Do you know around seven birth injuries occur for every 1000 children born in the US? These injuries occur due to preterm, prolonged labor, dystocia, and cephalopelvic disproportion. However, these injuries are avoidable with proper care during birth.
If your baby sustains birth injuries due to a doctor’s fault, hire a birth injury attorney to help you.
A reputable lawyer will help you take a legal course of action by filing a strong case. They’ll protect your child’s rights and ensure you get rightful compensation. Good lawyers also walk with you throughout the legal process, helping you enjoy peace of mind.
But, with a multitude of lawyers available, how do you pick an ideal choice for your case? Here are tips for hiring a birth injury attorney that you can trust.
Ask for Recommendations
Do you have friends, family, or colleagues who have worked with a birth injury lawyer? Talk to them before you begin your search for the best lawyer. They’ll provide real accounts of their experiences with their attorneys.
If the attorney didn’t meet their expectations, they’ll not recommend them. But if the lawyer offered them good treatment and won their cases, they’ll give you their details.
If you don’t know anyone who has ever hired a birth injury attorney, don’t fret. Research online to see the lawyers that are highly recommended in your area. Even if they don’t specialize in your area of interest, contact them to get referrals.
Referrals ease your task, so you take less time to find an ideal lawyer for your case. You don’t have to comb through unlimited options to make a quality hire. You pay attention to the few potential candidates you have on the referral list.
Do Online Research
After consulting the people you trust, you’ll have several names on your list. So, you’ll need to research and compare them to make a perfect choice.
Visit each attorney’s website to do a background check and learn about their services. Find out the length of time they’ve been in operation and the size of their firm. Also, confirm their field of specialization and their area of operation.
Don’t forget to check the client’s reviews and see what they think about the lawyer. Here, you find positive and negative reviews as the lawyer can’t please everyone. But, a good lawyer should have more positive reviews than negative ones.
If you realize a specific lawyer has many negative reviews, scratch them off your list. Such comments might signal inexperience and poor performance in handling legal problems.
During your research, ensure to take notes about every lawyer. You’ll need to analyze and compare them to pick the most suitable lawyer for your lawsuit.
Besides researching online, you can ask other lawyers about your potential candidate. Since they work in the same industry, they know your prospect inside out. So, they’ll advise you on whether to proceed with the hiring or look for better options.
Conduct an Interview
Once your research is done, scale down your list to at least three manageable options. After that, call each of them to schedule a consultation and interview.
Professional lawyers will accept meeting you and offer a free consultation. But, unscrupulous ones won’t have time for you and will provide shallow information. So, if you realize a lawyer isn’t polite and accommodating, proceed with caution.
Before interviewing a lawyer, have a list of questions prepared. This ensures you make the most out of your time and don’t forget anything critical.
Some of the questions you’ll want to ask can be about;
- the area of specialization
- the number of years they’ve been practicing law
- their service costs and mode of payment
- the location of operation
- the time they’ll take to complete your case
- the size of their firm
- their availability during the legal process
- mode of communication
Look for an attorney who’s polite, confident, and detailed when answering questions. Also, a good lawyer should have strong negotiation abilities and effective communication skills.
Don’t be afraid to take notes for future references during the interview. You’ll compare each candidate’s interviews and remember their responses to every question.
Consider Specialization and Experience
Law is complex, with many areas of specialization. These areas include;
- criminal and business law
- environmental and health care law
- intellectual property and constitutional law
- patent and tax law
- labor and employment law
- family and immigration law
So, you should go for a lawyer that specializes in birth injury law.
Specialized lawyers know the ins and outs of handling birth injury cases. They know the paperwork, legal procedures, and tactics needed to succeed in such cases.
Also, hire an attorney with experience in handling cases like yours. This increases the odds of winning your case and getting rightful compensation.
To check a lawyer’s experience, look at the time they’ve been handing birth injury cases. The more the number of years, the more the skills and expertise in the area. If possible, avoid hiring newbies as they can’t offer what an experienced lawyer can.
Also, check the lawyer’s track record to confirm their success rate. If the lawyer has won most of their cases, consider them. A successful track record indicates higher levels of experience and commitment.
Assess Fees and Costs
While you don’t want to hire a lawyer based on cost alone, pricing matters. So, before hiring an attorney, ask them to explain their fees. You can ask for a written summary to see the breakdown of every cost.
Don’t go for cheap attorneys as they might be inexperienced and disreputable. Also, avoid too expensive ones as higher fees don’t always guarantee quality.
Always hire a birth injury lawyer who offers quality services and reasonable fees. Ensure they match your budget and needs.
These Are Tips for Hiring a Birth Injury Attorney
Hiring a birth injury lawyer is worthwhile if your child got a birth injury due to a doctor’s negligence. The lawyer protects your child’s interests and ensures you get the deserved compensation. However, to enjoy the benefits of hiring these lawyers, you should make a quality hire.
Above is a guide on how to choose the best birth injury, attorney.
Are you struggling to find the right birth injury lawyer? At Cook and Tolley, we are at your service. We help hold negligent parties liable and ensure compensation.
Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Cook & Tolley, LLP
304 E Washington St
Athens, GA 30601
(706) 549-6111
https://www.cooktolley.com/
