Finding a lawyer
 

Ok my mom was recently rear ended in her car and hurt her back bad enough so she cant work and wont be able to go back to her normal job for at least 6 months if not longer. Bottom line is i need to know how to find a good lawyer so she can get a settlement thats worth while not just a thousand dollars or something it needs to be enough to make up for what shes loosing from not working.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to find a lawyer? Or how to know if one lawyer is any good or totaly worthless.

start with recommendations from other people.

Your state's bar association might have a list of lawyers specializing in personal injury cases. (there will be some ambulance chasers in there...)

Most lawyers will work on a contingency basis... so she should be prepared to fork over anywhere from 10 - 40 percent (give or take) of the settlement to the lawyer but that also makes sure that they get the biggest possible settlement..

First, sorry to hear about your mom. I hope she's feeling better and isn't in too much pain.

Assuming that the other driver had insurance, you do not need a lawyer at this point. If you haven't already, make contact with that company and tell them the extent of the injuries. Tell them that you're avoiding involving your attorney at this point (do NOT tell them that you don't have one under any circumstances - claims people see it as a potential sign of weakness). Make sure they have a record of the accident. If they don't have a record, contact the other driver to find out why (don't contact them for any other reason at this point).

You'll probably be asked to submit medical bills, etc. to prove the validity of the claim, but honestly, that shouldn't be tough to do from your description of the injuries.

If (and I mean if) the insurance company won't settle or give you what you think is a fair amount, that's when you get an attorney involved. Generally speaking, attorneys do get higher settlement amounts but it comes at a big price. Typically, they ask for 1/3 of whatever they can get for you. In real dollars to you, it would almost certainly mean less money in your mom's pocket at the end of the day. You may find a more scrupulous one who will work for less, but those are few and far between.

Should you decide that hiring an attorney is the best course of action, the best way to find a good one in your area is to ask around. The highest-priced one is not necessarily the best one. If you know of a non-litigating attorney willing to help out, they may be able to steer you in the right direction. The guys that advertise in the paper and on TV are usually out to screw you as much as they are the insurance companies.

If you need any help deciphering any of the insurance jargon or figuring your way through the claims process, let me know. I do liability insurance all day every day.

Good luck!

Call the local county bar association and ask for a referral.

Most offer free initial consultations, so don't choose one until you've consulted with at least 3 different offices.

Thanks for the suggestions. hopefully the bar association will have some good suggestions.

Things are getting worse already. She has a job she travels for and has to drive long distances and she was rearended on the way home from work. so she was getting workmens comp at first. But now since the doctor has her off work because she cant drive for long without alot of pain they want to give her a local job so they dont have to give her workmens comp.... but it comes with a 25k a year pay cut basicly they are trying to force her to quit. Im hoping a laywer has something to say about that and can do something about it. she gets hurt at work basicly and looses her job because of it. its just not right.

sounds like you've got two different issues...

the accident issue - which would be a personal injury attorney
her job situation - which would be an attorney that does employment law...

Plaid13, I feel really bad about your mother, first the accident, then the pain and next her job, the poor woman is dealing with a lot.

I definitely would get a lawyer, especially with the job issue. The suggestions the posters mentioned sounds like good advice.

I hope she gets better quickly!

all posters good advice. best way to find an attorney is asking people you trust. going the state bar route should find you one that practices in that specific area of law, but might not be good for you. usually, the bar assocations just charge a small fee for the enlisted attorneys to get referrals from the general public. attorneys that advertise generally run a mill and you are just a number. ny just enacted much more stringent laws regarding advertising so this will be less of a problem in the future. also, before you engage, make sure you understand (get it in writing) what the fee structure will be, for both issues. if you find a solo practitioner, that attorney may handle both areas of law, which would make things much more simpler.

Be careful. Be very careful, and get more than one reference. We bought a house in another state many years ago, and chose a lawyer based on the realtor's suggestion. He got disbarred a year later. So, be careful.

So Sorry that your mom was hurt and dealing with all this legal stuff...

Just want to add this: Make sure you keep every single receipt, letter and anything else written that pertains to your mom's case. For the paper trail and your lawyers use.