If you are injured in an accident caused by another person’s wrongdoing or negligence, retaining the services of a local personal injury attorney is highly recommended. Even if your injuries seem minor, acting right away can help you protect your legal rights if your condition worsens.
Hiring a local attorney will help you explore all your options and ensure you recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
While this is true, many people wonder if they should go with a bigger firm that is located nationally. Even though there are some advantages to working with a bigger firm, there are also many disadvantages. Rather than thinking “bigger is better,” keep reading to find out why hiring a local personal injury lawyer is the best option.
Easy Access to the Attorney You Hire
When you are ready to hire a personal injury attorney, you should consider how accessible they will be if they aren’t in the same local area. While today’s technology makes communicating from far distances easier than ever before, there are some situations where meeting with your attorney in person is best.
By hiring a local attorney, you can visit their law office during your claim without traveling long distances.
Established Professional Reputation
Selecting the right attorney to represent your case during a product liability, traffic accident, wrongful death, or medical malpractice suit can be challenging. After all, you want to find a firm and attorney who has prior experience representing cases like yours. However, that’s not all. You also want to find someone with a good, professional reputation. This means that they are a lawyer you can feel confident in.
It’s sometimes difficult to get a real sense of the attorney just from the information on their website. When you choose to hire an attorney from a local firm, you can ask for openings and learn about past experiences. This will give you a chance to learn more about their reputation and go beyond what is included on the attorney’s website. This is invaluable information to help you make the right decision for your case and situation.
Established Local Reputation
Building a solid, winnable personal injury case requires ongoing communication with various professionals in many different fields. Sometimes, it’s necessary to ask people for documents that can be used as evidence or even to verify a witness’s account.
When you hire a local personal injury attorney, they will have established relationships with insurance companies, defense attorneys, claims adjusters, law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and health care providers in the area.
In most cases, these relationships typically mean that a local attorney can access the information needed faster than one in another town or state. Also, with local knowledge, a lawyer will know what professionals they should not try to work with – for example, if they may be biased because the defendant is someone they have a relationship with.
Familiarity with the Local Courts
A quality attorney from out-of-town will take time to research the local judges, state laws, and the other attorneys to ensure they have the information needed to represent your case. However, this adds to the time they are working on your case and, as a result, may result in additional fees.
You have someone who already has all this information with a local attorney. They will know the law, other lawyers, and judges. This will also give them a lot of leverage when representing your case.
Ability to Access Local Witnesses
When building a case for your personal injury claim, your attorney will utilize witnesses to provide support for them. These witnesses often include people who actually saw the accident when it occurred, like individuals who saw a car wreck. In some cases, expert witnesses will be needed. This includes people like doctors who are familiar with your case or local professionals who work on the roads where your accident occurred.
With a local personal injury lawyer, you have someone who knows the area and the residents. This will make it much easier for them, rather than someone from out-of-town, to track down the witnesses needed for your case. Also, most witnesses are more willing to work with someone they have heard of or know – like a local attorney – than someone who is from out of town. This is another factor that will provide a huge advantage for your case.
Tips for Hiring a Local Attorney
Now that you understand why hiring a local attorney is a smart move, it’s time to learn more about how to find the right one for your case.
One of the first things you should do is to ask for referrals. Even if you don’t know someone who has hired an attorney in the past, they have likely heard of some of the options in the local area. Take time to get referrals from a few people and create a list of the attorneys you want to learn more about.
Once you have your list, make sure to conduct your own research. This includes visiting the attorney’s website and seeing what type of cases they represent. After all, you don’t want to hire a divorce attorney for your personal injury claim.
Narrow down your options and schedule an initial consultation with the top picks. Use this initial meeting to learn about the attorney and see if you are comfortable with them. Doing so will help you choose the one that best suits your needs.
Hiring the Right Local Attorney for Your Case
As you can see from all the information found above, there are more than a few advantages offered when you hire a local attorney for your personal injury case. Be sure to keep the information here in mind, which will help you find the right legal representation for your situation. Being informed and knowing why a local attorney is the best option will also help you make the right decision for your legal situation.