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At Gonderman Legal, we strongly recommend you interview more than one lawyer or firm.
YOU SHOULD MAKE CERTAIN TO GET THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ANSWERED BEFORE HIRING A LAWYER:
- What types of JURY VERDICTS and SETTLEMENTS has the lawyer or firm achieved for clients? (How much?
How many trials? What results?)
This information is important to help you verify that the lawyer or firm has
actual experience handling large cases. For example, many attorneys who practice in the field of personal
injury have never had a million dollar verdict in a civil case.
- How many jury trials has the attorney tried where there was no verdict for the plaintiff?
- How much EXPERIENCE does the lawyer or firm have handling jury trials in complex cases?
- How many cases is the lawyer or firm currently handling? (How many cases per lawyer?) Is the lawyer or
firm familiar with all their current cases? Can the lawyer recognize ALL of his or her clients by face and
by name?
This is important because some attorneys use paralegal assistants so that an attorney can handle
hundreds of cases. This is a "volume practice" and its success depends on resolving cases with a minimum of
attorney time and involvement. For obvious reasons, this method does not maximize the recovery for each client.
Gonderman Legal limits the number of cases each attorney is handling so that each case is fully developed and
prepared. By doing so, we try to insure that each client gets the best possible result. At Gonderman Legal, we limit the number of
cases we take to try and maximize the recovery for each person we represent.
- Who will be the lawyer actually handling my case? Will it be the same lawyer I am meeting with, or a junior
lawyer I have not met?
Again, some firms have a lead attorney initially meet with a client, but then the case is
handled by either a paralegal assistant or a junior, less
experienced attorney. You need to know who will actually
be handling your case. At Gonderman Legal, attorneys, not paralegals, handle all critical aspects of your case.
- Will a paralegal instead of a licensed lawyer be doing any of the work on my case? If so, how much?
At Gonderman Legal, we believe that critical decisions in a serious personal injury case should be made
by a seasoned trial attorney, not by a paralegal assistant. At Gonderman Legal, each case is directly
managed by a trial attorney.
- Will I be able to get in touch with my lawyer when I have questions about my case?
At Gonderman Legal,
we pride ourselves in making sure we return calls and correspondence from our clients promptly.
- Will the lawyer or firm advance the expenses necessary to prosecute my case, or do I have to pay these
expenses as I go?
A serious injury case may cost thousands of dollars to prepare. Some firms expect the
clients to pay these expenses as they go. At Gonderman Legal, we advance those expenses we feel are necessary
to fully prepare your case. If we do not make a recovery for you, we do not charge you for these expenses.
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