Size of Your Personal Injury Firm
Should you select a sole law practitioner (just one lawyer) or will a large law firm better serve your needs? There are several factors to consider when selecting your personal injury law firm. If you are uncertain about your case, interview two or three law firms and select the one that seems most responsive to your case.
Not all law firms are right for everyone. A small law firm of just a few lawyers may not have the experience and resources of a large firm. However, a small firm is likely to take more time to listen to you as a client and spend more time on your case. In addition, if the lawyer has recently passed the bar or is just starting out on his or her own, you might be able to negotiate a lower price.
If a large firm agrees to take your case, it’s more likely that you will be treated like a number than a person. In addition, you are probably going to spend more time with paralegals than with the lawyers. The same lawyer may not handle your case from beginning to end — so if your case is unique or complicated in some particular way, you may get frustrated repeating the circumstances of your injury to a new lawyer every time you deal with the firm. Large firms operate like well-oiled machines — so if you are a highly emotional person, you might find the environment cold and impersonal.
Medium-sized law firms tend to be a good fit for personal injury. They usually have sufficient experience to know all of the twists and turns of personal injury law. You are more likely to deal with the same people during the course of your case. And lastly, personal injury is personal. A medium-sized law firm is going to treat you like a person.