If You have suffered serious personal injury then you need to consult the best personal injury lawyer in Seattle. But, how to be sure that the Seattle personal injury law firm you are selecting will be able to properly represent you and help you get the maximum compensation? This is the topic we will be covering in the following sections and look at some important aspects that you need to examine while hiring a personal injury attorney in Seattle, WA.



How to find the right personal injury lawyer?

Check Awards and Accolades

You need to check awards and accolades law firm has won in recent times. In addition, you need to make sure that they have received those awards from genuine sources such as Best Lawyers, Superlawyers, etc. The good thing about these award systems is that they make use of a nomination process where it is not possible to game the system. 

For instance, Martindale-Hubbell rating evaluates lawyers in U.S. on the basis of peer review. The rating takes into consideration what other attorneys are saying about abilities of a lawyer. AV is the highest rating on Martindale-Hubbell and is given to top five percent of law firms in the country. 

Analyze Online Reviews

It will be easier to judge whether it will be right to appoint a particular personal injury law firm when you check online reviews about them.

Simple online searches such as “Seattle personal injury law firm review” or “car accident lawyer in Seattle review” will bring up online review websites where you can read reviews about law firms. 

You will have to check what clients are saying about a particular firm to know the kind of service they provide and also whether they are proficient in their task.

Examine Success Rate

An important metrics, success rate a law firm has been able to achieve will help you judge how good the firm is. If the firm has won good number of cases then it will give you confidence that they will be able to won yours too.

Try to find a firm that has won financial recovery for its clients in almost 85-95% of the cases they took up.

Evaluate Amount Recovered

Similar to the success rate, the total amount a Seattle personal injury law firm has been able to recover speaks volumes about their expertise. If the firm has been able to recover substantial amounts on behalf of its clients, it clearly indicates that they have the experience to frame the case in such a way that client gets what he or she deserves.

It is worth mentioning here that personal injury cases are generally battles against the defendant as well as the insurance firm. At the time of settlement negotiations, you will find that insurance firm will do everything possible and make things difficult for the victim to get a fair amount as compensation.

If the law firm is able to recover substantial amounts for its clients, it will indicate that they are experts in negotiations and will be able to get the maximum compensation on your behalf. For example, if the law firm is not able to present documentation that shows jury verdict of more than one million dollars then neither corporate defendants nor insurance companies will take them seriously. These details will have significant implications, even if you have a very small claim case.

Professional journals publish reports about jury settlements and verdicts, you need to ask the lawyer to provide the same to you.

Check for Disciplinary Action

If the state bar has taken disciplinary action against any lawyer then it will be a big red flag. Such disciplinary action clearly indicates that the lawyer deviated from his or her professional conduct and state bar had to intervene. Thus, it will be necessary to analyze the state bar records of lawyers before you appoint them.

Get Details about Percentage of Similar Cases

The law firm should have good track record of winning cases against major insurance companies in varied practice areas of personal injury such as wrongful deaths, car accidents, etc. By selecting a law firm that has worked on cases similar to yours, you will have a winning edge.

You need to be aware of the fact that many lawyers take up personal injury cases as part of general practicing that oftentimes also includes criminal defense, divorce, and several other unrelated fields. As such, you need to check how many personal injury cases they have handled out of the total cases.

Conclusion

Above details clearly highlight the importance of due diligence on your part while hiring a personal injury lawyer. Such due diligence helps to increase your chances of winning the case.