Did you know that, on average, there are between 25,000 and 100,000 patient deaths per year due to physician negligence? When you go to the doctor or visit a surgeon, you don’t expect to leave the office in worse shape than you came in. Unfortunately, medical malpractice is a fact of life, today.
If you’ve suffered because of a doctor’s negligence, then you’re probably trying to find a way to seek compensation. The best way to do this is to hire a medical malpractice attorney. Read on to learn how to find effective legal representation.
Check Their Website for Medical Malpractice Experience
The first place people look to find a medical negligence attorney is the internet. Spend some time searching the term “medical malpractice attorney near me” to see which options you have in your area.
For example, if you’re looking at cummingsinjurylaw.com, click through to the website and navigate to the section of the website that details how long they’ve been in business and which types of cases they handle. If they have attorney bios, then it’s important to go through those bios to determine how much experience the practice has as a whole, and learn who you could be working with.
What Resources Do They Provide?
Once you make contact with potential attorneys, ask them about the resources they help you with while your case is in process. For example, do they have connections to experts who can testify if your case goes to trial? Do they have physicians who can help you seek disability if you are unable to work due to your injury?
The more resources they have, the better off you’ll be.
What Is Their Payment Structure?
Lawyers generally collect payment in a couple of different ways. Traditional attorneys, like those retained for family law or corporations, have a fee that you need to pay as a retainer and then they bill on an hourly basis. That said, most medical malpractice attorneys operate on a contingency basis.
In a contingency agreement, the attorney only gets paid if you settle or win your case in court. In exchange, your attorney accepts a portion of your earnings. Ask the attorney you meet with what percentage they take in exchange for representation, and whether that percentage is different for settlements and trials.
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews
You wouldn’t buy a can opener without checking the reviews, so it makes sense that you’d take the time to review your potential attorney. Google the attorney’s name and check for reviews on Yelp! or Google. You can even go to your state’s bar association and check to see if they’ve ever been reprimanded.
The more information you have about your attorney, the more comfortable you’ll feel.
Are You In Need of a Medical Malpractice Attorney?
No one wants to have to hire a medical malpractice attorney in their lifetime. Still, if you have been injured, or if you’ve lost a loved one due to a doctor’s negligence, you have to have an attorney to have a chance at compensation. Learning how to choose an attorney is the first step in your recovery.
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