Evaluating A Personal Injury Lawyer's Experience

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Legal experience is a critical factor to consider when looking for a personal injury lawyer. However, legal experience also comes in different forms. Below are some specific experiences to consider for an accident lawyer.

Experience in Personal Injury Law

Personal injury law is just one among several branches of law. Others include:

  • Family law
  • Business law
  • Real estate law
  • Tax law
  • Environmental law

As you can see, the law specializations are divorce and often rarely intersect with each other. Practicing lawyers understand the need to specialize in a specific legal area.

Consider a lawyer who has handled tax law all their practicing years. The lawyer might not understand how to value your personal injury case. Therefore, look for a lawyer specializing and experienced in personal injury law.

Litigation Experience

Many personal injury cases settle outside the courtroom. However, some cases do go to trial. For example, your case might go to trial if you cannot agree with the defendant on the issue of liability. If that happens, you need a lawyer with trial experience. The experience is necessary since negotiations outside the court and litigation require vastly different skills.

For example, lawyers need more than their legal knowledge to prevail during litigation. They need to know how to read jurors, deliver opening and closing statements, and can gauge a case's direction, among other things.

Local Area Experience

Consider using a lawyer with experience in your state or your city. Using a lawyer with local experience will benefit your case in multiple ways. For example, local experience means that a lawyer:

  • Understands state-specific laws
  • Understand how courts and judges usually rule on controversial issues
  • Have working relationships with other local professionals your case might need, such as expert witnesses and private investigators
  • Has developed a solid reputation that the local courts and legal processionals appreciate

You should only get lawyers from other areas if you have a niche case and don't have a local lawyer for it.

Plaintiff-representation Experience

Lastly, you should choose a lawyer experienced in representing plaintiffs and not defendants (insurance companies). Plaintiffs and defendants are typically on different sides with opposing targets. A lawyer who usually represents defendants, mostly insurance companies, might struggle to understand and further your interests.

Hopefully, the facts above will help you get the best lawyer for your case. Don't forget to follow the lawyer's advice to the letter and work with them to win the damages you deserve. 

For more information, contact a local personal injury lawyer

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