Believe it or not there are 26,459 active, resident practicing attorneys in Georgia. How do you choose the one that best fits your situation? It can be overwhelming to say the least. Please note: the below suggestions constitute my opinions only. I have been plaintiff’s litigation legal assistant specializing in cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death involving aviation accidents, automotive and general products liability, car, truck, and construction accidents, medical malpractice, and premises liability for over 18 years. I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Below are my suggestions for finding the attorney best suited for you.

• Ask your relatives, friends, and business colleagues for a reference. Needless to say, if they will recommend an attorney they have used, then they were satisfied with the services provided.
• Do you have a friend or relative in the legal profession? Of the 26,000 attorneys listed as active in Georgia, they have staff. Chances are you have a friend, neighbor or relative who is associated with the legal profession. Ask who they would choose if they needed an attorney.
• Contact your local bar association. This could be on the city or state level. Although the attorneys who are listed as members pay a fee to be on the referral list, they must adhere to strict ethical standards and must be in good standing with the state bar.
• Finally, shop around. There is no limit to the number of attorneys you can interview prior to choosing one. I recommend contacting and meeting with at least 3 prior to making a decision.

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But one thing is a certainty whatever case is being dealt with: the amount of cash that the claimant could receive has to be maximized. This truism has recently been dealt a blow by new research claiming to show that insurers are often pressurizing claimants to take an early, lower payout.

The trade union Unite has been on the forefront of a battle against outside influences directly contacting the claimants before they have had a chance to consult with independent legal advice: a practise known in the industry as ‘third-party capture’. One insurance company, Zurich, offered a claimant £4,000 in ‘full and final settlement’ only for the case to be settled later for £35,000. In another case, recently bereaved parents – they’d lost all three of their children in a road traffic accident – were offered £21,000 by Dublin-based insurance firm Quinn Direct. The case was eventually settled for £60,000. The reckless and cutthroat tactics used by the insurance companies knows no bounds: the day after suffering whiplash by being rammed by a learner driver, a woman from Stockport was contacted by a representative from Quinn, who offered her a hire car if she agreed to make a claim within the next six months.

She claims not to have been aware that she was actually waiving her legal right to make a claim for compensation. Whilst her lawyer Jason London, a partner at Leeds based law firm Morrish, has advised her that the waiver is not legally effective in the courts of law, he is still clearly outraged by the matter: “A considerable amount of pressure was put on my client. Visiting an accident victim’s house in the aftermath of a car crash is clearly outrageous”.

Whilst Norwich Union thinks that around 70% of personal injury claims are straightforward enough not to require specialist independent legal advice, the cases looked at above demonstrate that the differences could be huge. If claiming for an injury, it’s probably best to err on the side of caution and get some unbiased help. It may cost initially, but the benefits garnered later on could be priceless.

Jack is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.

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