Dec 13, 2017

What to Look For in a Workers’ Comp Lawyer

Finding the right lawyer to represent your workers’ compensation claim is important, especially if your claim has been denied by your employer. Workers’ comp law is notoriously complex, so trying to figure it out on your own could be impossible. Insurance companies also jump at the chance to exploit a claimant who is going through the process on their own because they know they are at an inherent disadvantage.

To get your case moving in the right direction, you will want a lawyer who has intentionally focused their practice on workers’ compensation cases. With so many television commercials, print ads, and online marketing methods, find the right legal professionals for your case is more difficult than ever before. How can you know who to trust when your workers’ compensation case outcome could define whether or not you can live comfortably after a workplace accident?

Five Traits of a Trustworthy Attorney

To begin, you need to know what to look for when choosing your workers’ compensation lawyer. Simply choosing a firm at random will not do. You need someone with telltale traits that indicate they know what they are doing.

Five traits that most trustworthy lawyers have are:

  • Experience: No matter how much an attorney knows about workers’ compensation, there is no substitute for real-world experience. A lawyer who has managed cases and claims for years will be ready for whatever your case brings.
  • Reviews: You can learn a lot about an attorney or law firm by seeing what past clients have said about them. Client reviews and testimonials can give great insight into how an attorney manages cases because that person was in a situation very much like yours.
  • Results: Of course, taking cases is important, but winning them is the end goal. Look for a workers’ compensation attorney who has a history of impressive case results, including both verdicts and settlements.
  • Awards: Third-party organizations that award attorneys for excellent achievements have become a trusted source by clients in the digital age. Super Lawyers®, for example, is an international group that does not give annual membership to more than 5% of practicing lawyers in a region. It also makes its selections with a rigorous and patented multistep process.
  • Availability: Lastly, it is usually a good sign when you find an attorney who makes working with them convenient for you. Everything from free case evaluations to bilingual services can indicate that the law firm has plenty of experience because it knows that making things simple and comfortable for clients is paramount.

Locating the Right Lawyer for Your Workers’ Comp Case

Now that you know what traits are valuable in a workers’ compensation attorney, the challenge becomes finding one such attorney. There are plenty of ways to search for a legal professional these days, so you might want to use them all to give yourself a better chance of getting trustworthy names.

The following tips can help you find qualified representation for your case:

  • Ask for recommendations: Do you know someone who was hurt at work? Ask them if they used the services of a workers’ compensation lawyer to manage their claim. Many good attorneys use word-of-mouth and referrals from satisfied customers as a primary way of spreading the name of their firm. You should also ask your friends, colleagues, and family if they know any reliable lawyers. You never know who has had a great experience with a trustworthy legal team.
  • Search the web: The phonebook is a thing of the past. Nowadays, searching for a professional service, including that of an attorney, should be done online. You can refine your search by your city, what type of attorney you want, and more. When visiting a lawyer’s website, see if you can browse results and reviews, as mentioned before. Also, keep an eye open for any professional awards their team has won.
  • Treat your consultation like an interview: If you can schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney, then you are already pointed in the right direction. During that consultation, you should act like you are the interviewer. After all, you are hiring them for their services, just as an employer hires an employee. Your lawyer is likely to ask you a lot of questions, but do not be afraid to ask just as many questions of them. This can help you gauge the attorney’s familiarity with workers’ compensation law and their professionalism.

In Atlanta? Choose Hansford McDaniel – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

You want a lawyer who inspires your confidence and treats you with respect. But you also want an attorney who is not afraid of taking on insurance companies and who can deliver great victories. With more than 20 years of collective experience, our team of workers’ compensation attorneys can do just that! We proudly represent injured and disabled employees in workers’ comp cases filed in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.

Have you been injured at work? Contact us online for a free case evaluation or dial 770-922-3660. Let us help you today!