Choosing Your NYC Personal Injury Lawyer

To determine if a NYC personal injury lawyer is right for you, discuss your claim and the possible ways of handling it with him or her. While lots of NYC personal injury lawyers provide free initial consultation, make sure that this holds true with the lawyers you are considering. If the lawyer wants you to pay for an initial consultation, go to the next lawyer on your list.

General Experience Personal Injury Experience

After providing the lawyer the general details of your case, there are a few very important questions you ought to ask him or her:

• “How long have you been in practice?”
• “Roughly what percentage of your practice involves personal injury cases?”
• “Do you most often represent plaintiffs or defendants?” You do not want to be represented by someone who has primarily been a lawyer for defendants. Their way of thinking may be too closely tied to the attitudes of insurance companies. Though they may not be aware of it, these NYC personal injury lawyers might not fight very hard for your claim.
• “Would you personally handle my case or pass it along to another lawyer in the office?” It’s not unusual for more than one attorney in an office to work on the same case, and to have less experienced attorneys handle routine tasks. Find out which lawyer would have responsibility for the case and which lawyer you would be dealing with directly. If there is to be another lawyer directly involved, ask to meet that lawyer, too.

Settlement Goal for Your Personal Injury Case

After discussing the details of your case and the history of your negotiations with the insurance company, you may be able to get a sense of how much the NYC personal injury lawyer thinks your case is worth and how hard it may be to have the insurance company to pay that amount. At this point, let the lawyer know which of the following you want him or her to do for you:

• Obtain a modest yet fair settlement amount for you with as few expenses and as little hassle as possible.

• Obtain an amount higher than what the insurance company has offered as soon as possible.

• Obtain maximum compensation no matter how long it takes.

If you have confidence in a lawyer’s experience and his or her plans on how to proceed with your case, chances are you’ve found the best personal injury lawyer for your case.