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Are You Involved In A Legal Dispute? Find An Attorney
There are many reasons you may need to hire and work with a lawyer. No matter what the reason, there are some helpful tips you can use during your time with a law professional. The advice that follows will help you when you find yourself in need of a lawyer.
Inquire about the fees that you are going to have to pay. You will see that the more experience a lawyer has, the higher you will have to pay. It is best to know the amount an attorney will cost before hiring his or her services. If you cannot pay, you may not have representation throughout the process.
Make sure that you have a decent interaction with any attorney before you invest any money. You may have to spend a good amount of time with your lawyer, so it is important that you choose one that you don't have any issues working with. Take the time to sit down with any potential attorneys and see if you get a good feel for them.
If you meet with a potential lawyer, and he or she states that they will absolutely win your case, thinking about looking elsewhere. There are no guarantees in life, no matter how clear cut a case seems. A good lawyer knows this, and as such, will not make promises they can't keep.
You should establish a budget before you start looking for a lawyer. Go over your finances and assess how much you can afford to spend on a lawyer. You should not let lawyers know about your budget when you ask for quotes but this is a good way to narrow down your research.
It's important to understand that lawyers cannot wreak miracles. If your lawyer says there is no doubt he or she will win the case, do not trust them. With court battles, nothing is a given, so try to avoid lawyers who say this.
When it comes to working with a lawyer, consider your needs before your wants. While you may want an attractive, high profile lawyer who has won for big clients in the past, it's likely unattainable. If you need a lawyer who specializes in real estate, then that is who you choose.
Ask those you know for their lawyer recommendations. You may be surprised at the results here! People you would never have expected to know a good lawyer, may have the best connection of all. It's this word of mouth recommendation that means the most, so take it seriously and make this your first step.
Before you hire a lawyer to take your case, make sure that you look into their credentials. Inquire what law school they graduated from and the states that they took the bar in. This will determine where they are allowed to practice law. You can also look into previous cases that they have won or lost.
Check the desk of the lawyer if you are going in for a consultation. Make sure that he is neat, well-organized and clean. Also, notice his speech when you have a conversation with him. These are very good indicators of how professional he is, and how well he will present your case in court.
Don't pick a lawyer based on an advertisement. You may be interested in someone that goes by "Justice Man" or "Strongarm," but those personas are just to get your attention and your money. Many of these lawyers are compensating for their lack of professional skills. It's always best to do some research on any lawyer before you choose one, and to avoid relying on billboards, radio, magazine and television ads.
In certain states, members of a family could get compensation if a member of that family has died while working. Worker's comp isn't just for the employee, but their family too. A lawyer can help you with confusion about what you need to do and which forms you must complete.
Check out a local lawyer's rates. You can look at local state bar's website for what the average hourly wage is for your area. You could even get further input from loved ones that have hired lawyers. After gathering all of that information, try comparing everything from credentials to personality to determine whether or not a prospective lawyer has reasonable rates. Be sure to watch for set rates and hidden fees.
Do not let your lawyer impress you by using complicated legal terms. If your lawyer uses terms you do not understand, stop them and ask for an explanation. You should know that some lawyers will use this technique to make you feel powerless and present themselves as the ideal solution to your problems.
Always make sure to check out a lawyer before hiring him. Check him out with your state's agency to see if he has any complaints registered against him. You can also get in touch with the bar association of your state. They can inform you if the lawyer has a license in your state, and if he has been disciplined by the bar.
Do you want to be able to email your lawyer? Then you must choose someone who knows what email is! Many lawyers are still in the Dark Ages when it comes to technology, so it is important to contact them through the method you'll use once they're hired to ensure it will work.
The first and foremost characteristic you need to look for in a lawyer is trustworthiness. Although most of them are completely on the up-and-up, a few are not and you need to avoid them. Get a good feel for their ethics and standards in practice before making your decision to hire.
Always be honest and open to your attorney about everything, or else, problems may develop down the road. Lawyers use everything you tell them to create a solid case, so leaving information out will only make things more difficult later on. The lawyer can't share what they're told, so remember this.
When buying or selling a house or get more info car, it is important to have a real estate agent look over the contract to be sure you're not getting into something which could be legally regrettable. You won't understand all the legal mumbo jumbo, but they will, saving you trouble down the road.
You will feel more comfortable with a reliable lawyer. Now that you've read this article, you're better able to find that lawyer you need. Keep it handy and refer to it as necessary.
Auto insurers play hardball in minor-crash claims
Profitable strategy
The cases, CNN found, illustrate a carefully developed strategy to make the victims look like they are trying to defraud the insurers.
But documents CNN obtained indicate profit, not fraud, is the reason companies decided to play hardball in small accidents.
For Allstate and State Farm, according to documents obtained by CNN, the strategy was developed in the mid-1990s with the assistance of consulting giant McKinsey & Co.
Looking for a way to boost profits, McKinsey focused on soft-tissue injuries incurred in minor crashes.
While the McKinsey documents -- numbered in the thousands -- are under seal in courts around the country, CNN saw several of them during a court hearing in Lexington, Kentucky.
Playing off Allstate's signature slogan, one document recommends the insurer put boxing gloves on its "good hands" for those who insist on going to court.
The strategy, according to former Allstate and State Farm employee Jim Mathis, relies on the three D's -- denying a claim, delaying settlement of the claim and defending against the claim in court.
"The profits are good, and as long as the community, the public allows this to occur, the insurance companies will get richer and people ... will not get a fair and reasonable settlement," Mathis said.
Both Allstate and State Farm declined requests for interviews.
In an e-mail, Allstate wrote it did not believe it would "have any real opportunity of being successful in getting you (CNN) to do a balanced report."
State Farm wrote: "We take customer service seriously and seek to pay what we owe, promptly, courteously and efficiently, and we handle each claim on its own merits."
The company also said, "Any attempt to generalize that State Farm adopted consultant recommendations as other insurers is just plain wrong."
A company spokesman sent an additional e-mail, saying that the company did work with McKinsey to improve claims handling but State Farm stopped using the McKinsey program in 1999.
Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute, told CNN insurers do not have a strategy of blanket denial of claims. He also said strategies to limit expenditures on minor-impact crashes are needed to fight fraud.
Hartwig specifically singled out lawyers who he claims make a living on car accident victims, saying those lawyers are upset because "the gravy train is over."