In the case of medical malpractice, don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that you don’t need to hire an attorney. Not only do you have the injury itself to attend to, but piles of various medical bills as well. You cannot afford to forget that fact. The lawyer at hand should not only be experienced in dealing with such matters but also completely equipped for dealing with any unique procedural issues that tend to come up during the case.
Having said that, you would be wise to remember that the aspect of medical malpractice itself is quite the rare speciality. The truth is if you need a lawyer for a medical malpractice claim, there are not too many professionals out there who spend a good amount of time dealing with such cases. So how does one exactly go about the detailed process of getting hold of a reliable attorney? Surely, it cannot be as easy as finding a lawyer for a normal case. Well, it isn’t, but there are ways to make the process easier on the whole by keeping some valuable pointers in mind.
Get in touch with your state or local bar association
Pretty much all the state and local bar associations across the board have lawyer referral services that focus on connecting clients with qualified lawyers. Plus, most bar associations insist on lawyers that have a considerable degree on expertise in their particular field. This way, any doubts about the qualifications of the lawyer at hand are put to complete rest. All it takes is a call from your end and they will sort things out by getting you in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible.
Use the Internet to the fullest
Gone are the days of old where one could only rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. Well, people still do, but the Internet is a very big plus in this regard. You could have a host of local lawyers to choose from whom you wouldn’t even have gotten to know about otherwise had it not been for the Internet.
Plus, there are many websites out there that specialise in connecting lawyers with clients. All you need to do is submit general information about your case and the rest will be taken care of.
Focus on the competency and experience of the lawyer
Bear in mind that both the factors need to work with each other side by side. It will be rather foolish of you to hire an experienced lawyer with little to no competence or vice versa. Both aspects matter equally in the grand scheme of things.
Don’t only ask them how many medical malpractice trials they’ve had, but also ask how many of them has he managed to settle. Even the aspect of medical malpractice settlements needs to be discussed thoroughly. Sure, the lawyer does not have to be an exclusive medical malpractice expert, but you would also be a fool to hire a lawyer that has never won a medical malpractice trial.
Make sure that the two of you have a good bond
The lawyer may very well be the best man for the job, but if the two of you can’t stand each other, then it is of little to no use. In this regard, it is more than likely that you will have a terrible experience to look forward to. In order to assess this point, you will need to assess both the lawyer and yourself in equal measure.
There are all types of lawyers out there from the kind who will not get back to you unless you contact him to the kind who will send you frequent updates on the case. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide the kind of relationship that you want to have with your lawyer.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Never forget the fact that proper selection of the right attorney can end up making or breaking a medical malpractice case. Sure, it will certainly be expensive, but it will be more than worth it in the long run.
Don’t underestimate the power of the other side as you can be sure that the doctor responsible would have hired some of the best lawyers in the market. So you need to make sure that the two of you are on the same level when it comes down to hiring the most top-notch lawyers out there.
