask for personal and client references and prepare a list of questions to ask, such as:
- What are your areas of practice?
- Have you handled cases like mine? How many and what were the outcomes?
- What is the statute of limitations for my case?
- Who in the firm would be working on my case and what is their experience?
- Will you take my case on a contingent basis? What is your percentage? If not, what is your fee structure and hourly rate?
- How will you communicate with me and how often about my case?
- Will you follow my direction as to how I want the case to proceed should it differ from yours?
- Do you think I have a good case?
After your interview, take a little time to think about each candidate. Are there any questions you still have? How comfortable were you with each of the candidates – their personality and credentials, even their outlook on your case? How comfortable are you with their fee structure and their ability to achieve a successful outcome? Are you ready to hire one of your candidates?
Need Additional Information?
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
DO YOU NEED LEGAL ASSISTANCE?
When you want to obtain compensation for your personal injuries, you will need to prove who was at fault. Depending on your situation, this can get complicated. With the help of a personal injury lawyer the odds of a successful outcome increase.
Contact the capable counsel at Nash & Franciskato at (877) 284-6600. One of our experienced staff will speak with you personally and will provide you with a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
CONTACT US FOR A FREE REVIEW OF YOUR CASE
JUST WANT TO STAY UP-TO-DATE?
SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER
If you would like to receive news and blog updates regularly, sign up to receive our email newsletter. Your email address will only be used to send you our newsletter and respond to inquiries.
SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTER
Past results afford no guarantee of future results and each case is different and is judged on its own merits. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 10, 2020. It was reviewed for content and accuracy and updated on January 17, 2025.
Related
