How To Choose the Best Miami Personal Injury Lawyer
November 7, 2022 | Sagi Shaked | Personal Injury
Sustaining an injury in an accident or other personal injury can be devastating. Your life might be turned upside down, even if you sustain minor injuries. Dealing with insurance claims, medical bills, property damage, and other matters can be overwhelming.
Hiring a Miami personal injury lawyer can help. An attorney takes care of all matters related to your personal injury case. The lawyer works to secure you the maximum compensation for your damages.
However, choosing the best Miami personal injury lawyer might not be easy. For many people, an accident or personal injury might be the first time they need to hire a personal injury attorney. Therefore, they are unsure where to begin to find the best personal injury lawyer in Miami.
Below are five steps that cover how to choose the best Miami personal injury lawyer to handle your case.
Know What To Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer
The first step is to define the qualities you want for your personal injury attorney. Factors you should consider include:
- Years of experience
- Education and special certifications
- Areas of legal practice
- Reputation and reviews
- Disciplinary record and complaints
- Availability and ease of communication
- Track record for settlements and lawsuits
Ideally, you want to hire a personal injury lawyer with extensive experience handling the same type of case as yours. For example, search for an experienced medical malpractice lawyer if your case involves medical malpractice. On the other hand, if a defective product causes your injury, you want to hire an experienced product liability lawyer.
If you sustained injuries in a car accident, don’t just hire the first car accident lawyer you find. Instead, look for a lawyer with experience in your specific type of accident. For instance, if your car crash involved a semi-truck, search for a lawyer with experience handling commercial truck cases.
You can search and view discipline documents for lawyers online through The Florida Bar. You can also view their experience, education, and board certifications.
Research Personal Injury Lawyers in Miami, FL
After creating a list of potential injury lawyers, you need to research each attorney. You should check to ensure they are in good standing, including their disciplinary history.
Reading reviews can provide a lot of information about the lawyer and law firm. Read reviews from clients and peers. Reviewing the attorney’s website can also give you information and provide you with an overall sense of how the lawyer practices law and handles cases.
Remember, a few bad reviews are expected. Some clients have unreasonable expectations, and disgruntled employees might leave bad reviews. Look for specific details on why the person is criticizing the lawyer before assuming a bad review is justified.
Meet With Personal Injury Attorneys for Free Consultations
Personal injury lawyers in Miami offer free consultations. Meet with several attorneys to determine whether each attorney is a good fit for you and your case. During the consultation, ask the lawyer questions such as:
- How many cases do you handle each year?
- Do you focus on specific areas of law or handle many types of cases?
- How much experience do you have handling cases like my case?
- Will you assign my case to an associate or paralegal?
- What type of communication is used by the law firm?
- How much do you think my case is worth?
- How quickly can I expect responses to phone calls and other communication?
- Do you see any potential problems in my case?
- How long do you believe it might take to resolve my personal injury case?
- What do you think the chance of success is for my case?
An experienced, trustworthy lawyer generally states they cannot guarantee a specific outcome. The lawyer may also tell you that they cannot give you an exact amount for how much your case is worth without conducting an investigation and complete evaluation.
However, experienced personal injury attorneys can provide estimates based on their experience. They should be able to explain the potential outcomes of your case, including the strengths and weaknesses of the case. The lawyer should also be able to explain the process they use to investigate, evaluate, and pursue a personal injury claim.
Discuss the Fees for Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
Most personal injury law firms in Miami work on a contingency fee basis. With a contingency fee, you do not pay the lawyer any money upfront to hire the law firm. Instead, the legal fees are based on a percentage of the amount the attorney recovers for your case.
Suppose you agree to a 33% contingency fee, and the lawyer recovers $450,000 for your case. The attorney fee would be $148,500. The lawyer deducts the contingency fee from the settlement proceeds.
The amount of the contingency fee charged by a personal injury attorney depends on several factors. The lawyer’s experience and success rate are factors. What other lawyers charge in the area for similar cases can also impact how much a lawyer charges for services.
The Florida Rules of Professional Conduct and the Florida Constitution address contingency fees for lawyers. Contingency fees must be in writing. In addition, the fees must be reasonable and may not exceed the Florida limits for attorney contingency fees.
In addition to attorneys’ fees, you also need to ask about the costs. There are fees and costs in investigating and pursuing a personal injury claim. Those costs can include, but are not limited to:
- Copy and postage fees
- Fees to obtain medical records, accident reports, and other records and documents
- Court filing fees
- Deposition costs
- Travel expenses
- Expert witness fees
- Trial preparation costs
Typically, the law firm pays costs as they incur them during the case. You reimburse the law firm for these costs from the settlement amount. However, you need to ask the lawyer who is responsible for paying costs if the attorney does not recover any money for your case.
Hire the Best Miami Personal Injury Law Firm for Your Case
Once you choose the best personal injury lawyer for your case, meet with the lawyer to sign the fee and retainer agreement. The contract should contain all details and terms of representation, including the attorneys’ fees you discussed with the lawyer.
Read the agreement carefully and ask questions before signing the contract. Do not sign an agreement unless you fully understand the terms and are comfortable with the conditions.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Miami, FL
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Miami, FL and need legal help, contact our Miami Personal Injury lawyers at Shaked Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation.