If you have suffered a severe injury because of someone else?s negligence, malicious intent, or disregard for your safety, you may be entitled to claim damages for the injuries they caused and losses you incurred because of the injuries. Let’s see 10 signs you should find another personal injury lawyer.
Naturally, you might have hired a personal injury lawyer in Florida to help you make a strong case and seek fair compensation for your losses. Having an experienced lawyer who is skilled at what they do can play a critical role in making a strong claim. But what happens when you have hired the wrong lawyer to take on your case?
Do you feel like you are losing your confidence in the lawyer? If you have second thoughts about the firm you hired, you might want to stop wasting any time and change your attorney before the current firm messes up your lawsuit. Changing your attorney does not cost you anything because injury lawyers usually work on a contingency fee basis. You need to pay only one attorney fee from the compensation you receive.
Once your case has been resolved, that attorney fee will be divided between the first lawyer you hired and the one that helped you win the settlement. You will receive the same amount, regardless of how many law firms become involved in your case.
Choosing the right lawyer can be critical for your case, and if you?re not sure whether to change your personal injury attorney, this post will guide you.
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10 Signs You Should Find Another Personal Injury Lawyer
If you have second thoughts about the firm you are working with on your personal injury claim, you should keep a close eye on the following signs. The signs that you should find another personal injury lawyer will indicate all the red flags that tell you it is time to hire a more qualified firm for your case.
1. Your lawyer does not return your calls and emails
Have you found yourself leaving message after message and several emails with no returned call or response to your emails from the lawyer or their office? Does this happen quite often? The lack of proper communication is a major red flag, and you should be concerned about this. It suggests that the firm you are working with does not have enough staff to cater to all their clients, is busy with bigger fish, or is simply uninterested in helping you with your case.
2. The lawyer?s behavior is rude
How your lawyer behaves with you is another crucial factor that tells you whether you are working with the right firm. There is no excuse for poor behavior and rudeness from the attorney and the staff in their firm. Personal injury lawyers effectively belong to the service industry, and rude behavior is a sign that they are horrible service providers.
Their behavior and how they deal with you reflect on how the lawyers run their practice. You can expect a rude lawyer to be rude to their staff, which does not spell good news for your case. A lawyer has to work with paralegals, other lawyers, and more staff to help you build a strong case. A professional who does not treat others well or does not get along with them can be a poor choice for someone to help win your case.
3. The firm has a poor track record
It is not possible to find lawyers who have a perfect track record of winning all the cases they have ever fought for their clients. However, it does not mean that you should work with a lawyer with a poor track record.
No lawyer can win all their cases, but a strong track record can give you the peace of mind that you have a good chance of having a desirable outcome from your personal injury lawsuit.
4. You and the lawyer disagree about how your case should be handled
An experienced personal injury lawyer is the most qualified person to understand the best possible approach to any case. However, it is critical that you are on the same page as your lawyer. If you disagree with your lawyer about a crucial aspect of your case, it can be problematic.
Suppose that your lawyer insists on settling on an early offer from the defendant?s insurance company representatives, and you have reasonable grounds to fight for a bigger settlement in court. If your lawyer does not agree with you and is unwilling to fight your case in court, it might be time to look for another attorney. An experienced attorney should have no problem with fighting your case in court, provided that the settlement offer is inadequate and if you are eligible for more compensation to fully recover.
Many personal injury attorneys who are not as good as they claim, tend to back away from the fight because of all the work involved in taking the case to court.
5. Your lawyer does not keep you informed about the case
It is a major part of your lawyer?s job to give you all the relevant information about your case and update you on any developments. If you are not aware of what is happening with your case or your lawyer is not filling you in on the details, it is another major red flag. You might have to consider changing your lawyer if the current firm does not keep you apprised of all the necessary developments.
6. The lawyer is not enthusiastic about your case
It is a prerequisite that the personal injury lawyer you are working with for your personal injury lawsuit in Florida cares about your case. If your lawyer seems as though they are begrudgingly going through the process and shows no enthusiasm about your case, it is an early warning sign that you should look for better legal representation.
A lawyer who is not enthusiastic about helping you with your case will be unlikely to put up a hard fight if the time comes to take things to court. An enthusiastic lawyer who cares about your case will do their best to help you obtain an adequate settlement agreement for your case and if needed, go to court for you.
7. Your lawyer has unethical behavior
The last person you want to have poor ethics is the lawyer working with you on your personal injury lawsuit. It is not common, but there are personal injury lawyers who like to ?bend the rules? or simply break the law as a means to an end. Working with a lawyer who is willing to break the law will never work in your favor.
If you suspect that your lawyer is involved in illegal activities or have proof of it, you should report the lawyer to the right authorities without wasting time. With them out of the picture, you should look for legal representation that upholds the law.
8. The law firm does not know who you are when you call
If you have to remind the person answering the phone at the firm who you are, the lawyer you are working with, and the details of your case, it is not a good sign. This is a sign that the firm does not have enough staff and they are overworked. Working with a firm with an overwhelmed staff could prove to be problematic in making a substantial case.
9. The firm has been disciplined by the State Bar of Florida
We highly recommend going to the State Bar of Florida?s website before you hire a personal injury lawyer and look them up. Check the website to see if the attorney has ever been suspended or faced disciplinary action by the Florida Bar. If the lawyer has had disciplinary action taken against them, it is a sign that the lawyer may have been involved in unethical practices, and you should possibly seek different legal representation.
10. The firm has received several negative online reviews
Online reviews are not the final word of law when determining whether the lawyer you are working with is suitable to help you seek a desirable result in your personal injury lawsuit. We do not recommend blindly trusting all the online reviews you read about the law firm.
If it has too many good reviews, these could have come from friends and family members. Competitors or disgruntled former employees and clients might also be leaving unfair bad reviews about the firm. However, if you see too many negative reviews about the firm online or there are complaints similar to yours, it could be a pattern with the law firm.
Are You Looking To Hire The Right Personal Injury Attorney?
Hiring the right attorney to represent you in your personal injury lawsuit can make a world of difference in your chances of obtaining adequate compensation for your sustained damages. If you are frustrated with your current attorney and feel that they will be inadequate in helping you seek duly deserved compensation, consider asking the professionals at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers for help.
The attorneys at Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers have years of experience working with clients to help them pursue the compensation they deserve in their personal injury claims. The experienced lawyers from the firm have an excellent track record, work on a contingency fee basis, and will go to court if needed. If you?re looking for an experienced and qualified Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyer who will go the distance to help you seek fair compensation for your personal injury case, working with Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers can be ideal for you (by appointment only).
