A personal injury lawyer provides legal representation to people who are in many ways at the lowest points in their lives. These are individuals who have been injured through no fault of their own. Indeed, they may suffer from very serious injuries which have completely upended their lives.
There are attributes associated with a good personal injury attorney. Although every lawyer brings a unique skill set to the courtroom, there are some traits commonly found among good personal injury lawyers.
Experience in Personal Injury Law
Although experience may seem like an obvious quality, the reality is that not all attorneys have the same level of experience when it comes to representing clients in personal injury cases. In this day and age, experience in the personal injury arena means more than having a general idea about this area of the law and perhaps some cases under a lawyer’s belt.
There is a wide variety of different types of personal injury cases. Common types of personal injury cases include:
- car accidents
- slip and fall incidents
- defective products
- professional malpractice
- defamation
- workplace injuries
The personal injury category is broad. Therefore, when seeking the best possible legal representation, when seeking a good attorney, focus must be placed upon the specific area of personal injury law a lawyer has actual experience.
A Personal Injury Team
Another element that makes a good personal injury attorney is who is on that lawyer’s team. Personal injury cases tend to be complex. Therefore, examining who else an attorney brings to the table helps to define how good he or she is in this area of legal practice.
First, an examination should be have of what might be called a personal injury lawyer’s home team. These are the individuals that populate his or her firm. A personal injury attorney may be part of a firm that focuses on particular types of injuries. In addition, a personal injury attorney may have a paralegal or other types of support staff in office. Although a client doesn’t want to get relegated to someone other than his or her attorney, it is important that a lawyer have suitable support within his or her office.
Second, a consideration of who is on what might be termed a personal injury attorney’s visiting team is also crucial. A good personal injury attorney has access to a variety of different types of experts who can be called upon as witnesses in a particular case. These experts includes everyone from medical specialists to forensic scientists.
Solid Communication Skills
A good personal injury attorney is an adept communicator. He or she is skilled at communicating clearly, authoritatively, and persuasively in writing and verbally. In many ways, the success or failure of a personal injury case depends significantly upon the ability of an attorney to develop and convey a convincing, compelling story and a client’s plight. In addition to being skilled at the legalities of a personal injury case, a good attorney is compassionate when it comes to dealing with his or her client.
A Good Bedside Manner
Although the term good bedside manner typically is applied to doctors, it also has application in the legal arena. A person injured because of someone else’s negligence is involved in a legal matter of a highly personal nature. For this reason, a good personal injury attorney is one who is able to establish and maintain a positive rapport with a client.
Assessing a Personal Injury Attorney
A primary opportunity at which a potential client can assess the abilities of a personal injury attorney is an initial consultation. An initial consultation is a no-cost, no-obligation preliminary appointment between a personal injury lawyer and an injured person. The consultation provides an attorney an opportunity to assess a particularly case. The meeting also provides an injured individual the opportunity to assess the abilities of a personal injury lawyer.