There are 1.2 million lawyers in the United States who are currently practicing their profession. They differ significantly in experience, skills, and the willingness to litigate a personal injury case passionately.
However, practicing law doesn’t come with residencies, no state-required certifications, and no mandatory internships, which means that anyone who has a license to practice law can already become a personal injury attorney even if they still don’t have any experience but it would be advantageous to have some experience.
Most successful trial attorneys specialize in a particular area of the law. Some lawyers prosecute cases in some practice areas. However, a lawyer who does everything still doesn’t have enough specialized skills to learn the complexity of personal injury law.
Winning, for example, a car crash, truck accident case, construction accident, or any personal injury case is not easy, and the kind of attorney according to an expert construction accident lawyer nyc who should be working on this kind of cases should have these characteristics:
Honesty
The best lawyers are honest to their clients even if they are telling news that the client doesn’t want to hear. Excellent attorneys inform their clients about possible weaknesses in the case. Honesty can win cases, not flattery.
Experience
An excellent lawyer doesn’t need to have forty years of experience to stand out at trial. Some of the best attorneys are those who are willing to prove that they are worthy in the industry. Lawyers should also be an expert in the field of their practice and it’s better to get a lawyer who previously had many cases like yours. Take, for example, you are working in a construction site in NYC and got injured, consider hiring a construction accident lawyer nyc, rather than choosing a lawyer who’s an expert in DUI.
Trial advocacy is more than just educational training because it is an important skill that must be improved only through real-world practice.
Knowledge of the law
The law is an ever-changing and complex matter. Having a new Supreme Court governing can change the whole field of law. Most excellent personal injury attorneys stay up to date on both recent legal precedent and statutory changes.
The lawyers are also still active in bar associations applicable in their field and frequently attend continuing legal education seminars.
Knowledge about medicine
Personal injury attorneys seldom joke that they also have reserved careers as nurses and doctors. Of course, lawyers are not authorized to provide medical advice. However, an excellent trial attorney should know the topics they prosecute inside and out.
It is important that a highly skilled personal injury lawyer has knowledge of the medical industry since they must cross-examine witnesses.
A lawyer who can understand the detail of the injury, the prognosis and the standard of care can ask incisive questions that may highlight the suffering of the client and make sure that the client gets a fair settlement or judgment.
Respected in the field
It’s hard to judge a lawyer’s skills just by looking at them, most especially if the lawyer lacks experience or legal training within the court system. One of the best ways to evaluate an attorney is to examine how other lawyers view him or her.
The best attorneys get the respect of their colleagues, even if they sit on the opposite sides of a case.
Commitment to the case
The excellent personal injury attorneys want more than just the paycheck because they want to seek justice for their clients. It encourages them to act as passionate advocates for their clients, even if the case is very challenging and the different council is hesitant to entertain reasonable settlement offers.
Excellent trial and negotiation skills
Excellent trial attorneys are of course, best in court cases. Preparing for the trial must begin long before the trial itself. The clients should see how effective a lawyer is at negotiating on their behalf.
A lawyer should have a good working relationship with the opposing counsel and can effectively communicate with the client. Trial advocacy needs excellent social skills to tell a convincing story.
Takeaway
There are many lawyers nowadays with enough knowledge to address a personal injury claim successfully. An attorney who can represent the client’s interest in court or just needed for a personal consultation on an ongoing negotiation should be a good personal injury lawyer, exhibiting most, if not all of the characteristics stated above.
Author’s Info
Michele S. Mirman is the founding partner of Mirman, Markovits and Landau in addition to being an award-winning personal injury lawyer with over 43 years experience. She has won over $1 billion in awards and settlements for her numerous, long time clients. Michele is known as a tough negotiator and an excellent trial lawyer. She has served on judicial rating committees for different New York State organizations, earned Lifetime Achievement to America’s Top 100 Attorneys, is recognized as a high stakes litigator and enjoys an outstanding 10 ranking from Avvo.
