How to Choose a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
So you’ve been injured in the workplace and you have decided to retain an attorney to help you pursue your workers’ compensation claims. Your next step is to find a Southern California workers’ compensation lawyer. How do you pick the attorney who is best for you? How do you determine which attorney will maximize your recovery, serve your best interests, and advocate most strongly on your behalf? We offer a few tips below.
Find an attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation
Lawyers are like doctors. They are all technically qualified at a basic level to practice the law, but once they enter the professional world, they specialize. You wouldn’t ask an eye doctor to perform your knee surgery, and you shouldn’t ask a lawyer with no workers’ compensation experience to handle your claim. For your workers’ compensation claim, you want an attorney with experience, understanding, and demonstrated results in that particular area of law. After a workplace injury, retain a qualified, seasoned Orange County workers’ compensation attorney. Note that only board-certified legal specialists are allowed to hold themselves out as experts in a particular field of law.
Ask about the fee structure
Workers’ compensation lawyers typically work on a contingency basis for workplace injury claims. That means that rather than you paying upfront, hourly, or based on the performance of specific tasks, you will pay your workers’ compensation attorney a portion of your ultimate recovery. If you prefer an alternative fee structure, or you are unsure as to how the contingency payment will work, discuss the attorney’s preferred and any potential alternative fee structure before you agree to retain them.
Do your homework
Google is an invaluable resource for researching lawyers. If you are considering a particular attorney or firm, look up reviews, check their website, read their attorney bios. Find out about their staff, on whom attorneys tend to rely extensively. You should concern yourself with the attorney’s work ethic, their efficiency, and what previous clients or other attorneys have said about their professionalism and their results.
Get a free consultation
Take meetings. There is nothing wrong with meeting multiple attorneys to determine which one is the best fit for you. You will be working closely with your attorney during what is most likely a particularly stressful time in your life, and you want to be confident that that attorney has your best interests at heart. You want to avoid an attorney who comes across like they are in the pocket of the insurance companies. Moreover, maximizing your recovery is not the only important part of your case: You want an attorney who also cares about your health and well-being throughout the process, and for that, you need to meet them face-to-face.
HURT ON THE JOB IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA? CALL A BOARD-CERTIFIED WORKERS’ COMPENSATION SPECIALIST
If you have a claim for workers’ compensation and want to make sure you get the maximum available coverage, call Invictus Law today at 949-287-5711, and speak with an experienced California workers’ compensation attorney to evaluate your claims.
