How to Choose a Personal Injury Attorney

Picking a personal injury attorney is an important decision, as it affects the size of your settlement from the insurance company and helps keep you from having to deal with the issues involved in the legal case. But those who have been in a major accident are usually in pain and having multiple doctors' visits and uninterested in making another decision. By taking just a little bit of time and researching the attorneys you're considering, you can make sure you choose the best personal injury attorney in Seattle for you.

The first thing to consider is location. It's important to choose an attorney who is local to Seattle. There are different laws regarding personal injury in different areas and you need to be sure that the lawyer you hire is familiar with the laws that affect your case.

You also need to consider the cost of the attorney you?ve chosen. In many cases, personal injury attorneys take their fee out of the final settlement, without requiring anything from their clients out of pocket. However, some do require a retainer. You want to be sure you know what you?re getting into.

The amount that the personal injury attorney takes from your settlement also varies from attorney to attorney. Knowing what the percentage they normally take is can help you decide between two attorneys, as that does affect the amount of the settlement you receive in the end.

You?ll also want to consider the reputation of the attorney you?re hiring. Is he known to be a tough negotiator that gets big settlements? Is he a pushover, who allows the insurance company to dictate his client?s settlements? What about ethics? Does your attorney have a reputation as an honest person, or are they considered to be dishonest?

The kind of cases the attorney normally handles is also important. There are lots of different kinds of personal injury cases and finding an attorney who specializes in your specific case type will likely produce better results than an attorney who doesn't normally handle that kind of personal injury case.

You also need to be comfortable with the attorney you choose, as you?ll have to trust them to handle your case and fight for your best interests. You also need to be willing to give them full and complete information, no matter how damaging you might consider it to your case.

It can be difficult to take the time and effort to research a personal injury attorney in Seattle when you?re suffering from the pain and misery of an accident, but taking a little time and effort in choosing a good personal injury attorney can save you a lot of time and effort dealing with the insurance company and can get you a better overall settlement. There are many attorneys who are able and willing to take your case.

I'm a legal assistant for a accident attorney in Seattle with over 22 years of of experience in the field.