Choosing the Right Lawyer By Steven Schwartzapfel
Hiring a lawyer is easy. Hiring the right lawyer takes a little extra work. You see, there is as much difference between individual lawyers as there is between doctors, accountants, or other professionals. Choose carefully! It may be the most important decision you make for you and your family’s financial future!
Some law firms are personal injury "factories." They simply settle all their cases for much less than they might have in order to do as little work as possible or because of their own financial troubles or pressures. They also may want to settle them quickly because they lack the skill, experience, and financial resources necessary to take on the big insurance companies and win.
Let me suggest that you should stay clear of a situation like that. You need a law firm that will handle your case from start to finish, will pay personal attention to you, will be availablewhen you need them, and will return your phone calls promptly. Most importantly, you need a lawyer that you are comfortable with and have confidence in. You need a lawyer that isn’t putting an on act but genuinely cares about you and wants to do everything within his or her power to help you as if you were a family member. You need a lawyer who doesn’t talk down to you but listens to you and talks with you, not at you. The right lawyer should provide you with a sense of relief that removes the burden, uncertainty, frustration, and anxiety of not knowing what to do or expect. You can now focus on healing and not dealing with the insurance companies and all their paperwork.
The best way to learn about a specific law firm is to ask your friends and neighbors about them. If someone you know has used that firm in the past and has been satisfied with them, consider it a good recommendation. Another way to learn is to ask the lawyers in the firm to send you free information about the firm and partners. Then meet with them and ask any questions you may have. I want clients to ask questions of me and of the lawyers and employees who work at my firm because I want clients to be confident that they have chosen the best firm for them. Ask the law firm to provide testimonials from clients. Look for quotes that include phrases like these: "made a most difficult situation easier," "provided for the financial security for my family and me for life," "no longer have to worry about anything," "my family's future is secure," "they treated me like family," and "I would highly recommend them to family and friends."
Here are some questions you might consider asking a law firm before hiring them:
1. How much experience does your firm have in representing personal injury clients?
2. Does the firm have a proven track record of success?
3. Does the firm provide volumes of testimonials from highly satisfied clients attesting to how they would recommend the law firm to their friends, family, and others they love and care about?
4. Does Martindale-Hubbell® rate the firm and its attorneys AV?
5. Have you been recognized as a Super Lawyer or Best Lawyers or named on the list of Top 100 Trial Lawyers?
6. Have you ever served as president or officer of any bar association or lectured to attorneys or judges on the law?
7. Have you ever served on a judicial screening committee to qualify a judge?
8. Do you promise to return all calls the same day but in no event later than twenty-four hours?
9. Will you copy me with everything you do on my case?
10. Have you ever been disciplined by the State Bar Association?
11. Has anyone ever sued you for legal malpractice?
12. Do you carry a legal malpractice insurance policy?
13. If I am not happy with your firm the first thirty days after I hire you, can I discharge you as my attorney, take my case file and owe you no fee?
14. Why should I hire you to represent me?
Schwartzapfel Lawyers P.C. are personal injury attorneys in New York that fight fraud, injustice and FOR the rights of people who have suffered injuries, accidents, medical malpractice, and more. Learn more about Steven Schwartzapfel, the founder, and why he is dedicated to fighting for the rights of those who can't help themselves.
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