When an accident happens in the Longmont area, you may be wondering which of the many lawyers to turn to for help with your claim. But how do you find the best lawyer? While many of us are tempted to simply search the internet for the best personal injury lawyer in Longmont, the reality is that it is wise to research various Longmont personal injury attorneys so that you find the best fit for you and your case. As with most big decisions in life, at Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, we recommend narrowing your list down to 3 or so law firms and then interview them. Not only do you want a Longmont personal injury attorney who gives you a good feeling when you meet him or her, but you want to combine that with skills, experience, and a proven track record of successful outcomes. In other words, the best Longmont personal injury lawyer will have a quantifiable skill set and make you feel good about having him or her represent you.
What am I Looking for in a Personal Injury Lawyer?If you have not had experience with making an insurance claim before, you may not know what to look for in a Longmont personal injury lawyer. We suggest that if you focus on all of the below factors, you will end up with quality legal representation that you can feel good about. These factors are:
Experience is what sets many law firm apart from an objective standpoint. Questions that could lead to you finding the best Longmont personal injury attorney should elicit information about the quality and nature of the lawyer’s experience. For example, if you were injured in a bicycle accident, has the law firm successfully represented injured cyclists in the past? Feel confident about asking this specific question to the lawyer you are interviewing.
Another type of experience that many law firms lack is litigation, presenting trials to juries, and being in the courtroom. Litigation and trial experience is especially important in difficult cases where liability is disputed, and the insurance company is not going to simply accept responsibility and pay your claim. When negotiations or settlement fails, the best Longmont personal injury law firms will be able to file a lawsuit in your case with confidence because they have done so many times before.
The more experience in the courtroom a Longmont personal injury attorney has, the more likely it is that the insurance company will view your lawyer as posing a risk to the insurance company’s bottom line. This often results in more favorable settlements at a mediation after a lawsuit has been filed and the case has been worked up. While there are always exceptions, lawyers who have not spent significant time in the courtroom litigation cases are less likely to be skillful advocates during depositions, working with experts, and when actually presenting your case at trial if necessary.
A Good Law Firm has the Resources to Fully Build Your CaseThe best Longmont personal injury law firms will have the financial resources to back your case to the very end. This means that the firm should be able to financially bear the burden of hiring your experts needed to prove your case, whether that be your local doctor, or liability experts on topics such as accident reconstruction, human factors, safe product design, and many others. The best Longmont injury lawyers can bear these costs until after your case resolves, whether that be at a settlement or mediation, or until the completion of trial.
A potential client needs to think twice if a law firm is unwilling or unable to invest costs in a case, because an experienced Longmont accident attorney knows that it is essential to meet with doctors to understand causation of injuries as well as prognosis, and liability experts where liability is disputed. Further, if your damages are to a degree that financial projections of future costs or value are involved, a good lawyer will seriously consider whether hiring an economist or lifecare planner is necessary.
Importantly, just because a law firm does not advertise on TV does not mean the law firm lacks financial resources. The reality is that the vast majority of Longmont personal injury law firms do not spend millions of dollars on advertising, but we are more than capable of building up your case the right way with the right experts.
Why Does it Matter if my Lawyer is Compassionate?Compassion is a feeling of connection and genuine care about a client’s situation and the pain and suffering the client is enduring. The level of compassion that a law firm has about you can only be understood from an in person face-to-face meeting the lawyer. Meeting with associate attorneys or, even worse, “investigators” from a law firm are one of the first indicators that you may be treated as a number rather than a human being worthy of being understood and cared about. The best Longmont personal injury lawyers will listen to what you have been through and do their best to help you get clarity and confidence as you recover from your injuries and go through the insurance claims process.
We at Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, hope you learned some of the things to look for when seeking the “best personal injury attorney in Longmont” or anywhere else for that matter. If you think you might want to meet with us to discuss your case, we invite you to call us today at 303-543-1000 for a free consultation with our legal team.