Oakland, CA asked in Personal Injury for California

Q: Any does and don’t’s when pursuing a potential personal injury attorney?

I am in need of a new personal injury attorney, anything you guys know that can help me out any pointers? Things to say, things not to say, things to do, things not to do, anything helps.

Related Topics:
4 Lawyer Answers
Frederick J. Sette
Frederick J. Sette
Answered
  • Sacramento, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: Trust. You need to go with someone you have a level of trust in after communicating with them. You don't necessarily need to sit down to meet with the attorney, but at a minimum have a phone conversation, or a Zoom meet, ask the basic questions like, how does this work? what should I expect? If that attorney is patient and answers all your questions, seems competent, then you can make a decision if that is the office for you. Best of luck.

James Otto Heiting
PREMIUM
James Otto Heiting
Answered
  • Riverside, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: See our website and blogs there.

Dale S. Gribow
Dale S. Gribow
Answered
  • Palm Desert, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: you want a local PI Trial lawyer from a good law school with at least 10 years of winning trial experience.

however, whether a lawyer will take the case is another question. Some of my friends will not take a case worth less than $1Million. It is more costly than ever before to handle a PI case and the courts are totally congested because of Covid.

In the Indio Court, for Palm Springs area cases, an attorney prepares for trial, coordinates all the experts/wits and pays the experts to come to court. Then the courtroom is not available. Often, you have to pay the doc's again for the next court date. All that money comes out of the client's share and thus unless a case has good value, it may not be the blessing the client believes they are bestowing on the lawyer.

look for an attorney with an AV Martindale Hubbell rating........5 Stars and 10.0 AVVO rating by fellow lawyers.

you want a lawyer who has a record for beating the ins co....one that goes to trial when necessary and not just settles everything.

set up an appt to meet with the lawyer to evaluate whether you think you will like/trust them.........maybe ask them if you talk to a former client to see if they were satisfied and if the lawyer was responsive to calls etc.

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
Answered
  • Little Neck, NY

A: The local attorneys in your state all hit good points here. There's a great deal to cover here. A good starting point could be to check online resources such as articles, videos, blogs, bar association outlines, and other materials. There's lots of good information out there if you have the patience to sort it out. Good luck

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.