After experiencing a traumatic injury due to slippage on public or private property, you can be left with multiple overwhelming expenses. Navigating the legal process after the accident can also be daunting.
This is especially true if you have no understanding of personal injury law. You will need an experienced guide to help you file a claim and get your rightful compensation.
That is where slip & fall lawyers will help you. Hiring a reliable lawyer who can help you get justice without increasing your burden is important.
So, let’s dive into the top tips to help you hire slip & fall lawyers.
How to Choose the Best Slip & Fall Lawyers: Top 6 Tips
A note to keep in mind is that slip & fall cases also come under personal injury law. Some lawyers might provide this service under personal injury law, while others may offer it as a separate service.
So, when doing your research, here are the top six tips to select the best slip & fall lawyers for your case:
1. Ask Your Family Members for Recommendations
There are more than 50,000 personal injury lawyers in the US, so hiring a reliable one is tricky. You must conduct thorough research before choosing slip & fall lawyers.
Ask your family members and friends for recommendations. This will be more helpful if one of your loved ones have gotten into an accident in the past.
They can recommend a firm with vast experience in handling slip & fall cases to you. A friend may also help you steer clear of inexperienced lawyers.
Asking people can also narrow your list of prospective slip & fall lawyers to hire for your case.
2. Evaluate the Experience of a Slip & Fall Lawyer
There may be many slip & fall lawyers out there, but not all of them have the right experience to help you. You must evaluate an attorney’s expertise to make a wise hiring decision.
For example, ask them whether their main practice focus is slip & falls. This is because some firms may be well-versed in general personal injury cases than slip & fall cases.
Ask the slip & fall lawyers how many years they have been practicing. A lawyer who has been in the field for more than five years is more likely to succeed.
It is also important to check whether the attorney has experienced a similar case as yours before.
If you suffered a brain injury during your accident, you may ask the attorney if they have gotten justice for a victim with the same or similar injury.
3. Check Their Track Record
Evaluating the experience of slip & fall lawyers can help you understand whether they are a proper fit. However, you must also know your lawyer’s track record.
A personal injury lawyer attorney may have been in the field for ten years, but they may have won only a few slip & fall cases overall.
You must hire a lawyer with a good success record to ensure you win the case.
You can understand a lawyer’s record by asking them if they have recovered settlements for their clients consistently.
By conducting thorough online research, you may also learn if your relevant attorney or law firm has won any awards.
Asking the law firm to give you statistics for their winning rate can also help you make a better hiring decision.
4. Engage in a Meeting with the Prospective Slip & Fall Lawyers
Meeting slip & fall lawyers before hiring is important to assess whether the lawyer can meet your needs.
The law firm may have answered your queries online, but meeting the lawyer will help you see whether you can form a healthy working relationship.
If the lawyer is not able to communicate the case findings properly, it can be hard for you to follow the case.
Here are some questions to ask to help you determine whether the prospective slip & fall lawyers are ideal for your case:
- What are your methods of communication?
- How often will I have to stay in touch with you?
- What methods do you use to send the paperwork?
- What outcome can I expect from my case?
Asking these questions will provide you with better clarity on whether you will have a fruitful professional relationship with the lawyer.
5. Understand their Payment Conditions
People with slip & fall lawyers end up with a payout three times more than those without an attorney.
This is why hiring an experienced lawyer is essential after an accident that was not your fault.
When hiring a law firm or an attorney, you must discuss payment terms before signing the contract. Most lawyers take a fee only if they win your case.
This means they won’t charge you if they don’t get you a settlement. Such lawyers are more reliable than those who take advance payments in full.
So, discuss payment options instead of assuming that the law firm works on a contingency basis.
6. Review the Terms and Conditions of the Slip & Fall Lawyers
Many people hire slip & fall lawyers through a reliable firm. We recommend reading the terms and conditions of the firm before signing the contract.
The lawyer may verbally tell you payment options and other things. However, the terms of the firm may state opposite details.
This is why it is crucial to read the terms and conditions section to ensure unnecessary payments or hidden costs don’t blindside you after winning the settlement.
You should also raise your voice on points in the contract that make you uncomfortable. These steps will save you from hidden surprises.
What to Avoid When Hiring a Slip & Fall Lawyer?
Now that you know what to do when hiring slip & fall lawyers, it is just as important to know the don’ts of hiring.
So here are some things you must avoid:
- A lawyer who lacks a reputation for filing cases
- Slip & fall lawyers who overestimate your claim value
- A lawyer with poor online reviews
- An attorney who is over-promising the results
- A law firm that does not have a written agreement for its fee terms
Final Thoughts
These are the six best ways to choose reliable slip & fall lawyers for your case. If you’ve gone through physical, emotional, or financial injury because of someone else’s negligence on their property and want to hire an excellent attorney, contact us today to learn more.