Skip to main content

How to Pick a Medical Malpractice Attorney



If you feel you are a victim of medical malpractice, it is important to locate a qualified medical malpractice attorney. Be cautious of lawyers advertising on TV, and especially of advertisements interested in adding your name to a class action suit. Victims in class action suits often receive far lower compensation than individual plaintiffs, as the lawyer earns his fee as a contingency of the entire award, not just yours.

Interview a Medical Malpractice Attorney

Like anything else, it's important to interview your medical malpractice attorney. Visit several; most have free consultations in which you can offer the details of your case and allow them to determine whether or not it is in their best interest to provide legal services to you. It is important to realize that your medical malpractice attorney will probably work on contingency, which means he'll only get paid when you are awarded a settlement or judgment - so if he doesn't think he can win, he won't take it.

Pick a Medical Malpractice Attorney

Most people start with asking people they know - networking can be very useful. If a friend or family member has used the services of a medical malpractice attorney, ask if they were happy with the representation and, if so, call their lawyer and ask for a consultation. Steer away from public solicitations on TV - if a lawyer doesn't make enough money without advertising for business, there has to be a reason.

Question the Qualifications of a Medical Malpractice Attorney

Don't be afraid to ask for the type of experience and length of time the medical malpractice attorney has. Has he ever tried a case like yours, what were the results? Is he intimidated by doctors and hospitals? This might not be evident until you see him at work, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Ask how many cases have been settled out of court, and how many have gone to trial. Ask for a record of accomplishment - if he doesn't have one, look elsewhere. If he has never tried a case like yours - find someone who has.

Not All Cases End Favorably

Even with the representation of the best medical malpractice attorney, not all cases end favorably. In addition, cases are not tried and settled in a short period of time. Many last for years, and once a settlement has been awarded, it may take several more years to get any type of payment, because the decision will probably be appealed. If you are terminally ill, it is possible you won't survive the outcome of the trial-this is an important consideration.

Popular posts from this blog

There Is Little Chance That You Will Win That Medical Malpractice Law Suit

Out of the every five cases that make it to court, only one medical malpractice law suit comes out ahead. This is pretty bad odds by any standard. This happens because the strength of any medical malpractice law suit depends upon the ability of the medical malpractice attorney to put up the technical and non-technical medical terms in a simple and legible language both for the jury and the judge. It also depends upon the capacity of the medical malpractice attorney to gather the required information to back the case. It takes a lot of effort to prove the merits of a medical malpractice law suit and since it involves a lot of expenses, most of the people prefer to settle for out-of-court offers. It easier for the aggrieved person to accept an apology and a modest sum of compensation money, than spend his/her time and money pursuing justice in the court of law - that may never happen in the end. What It Takes To Improve The Chances To Win Your Medical Malpractice Law Suit The claimant ne...

Facing Confidentiality and Electronic Medical Records Concerns

With more and more hospitals employing the electronic medical record as their standard data collection, storage and retrieval system, there are those who are concerned with the risks in the confidentiality and electronic medical records system. The old way of doing things required a lot of paperwork. This meant more office space was allotted for record keeping. This usually meant a filing cabinet with a key as its main security defense against other people. The talk of confidentiality and electronic medical records keeping true to that sense is only a hype, or fluke. The concerns of confidentiality and electronic medical records falling into the wrong hands are grossly exaggerated. To put these concerns on confidentiality and electronic medical records intrusive capability, the software developers have added several security measures to insure that only those who need to know about your information get it and the information that the doctor is reading is really about you: * ...

Medical Billing Courses

First things are always first. Even though medical billing has been named one of the fastest growing occupations in the medical field industry, this doesn't mean that it's that easy to get into. Before you can call yourself a true professional in medical billing in every sense of the word, first you must learn the ins and the outs of your chosen profession. Fortunately, medical billing courses are not hard to find. Just log into any major search engine and type the words "medical billing courses" and you should be able to find a long list of online programs for medical billing training. The biggest aspect of medical billing courses and training consists of learning medical terminology, numerical codes to ensure proper financial reimbursement, and health care records management skills. Health care records management skills are especially an integral aspect of medical billing courses since a major part of the medical biller's job is to keep paperwork and payments fl...