Fusion Rental

Copyright (c) 2009 Benjamin Glass

If you have been injured in an accident, you may not actually need a lawyer. But, if you find that dealing with the claim on your own is too overwhelming, you’ll probably want to at least consult with a nationally board-certified personal injury attorney in your area.

How can you tell the difference between an experienced and able personal injury attorney and a “generalist” who also “handles” car accident cases?

Here are some tips:

CALL AND ASK FOR WRITTEN INFORMATION. Don’t agree to a “free consultation” without knowing who you are meeting. Usually, there is no rush with a personal injury claim. While each state is different, most states give you anywhere from six months (to assert a claim against a governmental agency or city) to several years to file your claim. So when calling a lawyer’s office, ask them to send you their “information package on YOUR TYPE OF case.” Ask them to include anything you should read that would convince you to hire them as your attorneys. If they say, “The only way to get this information is to come in,” all you have to do is hang up. Just like buying a high-priced consumer product, you are usually better off doing all of your initial research in the comfort of your own home. You don’t want to be subjected to any high pressure sales tactics, do you?

BEWARE OF ANY LAWYER WHO PHONES YOU FIRST. And beware of a lawyer who has someone else directly solicit you in person after you have been injured. Did someone show up in an emergency room and offer to hook you up with a lawyer? Run. This is illegal in most states. In-person solicitation by a lawyer (or someone representing a law firm) who does not have a prior relationship with you is universally condemned. Some lawyers may contact you by mail after you have been in an accident. No problem with that. You can just throw the letters away if you want.

After you have done your preliminary homework, NARROW YOUR SEARCH TO THREE TO FIVE LAWYERS who appear to be experienced with your legal problem. Make an appointment to interview them. There is no substitute for an in-person interview. No matter how experienced or successful a lawyer is, you must feel comfortable with them. You have to trust them. Many will agree to meet you in your home if you cannot travel to the office.

Now that you have arranged an in-person interview, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS if you are looking for a personal injury or medical malpractice attorney. Remember, the best and most experienced attorneys usually have a line of people begging to hire them. They are usually very selective in choosing the types of cases they will handle. These attorneys will not be insulted or put off by your questions but rather they will welcome them, because it shows you are taking steps to educate yourself.

A sample of important questions to ask:
1. Do you have actual experience handling my type of case?
2. Where can I read about your other cases?
3. Have you won any large verdicts or settlements? 4. Are you board certified by any state or nationally recognized organizations?
5. Do you carry malpractice insurance?
6. Have you been disciplined by your state bar association?
7. Who in your office will be working on my case?
8. What is my case worth?
9. Do you represent any insurance companies at all? (You really need to know where their interests lie. Some lawyers do most of their work for the insurance companies. This may suit you just fine. For others, the appearance of bias would be too much.)
10. Can I take a copy of the written fee agreement home with me to study? (There is no “standard” fee and no standard fee agreement. Do not assume that if you have seen one, you have seen them all.)

And the best question of all: Who else should be on my list of attorneys to consider? This is a great question because the names you see coming up time and time again are as close to a “sure bet” to be the right lawyer as you can get!

All good, competent, honest attorneys will freely share their information with you. These attorneys have as much (or more) work than they can handle. If they won’t give you any other names, then leave! It may be a huge warning sign that they are starving for business-?not a good sign.

Remember, don’t panic and impulsively choose a lawyer without carefully doing your homework. There is no subsitute for taking the time up front to ensure you get the right lawyer for your case.

If you or someone in your family has suffered an unfortunate accident, slip and fall, or you feel you have been the victim of a legal abuse, the best thing to do is to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. Only a lawyer can help you to get the full compensation you deserve. Even if you are insured, you must know that making a claim through your insurance company is a very complicated process and you may need the help of a good lawyer, who has seen countless similar cases and knows the legislation very well. You can hire one of the many experienced Toronto lawyers.

Without professional advice, you could miss the benefits to which you are entitled. Did you know that you might receive compensation after an accident, even if it was your fault, according to Ontario law? It is very important to know your rights before you decide to sue someone. If you are confused about your legal rights, you can talk to one of the proficient Toronto personal injury lawyers.

Accidents are not the only situations in which you are entitled to compensation. If you have slipped and fallen due to bad conditions, such as poor lighting, you have the right to sue the owner of the property for negligence. If you can prove that one could have avoided such an accident, if the property owner had taken certain measures of precaution, then you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering. If the unfortunate event has taken place on a municipally owned sidewalk, you can initiate proceedings against the Municipality or Townships.

Nevertheless, you must provide written notice of your fall to the Municipality in maximum of 10 days. After this period, any legal action is impossible. If you need help with your written notice letter, you can always ask one of the competent Toronto personal injury lawyers. It is very important not to sign any paper without asking your lawyer first. It is understandable that some Toronto lawyers are working for the Municipality, so if you want to win the case, you need equally good lawyers.

Another unfortunate situation that you could undergo takes place when you experience a wrongful dismissal. If your employer has fired you or put you on provisional lay off without good reason, or without giving you previous notice, after having worked there for more than three months on a full time basis, you are fully entitled to compensation. It is the same thing if the employer changes the terms of the employment contract without the employees agreement.

For example, the employer might reduce the salary or change significant conditions such as the working hours, duties or the work location without the employees consent. In such cases, you must contact your Toronto personal injury lawyers immediately. You do not have to suffer any abuse from the employers. You have legal rights that you must defend. Talk to one of the many Toronto lawyers. The size of the compensation you are entitled to receive depends on the length of your service, position, salary and level of responsibility.

Our team of experienced Toronto lawyers is ready to help you solve your legal issues. We understand the pain and uneasiness that you and your family are experiencing and we want to make sure that you receive full compensation for your difficulty. Our dedication and care for our customers has helped us become part of the most reputed Toronto personal injury lawyers. If you are looking for professionalism, you have come to the right place.

Nominations are now being taken for the newly launched Personal Injury Awards which aim to show recognition for firms and individuals which have performed outstandingly in the personal injury field.

They are the first cross industry personal injury awards, launched by Barker Brooks Media. Named the Eclipse Proclaim Personal Injury Awards, any individual or company working in the field can be nominated, including solicitors, barristers, insurers, rehabilitation providers and claims management companies.

Nominations are made online, where nominators can nominate a colleuge, organization or themselves. At the website, judging critera are carefully outlined so that you can judge the suitability of your nomination.

Entries need to be received by 29th of August, ahead of a ceremony which will be held on Tuesday 4th November at the Caf Royal in London.

Those who have been shortlisted and will be invited to attend the ceremony will be informed by the end of September.

The awards are welcomed by the industry, which many feel is often overlooked. Judge Norman Cottington said, there are insurance awards and rehabilitation awards at the moment, but nothing specifically for PI to identify and promote good practice. It is a pleasure to be one of the judges after being involved in PI for the last 43 years.

Fellow judge Tony Goff added, I think its high time that there were awards for personal injury lawyers and all those involved in claims, I am honored to be invited as a judge.

Looking for your first personal injury lawyer can be a unique experience because never before have you had too research a lawyer for such an accident. Perhaps your neighbors have or a family member but more then likely you have never had to find a lawyer to defend in a personal injury case. One of the biggest questions you can face is ‘where do I start?’. This question can make your search seem overwhelming and impossible and you contemplate just forgetting the whole thing. Forgetting it though may be more overwhelming then doing something about it. You have been injured by a wrongdoing and if you don’t stop it someone else may end the same or worse then you.

So what do you look for when you are trying to find the best lawyer to represent your case. First off you should try and find a firm that is highly experienced. You may be rolling your eyes and saying of course that is what I am looking for. However you must realize that more experience often means a higher price. Take into consideration also though that although they may have a higher rate it may end up costing you less. What an experienced lawyer could do in an hour may take a newbie, who charges less, 3 or 4 hours.

Another thing that is important to think about is what kind of firm you are going to. If you have a specific case try and find a very specific firm to deal with it. Don’t just wander into any firm and expect any lawyer to be your best option. Its like doctors. There are doctors that are general doctors that know a little of everything but if you have a skin problem you would be better off to go directly to a dermatologist and get his advice. He has studied your specific problem and therefore is more qualified to advise you. Find a personal injury lawyer they will know better how to help you.

Finally find out if the firm you are thinking about is associated with any large businesses or insurance agencies. These associations my offer you a few benefits but often your case may take second place to the agency or businesses needs. Be careful to find a firm that is concerned about their image because that will help them work harder for you. Image is a very important aspect for lawyers and so finding one willing to work for a good image is a great find.

Press releases were originally used by public relations staff as a method of communicating with the media. However, with the growth of online news syndication websites, such as Google News or Yahoo News, and the typical internet user’s reliance on RSS feeds and search engines, press releases can now be used by personal injury lawyers as a direct-to-prospect marketing tool.

By using a leading wire service such as Business Wire, Market Wire, PRNewsWire or PRWeb, your press releases will not only be sent to hundreds of relevant media outlets, but they can also be syndicated in order to boost your website’s search engine positioning through incoming links.

As a personal injury lawyer wanting to implement internet marketing strategies to get ahead, you cannot ignore the power of the press release in today’s world. However, unless you know how to create a press release that will grab people’s attention, you will struggle to gain visibility.

Here are seven tips you can use right away to maximize your exposure:

1. Choose a Newsworthy Topic: Before writing your press release, make sure it has a purpose. If you simply want to announce you’ve opened a new website or a blog, it is not likely any of the major media outlets will care. However, if you focus on the unique solutions, services and resources that are now available to consumers needing a personal injury lawyer, you’ll receive far more attention.

2. Start Strong: Your headline needs to compel people to read while using targeted keywords that will demand attention. Your headline, summary, and first paragraph should provide a full picture of your news event while the rest of the release will describe it in more detail.

3. Make it Easy to Read: The easier it is to understand your press release, the more likely bloggers and journalists will choose to run with it. Set your legal jargon to the side and discuss your news event with simplicity.

4. Give People a Reason to Visit Your Site: While your press release might be interesting, it won’t always lead people to visit your site. However, by mentioning a special offer for free reports, white papers or information guides, you’ll attract much more attention. Also, having links in your press release will improve your search engine positioning.

5. Distribute the Release: Not only should you use a major press release distribution service, but you should also compile a list of local media contacts that are likely to post news regarding personal injury law. This may include newspapers, magazines, blogs and more. You should also host the press release on your own site and submit it to social media websites such as Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit.

As with anything in law firm marketing, you need to track the results of your press releases to find out what worked best and how to improve it in the future. By measuring inbound links, the number of website visitors that came directly via the press release and the overall effect it had on your business, you’ll quickly see that press releases can be a great benefit when marketing your personal injury law firm on the internet.