This is the final installment of our three-part series designed to help Florida consumers find the best personal injury attorneys for their cases. In Parts 1 and 2, we discussed the power of referrals, and the provided how-to information regarding internet research on potential lawyers. Part 1 can be found here, while Part 2 can be found here.
You Learn A Lot More About A Person Face-To-Face
Once you have narrowed down your list to one or two attorneys, our last piece of advice is to actually sit down with each attorney on your list and get to know him or her. This sounds straightforward, but it can actually be more difficult than you think. First, many lawyers and law firms make it very difficult for client to meet -- or even speak with -- an attorney. Stories about about large Florida personal injury law firms where clients have never met their lawyer until a day or two before trial. If you find it virtually impossible to meet with, or even speak with, your attorney at the very beginning of your case, that should probably tell you something.
Assuming you can get an appointment to speak with your potential lawyer, try to make sure the meeting is in person. Phone meetings are fine - if there are legitimate reasons why you and the attorney cannot meet. For example, we represent many people who are injured at Central Florida resorts and theme parks while here on holiday. Most of those people live outside of our area - across the United States and internationally. Modern technology (such as Skype and other video conferencing software) allows us to "meet" with clients all over the world. There really is no excuse for an attorney not to meet with a potential client.
Questions Are A Good Thing
A meeting with your potential attorney is your best chance to ask questions of, and answer questions from, the attorney. It is never a bad idea to bring a list of questions with you, and to expect that every on of those questions is answered. If a prospective attorney seems impatient with your questions, or resistant to answering them, you might want to look elsewhere.
You should also expect any potential attorney to have plenty of questions for you. An attorney will need to understand every aspect of your case in order to achieve a good result on your case. This should include asking your questions about you and your family and your lifestyle. If a prospective attorney does not seem interested in you outside of your accident, you might want to reconsider if he or she is the right attorney for your case.
Lawyers Are Just People - Like You
A meeting with an attorney is also a great opportunity to judge the attorneys' personality. The truth is, some people are just easier to work with than others. You owe it to yourself to work with an attorney that feel completely comfortable with and don't mind sharing information with. There comes a time in many cases where the attorney and the client have to have some difficult conversations about settlements, trials, etc. You want to make sure you have a relationship with your attorney that makes this kind of honesty possible.
If you have any questions about choosing a Florida personal injury that has not been covered in this three-video series, or if you just want to talk about a potential case, call Winter Park personal injury attorneys Kim Cullen and Robert Hemphill at 407-254-4901.
