Very few people look forward to hiring a personal injury attorney. If you’re hunting for one, that probably means something in your life has gone wrong. You either suffered an injury, or you’re ill, and now you want to hold an entity or individual responsible.

Now can be one of your life’s most challenging times. You’re dealing with whatever hurt you or made you sick, and you might not be at your best.

The lawyer you choose if you want to sue the person or entity that wronged you matters a great deal. You need to find someone who you feel can best represent your interests. There could be a lot of money on the line.

Here are things to consider as you look at your shortlist of possible personal injury attorneys.

Where Did They Go to Law School?

One of the critical things to look at when deciding whether to hire a personal injury attorney is where they went to school. If they went to some college you’ve never heard of, that’s not a point in their favor. 

Some of the best law schools include:

• Harvard
• Penn State
• Stanford
• Columbia

There are many other accredited law programs, and you may not have heard of all of them. If you’re not familiar with the law school from which a potential candidate graduated, it’s not a bad idea to at least learn a bit about the program.

If it’s a complete unknown, you might decide to go with another option. You’ll feel more confident if you know your lawyer graduated from a school that individuals in the law community revere.

Do You Get Along Well with Them?

You don’t need to invite your personal injury lawyer to Christmas dinner, but at the same time, you should get along at least okay with them. That’s because:

• You want to feel they genuinely care about you
• You and this individual will be spending quite some time together

You and the lawyer you hire will have to spend days or even weeks together planning your lawsuit details. If you can’t stand each other, there’s no reason to hire them. You do not want to put yourself through that.

Someone can be an excellent lawyer, but they still might rub you the wrong way. Some people don’t get along, and if that’s true for your lawyer, it’s best to go with someone else.

Have They Handled Lawsuits Like Yours?

You should also ask any lawyer before you hire them how many lawsuits they have handled similar to yours. Ask for specifics and what the outcomes were in those instances.

If a lawyer has never handled a suit like yours, it’s best to hire someone else. It’s nice to give a neophyte lawyer their first opportunity, but you want someone experienced. There is too much riding on the lawsuit’s outcome to hire a rookie to represent you.

What Resources Can They Use to Help You?

Any personal injury lawyer you hire should also have resources that can help you win your lawsuit. They might have investigators on retainer.

They can put these individuals to work, finding out any details you can use at trial if it goes that far. Investigators can turn up any evidence to help you prove your event version if the individual or entity you sue claims something different happened.

If you hire a lawyer from a more prominent firm, they’ll likely have first-class investigators. If you hire someone who’s just starting in this field, they probably won’t have such resources.

What is Their Pricing Structure?

One more thing to look at when figuring out which lawyer to hire is how they want you to pay them. Some lawyers insist on cash up front, or they charge an hourly fee.

If you have plenty of money, this might sound okay. However, most people will want to hire a personal injury attorney they can pay on a contingency basis.

This means you don’t pay them anything unless they win the lawsuit for you. Once they triumph, they’ll get a good chunk of your winnings.

It’s often best to have this pricing structure in place because this way, you’re not paying anything out of pocket if you lose. You can go into the lawsuit much more confidently.

Once you’re satisfied you have the best lawyer to represent you, you can go after whoever wronged you. Hopefully, the result is a settlement or judgment in your favor.