Finding a personal injury attorney in Miami can be challenging if you’re not from there. If you are traveling and get injured, do you know your rights? Each state – and even each city – may have its own laws and ordinances. It may also be confusing to know if you can seek recovery from who injured you since you do not live in the area.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer can help you make sure that you have the right information. However, the pool of personal injury lawyers can be difficult to sort, especially when you do not know the area. Here are some tips on picking a top-notch personal injury lawyer in Miami:
Do the Research
There are many lawyers to choose from and it can be tempting to hire the first attorney you meet. If you Google “Miami personal injury lawyer,” you will get hundreds of results. You may also see lawyers on TV or billboards advertising their services. How do you pick from them all?
The best place to start is to look at the attorney’s website. This is where they advertise what services they provide and who they are. You need to make sure that the areas they practice match your injury. For example, if you were injured in a car accident, you want an attorney who has extensive experience with car accidents and injuries. You do not need to hire an attorney who only specializes in slip and falls. It is important to note that attorneys may specialize in multiple different case types.
You can also research a lawyer’s ratings and reviews online. Some trusted sites that rate lawyers include AVVO rating and Martindale-Hubbell. You can also check the attorney’s bar standing status by looking at their records through their state and local bar associations. If you know people in Miami, you can also ask them for referrals. According to a personal injury lawyer in Miami, FL, Sagi Shaked, you can also find an attorney on the Miami Dade Bar website. Attorney Shaked said, “hiring an experienced attorney is critical to the success of your case and the Miami Dade Bar has a great Lawyer Referral Service that has a fee of $50 and they will recommend a local knowledgable lawyer that specializes in your type of case.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
You need to find an attorney you can trust. You want someone who can be your advocate and who you will not be second-guessing. The best way to do this is to ask them a lot of questions. This can be done by finding their number online and calling them to schedule a free consultation. When you sit down to discuss your case, you can also learn a lot about them.
Some basic questions to ask include:
- How long have you been practicing law?
- How long have you been practicing law in Miami?
- What is your experience with cases like mine?
- What is your success rate with cases like mine?
- How involved do you like your clients to be on their case?
- How often do you communicate or update your clients on their case?
- Do you only charge a fee if there is a recovery?
- Do they go to trial often or do they prefer to usually reach a settlement?
Another thing you will need to consider is how the attorney works with clients that are not from Miami. Make sure to ask how they handle out-of-town clients who do not live in the Miami area. Do they have experience representing someone who lives in a different city or state? How often will you need to appear in court, if at all?
What to Do When You Meet the Attorney
Once you have called several lawyers and narrowed down a list of who you may want to hire, the next step is to have a consultation with the individual lawyer. This is a meeting where you get to tell all the facts of your case and see your lawyer in-person to get a feel for who they are. If you are not in the Miami area, it is still important to get one-on-one time with the lawyer who would be the one handling your case, even if it is by phone.
The most important thing to remember is that the consultation is a job interview on both sides. You need to interview the attorney to make sure that they are the right fit for you and your case. The lawyer will also be assessing you to make sure they want to represent you and that you have an actual case that can go to court. If you feel comfortable with the attorney, it is at the consultation that you can hire them to represent you for your case in the Miami area.
For more information, call our law firm at (424) 248-2700 or visit our contact us page to send us an email.
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