Choosing the Right Personal Injury Attorney

Posted on September 7, 2023 in Personal Injury

When a person sustains an injury due to the actions of another individual, business, or entity, they should be able to recover compensation for their losses. However, recovering compensation typically involves filing a personal injury lawsuit, which can be a complicated process. Injury victims would benefit from a skilled Portland personal injury lawyer, but the process of finding the right lawyer can be challenging. Here, we want to review what individuals should look for when deciding on the right personal injury attorney for their claim.

Starting Your Search

There are various ways to begin your search for a personal injury lawyer in your area. We always suggest asking family members or friends if they have worked with a personal injury lawyer before and if they recommend that lawyer to you. Word of mouth goes a long way in the legal industry, and you may find an attorney you are compatible with.

However, most people do not have any regular interactions with injury lawyers, so you may need to fire up your favorite search engine and start looking. Of course, typing in “injury lawyer” may not get you far, so we suggest refining your searches a bit. For example, you could type in “Portland personal injury lawyer,” or you can get even more specific and name your type of case, which could look something like “dog bite injury lawyer in Portland.”

When you type your queries into your search engine, you will likely see many results from different law firms. Some of the results may be ads, and some may be regular search results. We encourage you to examine some of the results that you see and look at the ratings for each attorney. Look at client reviews that get posted online.

Search for a handful of attorneys you think may be a good fit for your particular case and schedule a free consultation. If an attorney does not offer a free consultation, go ahead and look for somebody else.

What to Look For in an Attorney

There are plenty of lawyers in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest, but you need a personal injury lawyer with extensive experience. When you choose various attorneys to visit for free consultations, there are some questions you can ask to help narrow down your choice:

Have you handled claims like this before?

You need an attorney who has handled personal injury claims just like yours. If you have a slip-and-fall case, make sure you work with an attorney who has handled complex premises liability claims.

How long have you been practicing?

Make sure you end up with an attorney who has a decent amount of experience handling injury claims. Yes, there will be attorneys just starting out their careers, but they will usually be supervised by a more experienced attorney. Make sure you have a legal team with the experience necessary for your claim.

Exactly who will handle my case?

It is not uncommon for individuals to work with a law firm and then suddenly be handed off to a less experienced lawyer or even a paralegal or legal assistant. Ask the attorney if they will be the ones handling your case.

How much do you think my case is worth?

An attorney will not be able to give you an exact dollar figure, as each case is different. However, an experienced lawyer may be able to give you a ballpark answer so you know what to expect moving forward.

What are your fees?

Most personal injury lawyers will take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means clients will pay absolutely no legal fees until their case is over. The final legal fees will be a percentage of the settlement or jury verdict.