Finding a Work Injury Lawyer
When you get hurt on the job, the last thing you want to have to worry about is finding a work injury lawyer, but if you need representation, make sure that you start the search for an attorney right away. The reason time is of the essence is two-fold: one, your boss may pressure you into signing something that’s not necessarily in your best interests–they usually want to get injury cases resolved quickly and so may put pressure on you before you contact an attorney; and two, the right work injury lawyer can guide you through the early stages of the process (and beyond) to ensure that you’re gathering all the records you need for your case.
Work injury lawyers are the experts here–they know what kind of documentation you’ll need from a doctor and when you’ll need it. They know what’s likely to happen next throughout the process and can offer you advice on handling each next event (for instance, if your boss makes unreasonable demands, your work injury lawyer will be able to advise you on what to do).
So, how do you go about finding a work injury lawyer? As with hiring any professional, your best bet is to ask around. If you have a family attorney, ask him or her first–lawyers tend to be a great judge (pardon the pun) of which lawyers in other fields are great and which are less reputable. Ask friends, family members, neighbors. And don’t just ask them who they’d recommend–ask them who they’d *hire* and why. See, sometimes you want to hire a work injury lawyer who might not be the nicest person in the world, but who will be the best at getting the job done. It’s not that personality doesn’t count, it’s just that getting the job done right might just be more important to you than making a life long friend during the process.
If no one in your network can recommend a work injury lawyer, your next step is to go beyond your network and ask your friends to ask their friends. The reason you don’t go straight to the yellow pages or search engines is that you still want to see if you can find a great injury lawyer by word of mouth–that really is the best way to get a lawyer who’ll do a great job for you.
If even after all this asking you still can’t find someone with a recommendation for a work injury lawyer, then yes, it’s time to resort to the yellow pages or a search engine to find local work injury lawyers. Once you have a list of attorneys, make sure to read “Injury Lawyer Consultation: What to Bring” to prepare for your initial meetings.
