Finding the right lawyer to represent you after an accident can be complicated. After all, there are a lot of factors to think about, and your mind is likely consumed with the incident itself and your attempt to recover.

Here’s what you need to consider to help you choose the right NY personal injury attorney for your case, and how to prepare yourself for meeting with prospective representation.

Considerations For Choosing the Right NY Injury Attorney

The bare minimum for selecting a lawyer to help you is to make sure they are legitimate and accredited. Beyond that, though, there are several things you must consider about an attorney’s practice from the outset that can indicate whether they’re a good fit for your case or not. These include:

Experience

Experience isn’t everything when it comes to a good lawyer, but it is a great thing to have. Attorneys that have experience in personal injury law or — even better — specifically handling your type of personal injury case will likely be able to offer useful insight into the case that a less experienced lawyer may not. This is simple logic: the more someone engages in a particular task or skill (or area of the law), the better able to help you with it they are likely to be.

Of course, there are no guarantees, so you should also look for…

Results

After an accident, you are better off hiring an attorney that has delivered solid results for their clients in the past. Most successful lawyers will clearly advertise some of their biggest wins as a selling point for their services, but it is still wise to ask them about the results they’ve had in previous cases.

Beyond the actual numbers, you should be able to glean from their answers clues about their skills and how they advocate for their clients.

Initial Consultation

Generally speaking, personal injury lawyers tend to offer a free initial consultation where they will go over the facts of your case with you and offer their professional opinion on the best path forward for you. This allows you to evaluate their skills, experience, and success without risking your money until you have a better sense of whether you want to work with them.

How To Prepare For a Meeting with a NY Injury Attorney

Once you’ve found a few attorneys you may be interested in hiring, you should prepare for meeting with them. This may make you feel anxious because many people don’t have experience with attorneys – and that’s okay. Understanding what will happen at the meeting and what you need to present to them can help to quell your anxiety.

First and foremost, make sure you have all the necessary documentation and paperwork related to your accident or injury. This will give your possible attorney the full picture of your situation from the start.

Make sure to include:

• All medical information
• Insurance information
• Any lost income or work
• Copies of any official reports
• Any videos or photos you have of details surrounding your injury or accident

Questions To Be Answered

You may be nervous about the types of questions an attorney may ask you in your initial meeting. Be prepared to answer several things, such as:

• The specific injuries you’re dealing with now and the pain you’re experiencing
• If you’ve given a recorded or spoken statement about your injury or accident to an insurance company
• Who you’ve spoken with regarding your case
• What doctors you’ve seen related to your injures and what the prognosis is
• What insurance coverage you currently have
• How the injury or accident has impacted you, your family, and any tasks you do every day

If you decide to hire the attorney, be prepared to sign authorizations that allow them access to your records. Specifically:

• HIPAA-compliant authorizations for your medical records
• Wage loss authorization
• Insurance authorization

Remember, you’re not the only one that should answer questions. Make sure to inquire about their lawyer fees and how they’re going to work in your best interest to win your case.

 

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