Harlene Labrum | October 27, 2023 | Personal Injury
How To Choose the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Tennessee
Are you wondering if you qualify for personal injury compensation in Tennessee? If so, it’s time for you to begin looking for a lawyer. However, choosing the best Tennessee personal injury lawyer can be a daunting task.
The lawyer you choose to take on your personal injury case will have a significant impact on your financial future, for better or worse. If you’re worried about making the right choice, follow a few simple steps to scrutinize any lawyer you are considering.
Read Their Online Reviews
A good starting place is with a simple online search. Clients aren’t shy about leaving online reviews for Nashville personal injury lawyers. This is the best way for you to get an honest, unfiltered look at the sort of representation a lawyer delivers.
Personal injury attorneys who get the job done tend to have plenty of clients expressing their gratitude online. Conversely, you’ll also receive a warning if a lawyer frequently fails to deliver.
Another benefit of starting with online reviews is that the highest-rated lawyers usually show up first. This helps you filter through the countless options, narrowing your choices down to some of the top picks in your area.
Check Their Case Results
Once you’ve identified a few promising Tennessee lawyers, it’s time to explore their firm websites. Many firms have a page showcasing their case results, including the dollar amounts recovered and the types of cases.
Looking over case results gives you an idea of what kind of compensation a lawyer recovers, whether they tend to negotiate settlements or file lawsuits, and what sort of cases and injuries they are most successful at representing.
Learn About What Types of Cases They Handle
The types of cases a lawyer takes on are usually listed under “Practice Areas” on their firm’s website. Not all personal injury lawyers handle the same types of cases. Furthermore, some types of cases are more common than others. For example, more people need car accident compensation than dog bite injury compensation.
First, make sure a potential firm handles your sort of case. If it does, take a closer look at how many of its cases are focused on that sort of accident. An experienced car accident lawyer might have additional knowledge about certain types of accidents, such as the nuances of proving fault in a rear-end accident versus a head-on collision.
A more general personal injury lawyer might not have the subject-matter knowledge and experience you want to see in the lawyer handling your case.
Look At Their Personal Injury Practice History
You probably wouldn’t want to have brain surgery performed by someone fresh out of med school. In much the same way, you probably don’t want to entrust your financial future to a lawyer who doesn’t have much experience.
As with anything, lawyers who practice personal injury law typically get better over time. They learn through practice and experience how to prove liability in different situations, how to use a client’s injuries to help increase their overall compensation, and how to negotiate and litigate with skill.
Ample experience and a long list of case results aren’t achieved overnight. Take a look at a lawyer’s practice history to learn how long they’ve been practicing law.
Ask Who Will Handle Your Case
Doing your research into practice history also includes confirming during your consultation that the lawyer you’re meeting will be the one handling your case. Some lawyers hand their cases over to associates or paralegals once you’ve signed your contract. This tends to be more of a risk at bigger firms, but it can happen anywhere.
Having a less experienced employee handling your injury claim means you’re not getting the representation you signed up for. Confirm that the lawyer you want to represent you will actually be the one working on your case.
Bring a List of Questions
Before you head into a consultation, it’s a good idea to take the time to make a list of important questions.
Examples might include:
- What is my estimated case value?
- How long do you think my case will take?
- Do you think my case will settle during negotiation or go to court?
- Have you handled cases like mine before?
- What is your fee structure like?
- Will I need to pay anything upfront?
You might want to come up with additional questions specific to your case. For example, if you were injured in a car accident but were on the clock at the time of the crash, the car accident might be classified as a workplace accident. If you need workers’ comp coverage, you might have a shorter deadline than you would in other types of car accident claims.
Considering possible concerns related to your case and asking about them during your consultation can help ensure you get an accurate assessment of your case.
Consider How They Treat You
Your Tennessee personal injury attorney becomes your partner in the pursuit of compensation. For the relationship to work well, you should also consider personal factors that make you like or dislike a lawyer.
If they seem pushy or don’t communicate clearly, it’s a sign that you might quickly grow frustrated with your choice of lawyer as they work on your case. If you feel that they want you to understand your options and they care about your outcome, that’s probably how they’ll behave for the duration of your case.
Find the Best Tennessee Personal Injury Lawyer For You
When it comes to finding the best personal injury attorney, you need to identify your own needs first. Finding the best medical malpractice lawyer won’t help much if you’re seeking car accident compensation. Similarly, a skilled lawyer who doesn’t take the time to communicate clearly can leave you feeling stressed out and uncertain for months on end.
Identifying what you value in a lawyer, both in their legal background and in how they conduct themselves, helps ensure you end up picking the right Tennessee personal injury lawyer for you. Contact Labrum Law Firm Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today!
We proudly serve Nashville, Brentwood, and its surrounding areas in Tennessee:
Labrum Law Firm Personal Injury Lawyers – Nashville
315 Deaderick St, Suite 1525
Nashville, TN 37238
(615) 685-8546
Labrum Law Firm Personal Injury Lawyers – Brentwood
320 Seven Springs Way, Suite 250
Brentwood, TN 37027
(615) 455-3384