If there is one priority more important than any other when taking a doctor to court over malpractice, it is finding a good lawyer. It is imperative that this be done if you hope to be successful. Here are some things to watch out for while conducting your search. If there is one priority more important than any other when taking a doctor to court over malpractice, it is finding a good lawyer. It is imperative that this be done if you hope to be successful. What you have to remember is that you are suing an insurance company, nine times out of ten. These insurance companies don’t make their profits by paying out exorbitant settlements, regardless of who is in the right and who is in the wrong. For that reason alone, they have the best lawyers possible working for them. If you go in with someone who is only going through the motions or who doesn’t have the instincts for this kind of war, you stand a very good chance of losing. Here are some things to watch out for while conducting your search.
First of all, you’ll want a lawyer who works solely for the plaintiffs in these situations. This won’t be difficult to find, as it describes most firms. Few attorneys work both sides of the aisle, as it were. But if you come across an attorney who sometimes represents doctors and sometimes represents patients, you may want to take a step back. You want a specialist. That doesn’t mean they have to take on only malpractice cases. But they should be a regular advocate for those who have been wrongly injured or affected by negligence and malice. Being a good legal advocate should be about more than simply getting enough money to buy a second home or putting in a pool. The lawyer you hire should believe in something. And that something should be your case.
While conducting your search, you should remember that your typical malpractice lawyer will turn down more cases than they take on. There are a few reasons for this. The most obvious is that they can be extraordinarily time-consuming and not easy to win. This is due to the legal system being heavily biased in favor of medical professionals. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The vast majority of doctors are trying to do the best job possible. Sometimes things go wrong. The patient is looking for someone to pay, but if it doesn’t come down to incompetence or proven negligence, there isn’t going to be a malpractice decision. If many firms have turned you down, you may need to take a step back and examine your case.
One good thing about living in the time we do is that it is easier than ever to get relevant information on almost any topic. This includes information about lawyers in your area. Go online and learn what you can. Visit lawyer websites and see what they have to say about themselves. But don’t stop there. Visit message boards and other places where people in your community are talking. Look up individual attorneys in a news search. All of this information can help you make a better decision about who to hire.
You can check out our Case Results page from our list of cases handled.