How to Find a Qualified Personal Injury Attorney in Georgia

It is easy to become overwhelmed when looking for a personal injury attorney. Here are some tips to find an attorney who will best represent you in your personal injury claim.

1.  If you have a friend who is an attorney but does not practice personal injury law, he or she may still know and be able to recommend a lawyer whom he or she knows and trusts will work hard for you.

2.  Sometimes friends or loved ones may have had a motor vehicle collision and hired an attorney.  Ask them.  At the very least they can tell you who to avoid if they did not have a pleasant experience.

3.  Local bar associations have referral hot lines.  If you do not know of an attorney, you may contact one of these bar associations for a referral.  Keep in mind that not all attorneys are members of local bar associations, but you can be assured that if an attorney is, he or she usually has errors and omissions insurance coverage or malpractice coverage.

4. The internet is slowly replacing the Yellow Pages as the place where people look to find their attorney. You should realize that anyone can put up a website, however. What information does the website provide you about your problem? Does the attorney seem to want to help you by providing free helpful information or does he or she just want you to speak with an investigator to be signed up?

5. Not everyone advertises in the Yellow Pages.  This should be one of your last resources for finding an attorney.  Just because an attorney has the biggest ad does not mean he/she is the best attorney, so be extremely careful about evaluating an attorney from the Yellow Pages.

6. Interview several attorneys.  You should feel comfortable with the attorney you select. Here’s what you can expect from a personal injury attorney’s "free consultation:"

• Explanation of what to expect in the personal injury claims process.

• Explanation of what to expect if a lawsuit is filed in your claim.

• Explanation of the attorney fee contract.  What are the fees the attorney charges?  What are the expenses the attorney charges?  How are the fees determined?  What is included in the expenses?  What are the differences between fees and expenses?

• Explanation of experience the attorney has with personal injury cases. This varies a great deal.  Most importantly, does the attorney handle litigation himself, or does he get other attorneys involved?

• The attorney should be able to provide you proof of errors and omissions or legal malpractice insurance coverage of at least one million dollars.

7.  Avoid attorneys who call you first.  Run, run, run away.  Ethical attorneys are not supposed to contact you.  If you wish the services of an attorney, you must contact him or her.

8.  Avoid "runners."  These are guys hired by unethical attorneys to listen to police scanners and hang out at the police department to obtain records based upon what they hear.  They will contact you and make promises they will never deliver on.  This is HIGHLY UNETHICAL.  If the attorneys and runners are willing to bend the law to get you as a client, then what else are they willing to do to help themselves?

9.  Beware of lawyers who contact you in writing just after the accident.  Once again, according to local ethics rules,  an attorney is not supposed to contact you (unless you contact him or her first) for 30 days after a motor vehicle collision.  Of course, this rule applies to attorneys who contact you with knowledge that you have been in a motor vehicle collision.  Stay away!  Once again, if they are willing to get in trouble with the State Bar of Georgia and lose their licenses because of an ethical infraction, how can you trust they will not turn around and take advantage of you?  Do yourself a favor and avoid these people.  They are the guys who disgust hard working, ethical attorneys because they give all attorneys a bad name.  If you continue to get harassed by these individuals, you should report them to the State Bar of Georgia.

10. Beware of attorneys who promise to get you to their doctors.  If an attorney has a long list of doctors for you to treat with, you have to ask how this could affect your case if you are forced to go to court.  This is something that can potentially destroy your claim. Don’t do it.

11.  Beware of attorneys who are not licensed in the state where the collision occurred.  This is a potential problem when it comes time to file a lawsuit, as they are not legally able to file a lawsuit in a jurisdiction in which they are not entitled to practice law.  Every state is different, so if you have questions, you should speak with an attorney immediately.

Ty Wilson is a personal injury attorney in Georgia and is dedicated to helping injured people and their families. Call his office today at 866-937-5454 to order his free book, 10 Secrets of Georgia Car Wreck Claims.