Georgia Legal Concepts

Questions to ask before hiring a Georgia personal injury attorney or wrongful death attorney

There are several questions prospective clients should ask before hiring a Brunswick personal injury lawyer or wrongful death lawyer in Brunswick, GA because the right questions will help clients select the right attorney and law firm.

The Dow Firm, P.C. can help you find the right personal injury and wrongful death counsel.

Please call our Georgia office at (912) 264-1919 or send us a contact request here to take the next step towards finding the right legal representation.

Below are some of the questions to ask before hiring a personal injury lawyer / wrongful death lawyer and his/her law firm:

• How many cases does the attorney handle at one time and does the attorney handle other types of cases besides personal injury and wrongful death cases?

Georgia personal injury and wrongful death cases are fact intensive and require particular legal analysis which only attorneys – not unlicensed case managers – can provide. An attorney’s case load can bear upon the effectiveness of representation as an attorney spread too thin can be prevented from devoting the necessary amount of time to a particular case. Further, an attorney who is a jack-of-all-trades may not have the particular insights needed to handle some types of cases such as medical malpractice, tractor-trailer wrecks or premises liability matters (such as slip and fall and trip and fall cases). Intimate knowledge of the applicable Georgia case law, statutes, regulations (state and federal) and ordinances (Brunswick, GA and Glynn County, GA) can make all the difference between a successful and a failed legal representation.

• What percentage of an attorney’s cases are brought into suit as opposed to being settled before the suit is filed?

While it is estimated that 96 percent of Georgia personal injury and wrongful death cases are settled before they go to court for trial, every legitimate serious personal injury attorney should be prepared to go to trial for his/her clients and should be comfortable and experienced in trying cases. Many firms boast about their alleged trial skills or advertise about their “mock courtrooms” when, in reality, the same never really get much practice, use or testing at all. Brunswick, GA, St. Simons Island, GA and Glynn County, GA personal injury and wrongful death victims (like victims in all parts of Georgia) need lawyers who can take a case through trial – not just the settlement phase.

• How many cases has an attorney tried before a jury?

Even though most personal injury cases settle out of court, real trial lawyers know that sometimes a trial is necessary in order to get fair recoveries for clients. Insurance companies and defense lawyers know which law firms and which attorneys are afraid to fight (or which firms/attorneys are not really good courtroom advocates) and they will take advantage of such weaknesses knowing that these firms/attorneys will buckle and get their clients to settle for less-than-favorable amounts. Clients definitely want to select a Brunswick, GA personal injury and wrongful death attorney that has tried an appropriate number of cases before a jury.

• Will an attorney give his/her cellular and home telephone phone numbers to his/her clients?

Sometimes clients need counsel at odd hours. For that reason, clients deserve an attorney who can help them around the clock. If an attorney has a reluctance to share his/her cell phone or home telephone numbers, a prospective client must wonder what type of accessibility he/she will have with the personal injury lawyer or wrongful death lawyer after the initial hiring phase.

• Will the attorney or law firm actually handle the Brunswick/St. Simons personal injury or wrongful death case or refer it to another attorney or firm?

Many professed personal injury attorneys and professed wrongful death attorneys claim to be adequately equipped to handle matters pertaining to matters such as serious auto accidents, DUI injuries and fatalities, nursing home negligence, semi or 18 wheeler wrecks, wrong-site surgeries, motorcycle wrecks, medication errors, dog bites, legal malpractice, surgeries with retained surgical sponges, etc. when, in actuality, these law firms only serve as a middle-men that refer clients to firms that actually do the legal work. When prospective clients meet with an attorney, they should find out who will be working on their case from start to finish and whether the attorney in the meeting is going to just refer their case to another lawyer or law firm. If the attorney suggests he/she is going to call a colleague or have another law firm work on the case with him/her, it might be best to keep looking for and hiring an attorney/firm who will be the client’s actual representative, not just a referring source.

General information regarding Brunswick, GA and St. Simons, GA personal injury and wrongful death legal representation

Because of the gravity of the situation in a wrongful death or a serious personal injury matter, detailed attention must be paid to the facts. Unfortunately, what is overlooked by many law firms is that detailed attention in such cases must also be paid to the clients at all times during the attorney-client relationship. At some firms, clients become “files” which get shelved and put away after the first meeting. Service and availability end at the time of hire – they do not last throughout the life of the representation.

Not so at The Dow Firm, P.C.

Though we may not be acquainted with you when you first call, we will quickly get to know you. And you will quickly get to know us. You will interact with and have access to your lawyer not only at the beginning of the relationship, but at all times through the conclusion of your case.

That is your right and that should be your expectation. We never lose sight of the fact we are in the business of solving grave problems that involve real lives. We recognize injured parties (and/or survivors of those wrongfully killed) want access to their attorney for personal advice. Our clients deserve and receive individual guidance and necessary support as they face important legal decisions. That is founding member J. Dow III’s guarantee and approach.

Brunswick GA Personal Injury Attorney – The Dow Firm, P.C.

The Dow Firm, P.C. knows that when the misfortune of a personal injury or wrongful death occurs, a victim’s rights should be timely and effectively preserved by counsel with the experience, the resources and the commitment to address all the complex issues which naturally arise. A good personal injury law firm should be nimble and aggressive, able to quickly gather/secure important evidence and plan and act in advance of future case developments. In the world of personal injury law, bigger does not necessarily mean “better” and a “one-size-fits-all” approach is not sufficient to address the nuances of a unique and particular case.
It is the conviction of The Dow Firm, P.C. that the law firm a client hires should be the firm that represents the client. The firm “hired” should not be a clearing-house which refers the client out to another law firm which can better handle the problem.

And it is our position that already burdened clients should not be forced to navigate a massive organizational bureaucracy – a maze of staff members or “case managers” – in hopes of one day reaching their chosen legal counsel. A client should not feel privileged to talk to his/her lawyer – it should be the other way around.

A personal injury law firm should be concerned with maximizing results for clients, not obsessed with financing the next media campaign in order to bring in more clients. A client’s well-being, not the weight of a law firm’s high-dollar advertising budget, should dictate a representation.

We let the other guys make the “heart-felt” television commercials and flashy internet video-ads. At The Dow Firm, P.C., we are content to make a difference in the lives of the folks who entrust us with their cases.

If you have questions, feel free to contact here or call The Dow Firm, P.C. 912-264-1919.

References are available upon request.