As an injury victim, it may be daunting to choose a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT has to offer when there are many choices. Rasmussen & Miner has helped accident victims recover their damages for decades. We are experienced in settling cases for maximum compensation as well as taking cases to trial. We offer the following tips on choosing a personal injury lawyer:
1. Select a Salt Lake City personal injury lawyer. The National Law Review reports that in 2011, the United States had 1,225,452 licensed attorneys. Many of those attorneys have never tried a personal injury case or negotiated a fair settlement for an injured client. To help narrow down your choices, ask for answers to these questions from a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT victims recommend:
- As a personal injury lawyer in Salt Lake City UT, do you have experience representing clients and winning cases similar to mine?
- For how many years have you represented personal injury clients?
- Can you provide references or testimonials from previous clients?
2. Request a personal injury lawyer referral from family members, friends, colleagues, your personal injury physician, and others whose opinions you trust. Referrals can be an excellent way to find a qualified personal injury attorney. A good personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT accident victims turn to for assistance can often be found through word of mouth. One may also find referrals online by searching for local reviews of attorneys and legal firms.
3. When choosing a personal injury lawyer in Salt Lake City UT, confirm that they do not earn a fee unless you win your case or a settlement is reached. Though this contingency fee arrangement is common, make sure the attorney doesn’t have an alternative fee structure. Some attorneys require that clients pay up front or require fees, even if they do not help you recover your damages.
4. Ask questions. Before you meet with an attorney, write down your questions and leave room to quote their answers. Later, you could review each attorney’s response to help you make your choice. Here are some example questions to ask a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT residents respect:
- Have you represented personal injury cases that were similar to mine?
- Do you have the resources to handle my injury case?
- Will you be the primary attorney handling my case or will you assign it to a junior associate? If someone else will be mostly handling it, what is their level of experience with cases like mine?
- Do you work on a contingency fee basis, or will you charge me regardless? What is your fee or rate schedule?
- How often will you communicate with me, and will it be by phone, email, letter, or in person?
5. Meet with a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT offers for a free case review. After you have narrowed your choices down to three attorneys or fewer, schedule a consultation with each one. Most lawyers won’t charge for an initial consultation, but confirm this with their legal firm when making the appointment. During this meeting, present your list of questions and be prepared to take notes. If you have documentation regarding your injury, such as medical receipts and physician reports, bring them to your meetings.
6. Choose a lawyer with whom you’re able to communicate and mutually respect. You need to be able to trust the attorney you hire to look out for your best interests. When hiring a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT residents turn to for legal assistance, you should feel confident in their ability to do their job well.
Building Your Personal Injury Case
After you have chosen a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT provides, he or she will review your case in more depth. They will do everything necessary to build a strong case in order to reach a settlement or win a jury award. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, they may even hire an accident forensic investigator. That person will investigate your accident to determine exactly what happened. In response to instructions from your personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT recommends you choose, the investigator may try to determine the following:
- What led up to the accident?
- How did the accident occur?
- Who was at fault for the accident?
- Did the accident cause your personal injury?
- Did you have a pre-existing injury similar to, or the same as, the injury you sustained in the accident?
Compensation for Your Personal Injury
There is one primary reason why you want to hire a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT residents rely on to protect their rights. Your main goal is to recover any costs you suffered because of your injury. If your attorney is able to negotiate a settlement or win the lawsuit, you may qualify for compensation for the following costs:
- Your accident-related medical bills
- Your pain and suffering
- Your emergency or first responder’s cost, such as ambulance or paramedic care
- Your physical rehabilitation treatment
- Your mental health therapy to treat your post-traumatic stress disorder condition
- Your surgery costs
- Your post-surgery doctor visits
- Your medications
- Your wages or salary that you cannot earn while out of work due to your injury
- Your lost vacation time or other work benefits due to being out of work
- Your future earnings for any anticipated time off from work. If your injury is results in a permanent disability and you are unable to ever return to your job, you may be entitled to substantial lost income compensation.
Contact Us Today
After following the above list of suggested steps, you will likely have a very good idea of who you want to choose for your Salt Lake City personal injury lawyer. Call Rasmussen & Miner today if you need a personal injury lawyer Salt Lake City UT is proud to have fighting on the behalf of its community.