Essential Advice For Finding The Right Lawyer
If you find yourself in a situation where it is necessary to take someone to court, finding the right lawyer to represent you is very important. Don't make the mistake of picking someone that will charge you ridiculous rates without helping much. Read this article for tips on how to pick the right lawyer.
A good tip to remember when looking to hire a lawyer is to make sure you find a lawyer that has the necessary experience that you're looking for. If you're going to court soon for a criminal case, it wouldn't make sense to bring on a divorce lawyer, you'll need a criminal lawyer.
When you are hiring a lawyer, make sure that there is a discussion about the payment plan that you want to instill. Sometimes, you may not have all of the money upfront, so you will want to workout a monthly plan that suits you comfortably. Get this done ahead of time so you don't have to worry about it later.
Never go with the first lawyer you see in the phone book when you need one. If you want the best lawyer, you need to do your research. You might get some bad surprises if you base your choice only on a recommendation from someone you know. You must be very careful.
Do not go out looking for a lawyer and only consider the ones that have very low fees. Sometimes the fees are low because they reflect the quality of the attorney. You get what you pay for in many cases, so it is best if you go into this knowing you will have to spend a decent amount of money.
Choose a lawyer that you feel very comfortable with. Not only will an excellent lawyer know what they are doing, but they will also make you feel comfortable. If the lawyers don't do this, look for a new one immediately.
Check the friendliness of the people at the law office. Anytime you call the office, write down the amount of time it takes for you to return it. In addition, note the receptionist's tone of voice. If you don't hear anything for days, give up and move on.
If you meet with a potential lawyer, and he or she states that they will absolutely win your case, thinking about looking elsewhere. There are no guarantees in life, no matter how clear cut a case seems. A good lawyer knows this, and as such, will not make promises they can't keep.
Lawyers have malpractice insurance to protect themselves in case they vary from the law intentionally or accidentally. They wound't want their insurance premiums to increase, so they will usually help you complete the case. Always have faith in your lawyer wanting to do their best by you.
If you need a good lawyer for your business, use your network. You could ask your banker, partners, insurance agent or even your distributors if they know any good lawyers in the area. Do not hesitate to refer this lawyer to people you know if you have a good experience.
Even if you think you know the legal issues of your case well, go over the issues again with you lawyer. Have questions prepared beforehand and ask anything that comes to mind. You want to be well informed and know that he understands your case well. Being informed will ease your mind.
If you need a specialized lawyer, ask the lawyers you are considering about their specialized training. There are seminars and additional classes lawyers can take to learn more about a specific issue. For instance, lawyers who are qualified to help you with filing for bankruptcy should be members of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.
If you need a lawyer for a criminal case, do your best to gather all the information they will need to defend you. Your lawyer may request other documents that you might not have with you, but you are better off having everything ready before they need them. If your lawyer asks you for something, you need to give it to them, even if it is detrimental to your case.
Make sure you thoroughly research your choice of lawyers. Do not be lazy and settle for the first one that you find. Obtain advice and recommendations from your friends, especially if they are familiar or working in the legal field. Do not hesitate to do background checks and obtain recommendations from the ones you are considering. The more work you put into finding a good lawyer, the better results you will obtain.
Finding a good lawyer will require you to do more than open the phone book. You are going to have to get referrals from people you know. Also, be sure to look up reviews from former clients online. Spend the necessary time finding a lawyer that specializes in what you need him for.
A confident lawyer is great, but one who promises you a win before you even sign a contract with him is not the lawyer you want to choose. There are too many unknown variables in play to make any sort of guarantee, so choose a lawyer who is willing to be honest with you instead.
Finding a good lawyer will require you to do more than open the phone book. You are going to have to get referrals from people you know. Also, be sure to look up reviews from former clients online. Spend the necessary time finding a lawyer that specializes in what you need him for.
The first and foremost characteristic you need to look for in a lawyer is trustworthiness. Although most of them are completely on the up-and-up, a few are not and you need to avoid them. Get a good feel for their ethics and standards in practice before making more info your decision to hire.
Ask your lawyer for more details regarding their fees. If your lawyer is only quoting a total fee and not giving you any details, they might be overcharging you. Ask your lawyer for a detailed bill including hourly rates and communicate with your lawyer regularly to keep track of how much time they are spending on your case.
Instead of becoming a victim who must pay high bills for little quality service, do your homework and find a reliable lawyer. You can easily find someone that will help you in the courtroom. Remember these tips next time you find yourself in a sticky situation, so you can come out on top!
Auto insurers play hardball in minor-crash claims
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- If you are injured in a minor car crash, chances are good that you will be in the fight of your life to get the insurance company to pay all the medical costs you incur -- even if the accident was no fault of your own.
That's what CNN discovered in an 18-month investigation into minor-impact soft-tissue injury crashes around the country. Those are accidents in which there is little damage to the vehicle and the injuries to people are not easy to see by the naked eye or conventional medical tools like X-rays.
Since the mid-1990s, most of the major insurance companies -- led by the two largest, Allstate and State Farm -- have adopted a tough take-it-or-leave-it strategy when dealing with such cases.
The result has been billions in profits for insurance companies and little, if anything, for the public, according to University of Nevada insurance law professor Jeff Stempel.
"We can see that policyholders individually are getting hurt by being dragged through the court on fender-bender claims, and yet we don't see any collateral benefit in the form of reduced premiums even for the other policyholders," Stempel said.
"So I think now we can say to continue this kind of program is in my view institutionalized bad faith."
If you have never heard of the strategy, it's because insurance companies don't want you to know that they are paying out less and less for minor crashes even while their profits soar and your premiums continue to rise.
But after a review of more than 6,000 company documents and court records, interviews with a dozen people nationwide, including former company insiders, and conversations with accident victims, the picture is clear: If you challenge the offer by some insurance companies you will be left with no option but to go to court, where you will be dragged through the wringer.
Expensive, time-consuming
In an affidavit in a New Mexico case where Allstate is being sued, one of the company's former attorneys said the strategy is to make fighting the company "so expensive and so time-consuming that lawyers would start refusing to help clients."
Shannon Kmatz, a police officer and former Allstate claims agent, said company employees were encouraged to get rid of claims quickly and cheaply and even offered accident victims as little as $50, telling them to take it or leave it.
Both Roxanne Martinez of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Ann Taylor of West Lafayette, Indiana, saw the practice firsthand.
Martinez suffered neck and back injuries when she was sideswiped by a driver insured by Allstate.
After three years, the company finally offered her $15,000 -- a little more than half of what she needed for lost wages and medical bills.
She went to court, and four years after the accident a jury awarded her $167,000 plus interest.
"It's kind of hard when you are thinking they are going to leave you broke. ... That was very stressful," she said.
Taylor was not as fortunate when her case went to trial.
The Indiana nurse was rear-ended by a State Farm employee driving a State Farm car. Damage to her car was minimal but she suffered herniated disc and muscle tears.
Taylor racked up medical bills and lost wages amounting to about $15,000. The company offered her $2,000.
"I was just very insulted," she said.
She sued, but three years later a jury came back with a judgment for her of only $1,500.
The jury didn't believe she could be hurt in an accident in which the vehicle had barely a dent.
Three jurors told CNN photos of the two cars involved in the accident -- enlarged and prominently displayed by the defense -- played a huge role in their decision.
And one said they assumed Taylor had already been compensated by the insurance company and was just trying to get more money.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tK7Cq0WYE_Jbut9wKINYSEnPSaXFndpmovl-Sg3Focw/edit?usp=sharing