If a family or friend of mine is injured and has asked me what they should look for in hiring an attorney, I would say number one thing is you want somebody you can work with. A big part of that is choosing somebody you trust.
The thing about it is that you have to let them work for you. You have to go on with your life, you have to go to the doctor, get treated and get better. Or if it’s something unfortunately to where you can only get to a certain level and it’s something you’re going to have to live with, you’re going to have to learn how to get used to that.
The big thing with lots of lawyers, some of them say they’re the “guerilla lawyer” and they’re going to fight for every dime. I think that’s just nonsense.
So, the most important thing is trust. You have to trust to let them work for you. You want somebody who’s loyal to you, somebody who’s going to take you seriously. The big thing with lots of lawyers, some of them say they’re the guerilla lawyer and they’re going to fight for every dime. I think that’s just nonsense. I don’t think that that type of thinking and attitude gets you anywhere. I think that that does more harm than good. I think particularly in this area, you want an attorney who’s going to be civil and who’s going to look for a compromise and try to find the best solution for that person.
So, you want somebody who you think can work well with others-Â work with the defense attorney and work with an adjustor to try to get you the best deal possible. In my experience, the best way to do that has always been just through negotiation, good faith, and compromise.
Those are the things. You want trust, you want somebody you find to have good character, somebody you think is loyal, somebody who’s not just looking at your case like it’s just some file, just some potential money for them and their pocket, somebody who’s going to treat you like a human being. I think that’s the big thing, and I think that’s what separates a great lawyer from an average or not good lawyer.