812 Ivy Street | Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Since 1999 | Experienced Pittsburgh Lawyers 412.802.6666
Injured victims see a lot of advertisements. However, more advertising does not always mean you are finding the best injury lawyer. If you or a loved one are thinking about a filing a personal injury lawsuit, we recommend interviewing at least three different injury lawyers. You should meet with each of these potential lawyers, and at a minimum, you should be certain to ask these these 10 questions.
Most personal injury fee agreements are based upon the contingency fee agreement. This means that there is no legal fee unless there is a monetary recovery. If there is merit to your personal injury case, rest assured you will find an attorney to take your case on a contingency fee agreement.
Contingency fee agreements are negotiable and typically range between 33.3% to 40%. The standard in Pennsylvania is 40%. However, the stronger the case and more severe the damages, the more negotiable the fee agreement will be. Medical Malpractice cases are almost always 40% because of the significant costs involved. If you have a good case, do not be afraid to negotiate with potential lawyers to find the lowest fee. You only get one chance at recovery in a lawsuit.
Typically not, but be careful. In addition to the contingency fee, lawyers also charge any costs advanced. The costs can be substantial, and are almost always deducted from the client’s share. Make sure your lawyer takes the case whereby you are not responsible for the costs, even if you are unsuccessful. Make sure to ask for a guarantee that you will not be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses regardless of the outcome of the case.
Lawyers are hungry for personal injury lawsuits. There is immense competition and advertising. Do not assume just based upon advertising that the lawyer has handled or tried your type of case. Ask for your lawyer’s experience and results. Ask to speak to former clients, if possible. You need to control the consultation. Do not be intimidated or bullied by the lawyer. You are the one hiring, remember that.
Be very careful about going to the name everyone else knows. Lawyers love to get clients signed up and then sit on the cases, while they sign up additional new cases. This is certainly not all lawyers, but it happens all too often. Lawyers will sign up a client and then wait 12-18 months to file suit, just prior to the statute of limitations. That delay may be harming your case. Ask the lawyer if he will have the full time necessary to devote to your case? You Should ask the lawyer how many other cases he has pending and how much of his time does he plan on devoting to your specific case?
Demand specific answers. Many lawyers do not like to work on specific cases until there is a deadline. We have seen all too often, viable lawsuits sit for a year or two because there was no pending statute of limitations. If you have a lawsuit, we strongly believe that it can be beneficial to file suit sooner than later. Unless there is a justifiable delay in filing, you need to know when your case will be filed.
Your lawyer better be expecting every single case to go to trial. If your lawyer tells you that your case is going to settle, be very cautious about what you are settling for. It is hard to be properly compensated if you are not prepared to go trial. Ask for time frames. It will be hard to give exact answers, but these are relevant questions. Many personal injury cases can be resolved within 2-3 years, or less.
Valuing an injury is difficult, but it is a fair question to ask potential lawyer. Your lawyer should have some idea. It is true that it can be a broad range based upon discovery, liability and unknown medical issues. At the very least, your lawyer should be able to provide a spectrum and explain the unknowns to you. Use your own judgment. Do not be fooled by lawyers who make promises that seem unrealistic. Here is some help to determine What Your Case is Worth.
Be careful about the meet and greet, and then never seeing that lawyer again. Find out specifically: who will be handling your case? Who will be your contact? Who will you be speaking to on the telephone? etc. Be careful about meeting the persons in charge, only to later realize that an associate will be handling your case, when you thought you were hiring somebody else.
This is a very important question. Lawsuits are about teamwork. Make sure you understand your role and what is expected (or not expected) before hiring your lawyer. If you are very passionate about your case, you may want to stay more involved. Will your lawyer let you? Some will and some will not. Regardless, your participation and the ability to work with your lawyer are important to your lawsuit.
Personal injury lawsuits are typically about money. Sometimes, you’ll be in a position to make a change, but a majority of the cases focus on obtaining the maximum recovery for you. You need to hire the personal injury lawyer that gives you that best opportunity for recovery. You only get to try your case once. You need to make the most of it. It is your lawsuit, and you need to be prepared to ask tough questions of any lawyer you are considering to hire.
We believe Flaherty Fardo has the experience, the advocacy skills, the ethics and the commitment to our clients that set us apart. We would welcome the opportunity to interview for yours or a loved ones personal injury case.
If you have any questions about wrongful death lawsuits, Flaherty Fardo offers free consultations. Consults can be done on-line or by calling our offices at 412.802.6666.
Our representation for all Pennsylvania wrongful death and survival action cases is based on a contingent fee structure. There is absolutely no fee unless we obtain monetary recovery. We advance 100% the costs, including experts, filings, and depositions and are only reimbursed from the client’s share if we are successful.
I am an out of State client, over 1500 miles away, and through the 2 years of work on my case I never met anyone from the firm in person, yet they treated me like I lived down the street from the office.
I am very pleased with the professional teamwork, and their patience and timely responses to my requests and to the task at hand. They did all they could do to help with the difficult facts of my case, and I am pleased with the outcome. I would recommend this law firm to anyone with the assurance they would offer the same quality service to them as they did to me. Thank you Flaherty Fardo, Carole J. Boyd
Couldn't have asked for a better experience. They are a wonderful group who are efficient, patient, communicative and do their job very well.
They kept me in the loop the whole time and were extremely helpful. I have used a different firm in the past and this was like night and day. If you are considering using Flaherty Fardo for your assessment appeal (or likely anything else they practice) then you found what you are looking for. A special thank you to Nicole who spearheaded my case and answered my never-ending questions. Top notch!
"Highly Recommended" just isn't enough praise. They are by far the best I have ever worked with.
Professional, but beyond that their personal touch is exactly what a medical malpractice client or personal injury client needs. Noah Fardo is amazing, but the entire firm were great to us. I honestly can't thank Bill Rogel, Nicole Hauptman Amick, and Jaclyn Gibson enough. Thank you all.
I am an out of State client, over 1500 miles away, and through the 2 years of work on my case I never met anyone from the firm in person, yet they treated me like I lived down the street from the office.
I am very pleased with the professional teamwork, and their patience and timely responses to my requests and to the task at hand. They did all they could do to help with the difficult facts of my case, and I am pleased with the outcome. I would recommend this law firm to anyone with the assurance they would offer the same quality service to them as they did to me. Thank you Flaherty Fardo, Carole J. Boyd
Couldn't have asked for a better experience. They are a wonderful group who are efficient, patient, communicative and do their job very well.
They kept me in the loop the whole time and were extremely helpful. I have used a different firm in the past and this was like night and day. If you are considering using Flaherty Fardo for your assessment appeal (or likely anything else they practice) then you found what you are looking for. A special thank you to Nicole who spearheaded my case and answered my never-ending questions. Top notch!
"Highly Recommended" just isn't enough praise. They are by far the best I have ever worked with.
Professional, but beyond that their personal touch is exactly what a medical malpractice client or personal injury client needs. Noah Fardo is amazing, but the entire firm were great to us. I honestly can't thank Bill Rogel, Nicole Hauptman Amick, and Jaclyn Gibson enough. Thank you all.
