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Tips For Choosing A Personal Injury Solicitor Or Lawyer

Welcome to the Birmingham Personal Injury Solicitors and Lawyers Website.  We work with injury and accident claim solicitors in the Birmingham area and are here to make claiming compensation for your accident or injury as easy as possible. We operate a ‘No Win No Fee‘ * policy for peace of mind.

If you have had an accident within the last 3 years and want to know if you qualify for compensation, get in touch today. We aim to make the process as easy as possible for you and are standing by to take your call.

personal injury solicitorYou have been injured – in an auto or road bike accident, at work, in the hospital, in a public place, by a defective tool or any number of other ways, you need a personal injury lawyer. How do you find one? Are they all the same? What much will it cost me? Where do I start?

The following steps are a guideline to help to go through the process of choosing a personal injury lawyer to help with your Birmingham accident claim. Remember, you may not always be able to go through the steps, but do the best you can.

Step 1 – determine what type of injury. A road or car accident is pretty obvious. The collision will have some physical impact on your body and there may be some mental impact also. An injury that occurred in hospital may not be obvious from physical inspection, but may impair normal bodily functions well into the future. An injury from the use of defective product is another type. What if your injury occurs in while traveling?

Step 2 – contact family and friends. See if they have any recommendations. If they have used a personal injury lawyer, their experience will aid in your education. People will have strong opinions, both positive and negative. Ask pointed questions and find out why they liked or disliked the lawyer, the process and outcomes.

Step 3 – do your research. Start with a web search. One of the first sites to visit is the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). This will give you a good idea of where and who to contact. Go though the websites of individual no win no fee lawyers *and firms. Be sure and do the ones closest you your home first.

Step 4 – make a list of lawyers to interview. Start with those who are in close proximity to your home. This is important, as you will be spending a lot of time in your lawyer’s office. Travel time and costs can eat up your day and pocket book. You want to minimize all the stressors that you can. The added benefit is the lawyer closest to your home will be familiar with the local courts and the various people they will be dealing with. This type of experience can be invaluable.

Step 5 – prepare your list of questions. These questions should include the following:

What is your area of specialization?

Most lawyers will take on a wide variety of work, but most tend to specialize in a specific area. If your injury was caused by medical malpractice, you don’t want to hire a lawyer that specializes in auto accidents.

Please provide a list of references.

You want to contact at least two or three references before finalizing your choice. Every lawyer will have a list, if they don’t, you may want to pass on using them.

How long have you practised this type of case?

You don’t need a lawyer that has 20 years of experience, but you don’t want one that has just started. Experience with your type of injury that exceeds five or more years would be a good start.

Can you provide a brief assessment of my case?

This is a key question. If the lawyer can review your situation, provide a succinct analysis and provide estimated damages, you know you have someone who is a good candidate. You should get similar answers from most of the lawyers you interview.

What will this cost me?

Most lawyers, if not all, will have a “no win, no fee” provision. If they are going to charge you to take your case, don’t walk, run out of the office. If they are going to charge you, then they don’t think they can win or your case has no merit. They should communicate this up front and decline to take the case.

How long will this take?

You want to make sure the lawyer is not too busy to take your case. It is frustrating to start your case and the lawyer does not expedite it. By comparing estimated time frames from each lawyer your interview, you can get a feeling of their work load and if the time frame is satisfactory to you.

Step 6 – make your decision. If you are able to interview two or three lawyers and they all say pretty much the same thing, then go with the one you feel most comfortable with. You will be spending a lot of time with the lawyer, so make sure your personalities are compatible.

Key items to remember are:

– Gather all of your information and keep in one place.
– Provide copies to your lawyer.
– Make sure your lawyer specializes in your type of injury.
– Check references.
– Get a realistic estimate of the time this will take.
– Your personality and the lawyer’s are compatible.

Choosing a personal injury lawyer is a difficult task. Having to make this type of decision means you are in a difficult situation. The right lawyer can make the process a lot less painful and get you the maximum compensation you are entitled to.

* other costs could be payable