Atlanta Accident Law Library
Finding a Good Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
If you've never hired a lawyer before, you may feel a little lost when you start looking for one. Most people don't need legal services routinely, and they may not know how to choose between the thousands of lawyers in Georgia. Furthermore, selecting the right lawyer is important, because you don't usually get more than one chance to win a case. Corrupt or incompetent lawyers are relatively rare, but they can make a bad situation much worse. And because you'll be working closely with your lawyer, you want to make sure you like him or her -- but not at the expense of winning your case. This article is intended to provide basic advice about finding a good personal injury lawyer for cases in the State of Georgia.
Before you start looking, it's important to know that not every kind of lawyer does the same work. If you have a personal injury case, you probably can't use the lawyer that helped your sister get divorced. You'll need a lawyer who specializes in representing plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits. Some of these lawyers call themselves personal injury lawyers, but they might also call themselves plaintiffs' lawyers, trial attorneys or by a specialty like medical malpractice or brain injuries.
Finding a Referral
The example above doesn't mean that you shouldn't get recommendations from family and friends. In fact, a recommendation from a satisfied client is one of the best ways to find a lawyer. Sometimes, the wrong type of lawyer can even refer you to one who can help. If you get a referral through friends, you should also ask your friends about the cases -- did they win? Did they feel that the lawyer could have done his or her job better? Did the lawyer treat them well and behave professionally?
If you don't have friends or family who can help, you can turn to lawyer referral services. Be careful, though -- some referral services are scams that take your money without helping, or just refer you to whichever client paid them the most. The State Bar of Georgia maintains a list in PDF form of lawyer referral services that comply with the law. It also has a Web page listing local bar associations that provide free referrals. And two legal nonprofit organizations in Georgia, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and the Georgia Legal Services Program, maintain a database of referral services and legal aid organizations that can help.
Doing Your Homework
Whatever referral service you use, you should get several attorneys' names, so you'll have options. Call all of them and set up consultations -- meetings at which you get to know one another, you explain your case and the lawyer gives you basic information about it. Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations; beware of the ones who don't. (Charging for consultations is common and ethical with other kinds of lawyers.) At this meeting, also called a case evaluation, the lawyer should tell you what outcome he or she believes you could expect in court. Ask for a range of possibilities.
Treat the consultation like a job interview for the lawyer -- because it is one. You can and should ask about the lawyer's background. How many similar cases has the lawyer handled? What were the outcomes? What's the lawyer's education and experience with these cases? How much do clients with similar cases usually win? Does he or she know experts who could help? Can he or she refer you to satisfied clients? What's your role in the case?
You should also ask about what the attorney charges. Almost all personal injury lawyers work for a contingency fee, which is a percentage of your winnings paid after the case is won. If you don't win, the lawyer doesn't get paid. That means the percentage can be high, to balance out the risk of working for free. Find out how much that percentage is, whether you can negotiate it and whether you'll be expected to pay other fees, like court and administrative costs.
Finally, you should use this meeting to see if you “click” with the lawyer. After all, you're the client, and you'll have to work with this person for months to come. If you think the lawyer won't answer your phone calls within a reasonable amount of time, doesn't treat you with respect or just isn't your type of person, you're free to hire someone else. And if you're concerned about the lawyer's ethical record, you can check on him or her with the State Bar of Georgia's Member Directory Search or calling (404) 527-8777.
Sealing the Deal
If you've found the right personal injury lawyer, congratulations! But you don't truly have a lawyer until you sign a written fee agreement. In fact, if your lawyer doesn't give you one, don't continue the relationship. A written fee agreement is a contract outlining everyone's rights and responsibilities, including the fee. Read all of it, even though it might be boring. An honest lawyer will let you take the time to read a binding legal document like this, and should allow you to negotiate changes if you need to.
Pay special attention to the fee. You may actually see several fees outlined in the contract, depending on the outcome of your case. The percentages can range from 20% to 25% of your recovery for an early settlement, to 40% to 50% for winning a complicated trial. That can be a percentage of gross or net costs, and different percentages may apply to different types of damages. The fee agreement should also tell you whether you or the attorney bears court fees and administrative costs; both arrangements are legal in Georgia.
Looking for a Georgia Personal Injury Law Firm? Call Stokes & Kopitsky
If you're looking for an experienced personal injury law firm in metro Atlanta, you should call Stokes & Kopitsky. For more than 30 years, we have specialized in representing people who were seriously injured by other people's carelessness. We can help with all types of accidents, including auto accidents; slip-and-falls; workplace and construction injuries; and accidental deaths. We're proud of our record of significant wins, totaling millions of dollars that can help injured people get the help they need, make ends meet and move past a devastating injury. And we always offer free consultations to potential clients. To set up a consultation with Stokes & Kopitsky today, call us at 1-800-552-9200 or (404) 892-0011 in metro Atlanta, or click here to fill out our confidential online case evaluation form.
How to Contact Atlanta Injury Attorneys
Stokes & Kopitsky, P.A.
If you've been injured in a Georgia accident because of another person's fault - even if you were also at fault - we can help you. We're Atlanta injury lawyers Gregory M. Stokes and Neil J. Kopitsky, and we have over 30 years of experience helping injured people and their families get justice and payment when they are involved in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, or workplace accident. We've recovered millions of dollars in payments for our clients in Atlanta accident, Atlanta accidental death cases, and Georgia injury or death cases.
Your initial telephone or office consultation is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL, and our fees are paid only from what we recover for you. There is no pressure; we want to help with your recovery and treat all our clients with courtesy, care, and respect. Please call toll-free any time, any day, to speak with us. We look forward to helping you. You can contact us at:
Atlanta Telephone: 404- 892-0014
Toll-free Telephone: 1- 800-700-5050
E-mail: info@skattorneysatlaw.com
You may also use the
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