Although many people equate personal injury to an automobile accident there are many more events that meet the test. A personal injury lawyer in Pennsylvania will be the first to tell you that if the reason for the injury can be attributed to negligence on the part of another then it is considered tort.
If you are injured or incapacitated in any way as a result of negligence on the part of someone or something else you will need to hire a seasoned personal injury lawyer, a legal professional who has proven skills in litigating cases of this nature. The lawyer you will be seeking will have had plenty of experience in handling personal injury cases; your lawyer wants to have a good record of settling out of court in his clients favor as well as being tenacious in court if need be. Here are a few hints to help you find a personal injury lawyer in Pennsylvania of this caliber.
* You will want to find an attorney who is seen as a “plaintiff’s lawyer,” not a lawyer for the defense. If you suffer a personal injury you are the aggrieved party; the plaintiff. The other party to the suit is the defendant who will more often than not be represented by lawyers hired by the insurance company.
* Study the lawyers profile, check the skills he or she has, the law school they attended and check to see how many similar cases that have been successfully prosecuted. All of these issues are important, the real measure of a personal injury lawyer is the number of successful cases he has along with the number of happy clients.
* Even though many cases are settled out of court there is no guarantee; make sure your lawyer is comfortable in court. If the defense balks and refuses to settle, is your lawyer confident enough to challenge and threaten an insurance company? A lawyer who is indecisive and appears to be weak the opposing lawyers will sense this and force the case into the courtroom knowing they have a good chance of settling for less.
* Your lawyer must be fully committed to the success of your case. Unfortunately there are lawyers who will take any case, but the complexities of tort law means you must have a seasoned lawyer from a practice that specializes in personal injury cases. These types of cases are very different than criminal cases or domestic issues; check the lawyer’s case history before you engage him.
Once you have identified a personal injury lawyer in Pennsylvania whom you feel can represent you, try to negotiate a contingency fee arrangement. This arrangement means you have minimum upfront legal expenses as the legal fee will be taken out of the award.
