Do I Even Need a Personal Injury Attorney?
Just because you have been involved in an accident, that doesn’t automatically mean that you need to hire a Personal Injury attorney to represent you.  The accident might not have been caused by anyone’s negligence (carelessness), so a legal claim may not exist.  The injuries might be so insignificant that they do not justify the hiring of an attorney.  In these cases, you may not have a valid claim or the claim may not be worth enough to justify retaining a Personal Injury attorney as opposed to dealing directly with the insurance company.

Should I Consult With An Attorney?
Regardless of whether you think you actually need a Personal Injury attorney, it is advisable to meet with one. Such initial consultations are free of charge and allow you to have an expert determine whether or not you have a case and need an attorney.

How Do I Find a Personal Injury Attorney?
Any attorney with money can buy a television commercial, take out a full-page Yellow Page advertisement or put up a billboard.  In my opinion, the best way to find a Personal Injury attorney is to get a referral from a family member, friend or business contact or colleague.  These people have likely had hands-on experience with the attorney and will be able to tell you whether or not the attorney does a good job in these cases.  Once you get the name of an attorney, you, yourself, can perform your own investigation into that attorney’s experience and qualifications in handling Personal Injury cases.

What Questions Should I Ask Prospective Attorneys to See if They Are Qualified Personal Injury Attorneys?
In these days of “tort reform” and increasing jury hostility to Personal Injury claims, it is critical to find a qualified Personal Injury attorney to handle your case.  In my opinion, you should have an attorney who specializes in Personal Injury cases and has knowledge, training, experience and resources necessary to take your case all the way to trial, if necessary.  Here are some good questions to ask prospective attorneys:

• Where did you go to law school?
• Did you have any special training or receive any awards relating to trial practice during law school?
• Do you take continuing education courses related to Personal Injury cases?
• How long have you been practicing Personal Injury law?
• What percentage of your business is devoted to Personal Injury cases?
• Have you handled both sides of Personal Injury cases; that is, the side of the victims (plaintiffs) and responsible parties (defense)?
• Have you actually taken Personal Injury cases to trial lately?
• Do you have sufficient backup and resources to try a Personal Injury case?
• What is your fee structure?
• Who pays the litigation expenses and what happens regarding those expenses if the case does not result in recovery? 

I will answer some of those questions myself.  I have been practicing law since 1995 when I graduated from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware.  In law school I took an Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and an Advanced Trial Advocacy Program.  Upon graduation I received an award for Trial Advocacy, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association James J. Manderino Award for Trial Advocacy. 

I focus my required continuing legal education on courses related to Personal Injury litigation.  I have also completed a Master’s in Trial Advocacy Program at the Temple University Beasley School of Law.  The Master’s Program is the only one of its kind in the country and is focused on enhancing the trial skills of practicing litigators. 

My practice is focused on Personal Injury law, and I currently represent only victims of accidents, no defendants.  Early in my career, I represented both injured victims and a trucking company.  Doing the defense of Personal Injury cases for that trucking company gave me insight into how insurance companies and defense lawyers think. 

Although the vast majority of all Personal Injury cases settle before trial, both I and the other attorneys in my firm regularly take Personal Injury cases to trial.  My firm has many attorneys, paralegals and office assistants who are prepared to assist me in the trial of Personal Injury cases.

In terms of our fee structure, we handle our Personal Injury cases on a Contingent Fee basis in which we charge no fees unless we achieve a recovery for our clients.  We pay all out-of-pocket expenses associated with your case and are reimbursed out of any recovery.  If we do not achieve a recovery for you, we do not require you to pay any fees or expenses.

Tim Rayne, Esquire — MacElree Harvey, Ltd.
211 East State Street, Kennett Square, PA  19348
(610) 840-0124; trayne@macelree.com

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm and is filed under How to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site. Your comments will appear immediately, but I reserve the right to delete innapropriate comments.