Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

In 2019, there were more than 173,000 preventable deaths reported in the US. These deaths, result from a number of reasons–many of which include automobile-related accidents. Being involved in an accident is devastating and can present a huge financial burden to victims and their families. 

If you’ve suffered catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injury, burn, paralysis, or traumatic brain injury due to reckless actions of another party, you are entitled to pursue legal action. Additionally, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages.

Filing a catastrophic injury claim will get you compensated for economic and non-economic damages. However, attempting this alone is not only a challenge, but it typically doesn’t end well without legal representation. 

Therefore, it’s important to hire reliable and experienced catastrophic injury lawyers. First, you have to figure out how to find the right attorney or attorneys. Here are the seven key factors to consider during your search.

1. Overall Experience

Your attorney’s experience significantly determines your chances of winning your case. Experience is thus the utmost consideration to take into account.

Consider how long the attorney has been in practice. Confirm the number of cases they have handled in recent years, as well as the outcomes. By researching previous cases, you will have more insight into how your potential attorney will handle yours. 

The attorney should not only have years of experience, but their track record should also be positive. An attorney with a losing record or an attorney who has only been successful in criminal defense cases (for example), would not be a good fit.

Additionally, catastrophic injury lawyers do not need to have a perfect record. However, they should have won the majority of their cases. 

Verify credentials through the American Bar Association to see how long an attorney has been practicing. Also, check the law firm’s ratings on the BBB.

2. Courtroom Experience

Before hiring a catastrophic injury attorney, confirm they can represent you in a court of law. Settling before litigation is common, as it requires less work. However, this route is not always the best option because victims often get shortchanged. 

If a fair settlement cannot be reached, then the case gets presented in front of a judge and jury. Therefore, it’s vital that your team of catastrophic injury lawyers have courtroom experience.

You don’t want to pick an attorney who is trying to avoid going to court, and as a result, is pushing you to settle for an offer that you know is unfair. 

If an insurance company knows your attorney can’t challenge them, they are likely to offer a lower amount. In fact, some attorneys have built a reputation for settling too soon because they don’t want to proceed to court. Insurers know this and will capitalize from it. 

Therefore, ensure that your attorney is willing and can represent you in court if need be.

3. Reputation and Referrals

Of course, you aren’t the first person to seek catastrophic injury attorney services. Your family, friends, and colleagues might have already worked with this attorney after an accident. This can give a head start on the potential local lawyers to consider.

It also feels good knowing that you know someone who has personally worked with this law firm and team of catastrophic attorneys.

Inquire about their experience working with that attorney. Confirm how happy they were with the offered legal services and if they got the intended compensation. Were their legal needs fully addressed? Did they proceed to trial?

These questions provide more insights about why or not you should consider their respective attorneys. Also, your inner circle provides reliable information without any biases.

4. Billing and Fee Structure

Many personal injury victims feel discouraged to seek legal counsel because they are intimidated by the assumed legal costs. While an attorney’s rates may be higher than others, it’s important to consider all of the variables.

When it comes to the fee structure, every law firm is different. Common forms of billing include:

• Flat Fees –  a single fixed rate for a service, regardless of usage or outcome of the case
• Hourly Rate – charging a set amount by the hour worked on the case
• Retainer Fees – deposit toward the total cost of legal services to ensure attorneys are paid for their work

Then, there is the contingency fee. Most trusted catastrophic injury attorneys today offer their legal services on a contingency fee basis. This means a client doesn’t have to pay anything until the lawyer wins the case. Then, the previously agreed-upon percentage of compensation will be paid to the attorney.

This means you don’t have to be worried about high common lawyer fees when seeking catastrophic injury claim representation. However, before signing anything, make sure the billing process is absolutely understood on your end. 

5. Read Reviews and Testimonials

Before committing, see what former clients are saying about the law firm. Online reviews are incredibly helpful.

In fact, reading references and reviews will help you make a more informed decision. You can get crucial insights into the experience of working with an attorney. If most of the reviews involve criticism, take it as a warning.

Also, be mindful of what the reviews say. Sometimes, a positive or negative bias will be evident. In addition, beware of both fraudulent positive and negative reviews. To hurt the competition, other law firms will create fake reviews about the competition. Also, some law firms have been found to create positive reviews about themselves. 

These types of reviews are apparent based on tone and wording. If multiple reviews look oddly similar or are overly enthusiastic, these are the main indicators that they may not be legitimate. 

6. Personality

This is one of the most overlooked yet crucial aspects when picking a catastrophic injury attorney. You are not just choosing a legal representative. You are selecting someone you can easily get along with. Check on their personality, communication, and style of work.

You can learn a lot from your first meeting with the attorney. Your conversation should flow, and you be comfortable around them. Also, it should be easy to express yourself.

In addition, personal injury laws vary with state. This means only a local attorney has comprehensive knowledge of the personal injury laws in your state. 

They should have also worked with various insurance companies. Ultimately, you need a representative who knows how to be assertive and vigorous with insurers but patient and empathetic with you.

Choosing a Catastrophic Injury Lawyers

Finding skilled and trusted catastrophic injury lawyers to help with your injury claim can be a challenging process. However, knowing what to look for can be the start to getting substantial compensation. 

Are you looking for a catastrophic injury attorney in Los Angeles? At The Law Offices of Daniel Kim, we have extensive experience in catastrophic injury law. With a 99% success rate, we are an award-winning law firm committed to fighting for the justice you deserve.

Contact us today for a free consultation.