Medical malpractice is a serious and all-too-common violation of the health field. Any surgeon who has been in practice for a long time has probably flirted with being sued on this basis at one time or another. In many cases, the charges are without merit. As opposed to what you may believe from watching television, the vast majority of healthcare practitioners are competent and good at what they do. That doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes, however. When those mistakes endanger your health, you may need to get a lawyer involved. Here are the questions you need to ask a lawyer before hiring them to take on your case.
Who Will Be Handling the Case?
When meeting a lawyer for a medical malpractice case, you need to know who will actually be handling the day-to-day workings of the case. A lot of clients automatically assume that the attorney they are speaking to in an initial consultation will be the same one they will be dealing with later on. This is often not the case at all. This can lead to disappointment later on. Part of an initial consultation is feeling out whether or not you can work with this person. You can hardly make that call if the person you’re talking to isn’t who will be working with you later.
What Experience Do You Bring to the Table?
Too many potential clients feel as though they are the ones being interviewed during an initial consultation. While this is true to an extent, it is far from a one-way street. A lawyer may be making the determination of whether he is willing to take on your medical malpractice case, but you’re also deciding whether you want him to. Ask him to tell you what qualifies him to be your lawyer. What experience does he bring? What education? Is he a member of any related organizations? What cases has he been involved with lately? The answers can shed a lot of light on your decision.
What Is Your Fee Schedule?
If you’re hiring a lawyer to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit, you should probably look for someone who works on a contingency basis. If you have a case worth filing, it won’t be hard to find a competent lawyer who will work on these terms. A contingency basis means that they don’t get paid unless you win the case. While this does make a lawyer more selective about which cases he takes on, that is a good thing as well. You don’t want to shell out a lot of money in attorney fees just to wind up with a losing case.
You can check out our Case Results page from our list of cases handled.