Why Waiting a little bit to Contact a Personal Injury Attorney can be a Smart Play

Pick me ! Pick me ! Pick me !

Spend five minutes driving down almost any urban highway or watching t.v. or radio at an opportune time and you’ll see or hear them.

Billboards. Buswraps. Radio and T.V. ads.

“Call now.”; “Don’t wait.”; "Available 24-7!"

The message is remarkably consistent - "Pick me!", "Pick me!", "Pick me!"

It leaves many injured people believing they need to hire an attorney immediately or risk losing ... something.

For a very small percentage injured people there is truth hidden in that message- there are legal deadlines and they’re important.

But the overwhelming majority of injured people have no need to contact an attorney in the first days or weeks after an injury.

Your first obligation is to your health. In the first days and weeks after an injury-causing incident ... get evaluated, get stabilized, get treated and get on the road to your best possible recovery.

At the same time, to the extent it is possible, one of the best things you can do after an injury is begin learning about your claim.

• Understand your insurance.

• Learn what information relating to the accident should be preserved.

• Find out what questions you’ll eventually need to have answered.

• Become familiar with the process ahead.

None of that requires you to hire anyone.

Think of it the same way you would a major medical procedure.

Most people wouldn’t schedule surgery after talking to a doctor with whom their only connection is a billboard on a highway.

They would gather information.

Ask questions.

Understand their options.

Only then would they decide whom to trust with their health.

Hiring an attorney after an injury deserves the same thoughtful approach.

Why the Advertising Sounds So Urgent

This may surprise you.

Data shows that a large number of people shopping for personal injury attorneys contact only one attorney before making their hiring decision.

From a marketing standpoint, every law firm understands that. Er. Or certainly seems to.

That’s why so much advertising focuses on getting that first phone call.

It’s not because every injured person must immediately hire an attorney.

It’s because the first attorney contacted often becomes the one who gets hired..

Most Cases Don’t Require a Same-Day Decision

Very few, if any, injury claims require you to decide who your attorney will be within hours—or even weeks—of an accident.

In fact, after an injury causing incident, many people don’t yet know the answers to some very important questions relating to how their claims:

• How serious are the injuries?

• Will surgery be necessary? Will a second?

• Will they recover completely? What will their limitations be once they've recovered as much as possible?

• Will they miss work and, if so, how much?

• How will the insurance companies respond?

Those answers often develop over weeks or months.

Making a thoughtful decision about legal representation after you’ve had an opportunity to understand your situation is usually far better than making one because a billboard got you thinking a clock was running out that afternoon.

Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney Is Different Than Choosing a Tow Truck Operator.

There are situations after an accident that truly are urgent.

Assessing injuries and getting medical treatment.

Moving hazard-creating disabled vehicles.

Getting people out of harm's way.

Those decisions have to happen immediately.

Choosing the lawyer who may represent you over the course of a year or more —is different.

That’s a relationship.

It’s worth taking enough time to ask questions.

To meet with more than attorney to compare.

To understand take in how they communicate and respond to you.

To learn how their fees work.

To determine which of several great candidates feels like your best fit.

Those aren’t decisions that should be rushed. They needn't be rushed.

Talk to More Than One Attorney Before you Choose

One piece of advice I have given for years is surprisingly simple.

Take advantage of free initial consultations. Talk to multiple attorneys. Then choose.

You don’t owe your case to the first person who answers the phone.

Ask each attorney how they approach cases like yours.

Ask who will actually handle the file.

Ask how often you’ll receive updates.

Ask how expenses are handled.

Ask about trial experience.

And, yes, ask about fees.

You may discover that the attorneys are more different than you expected.

Confidence Should Replace False Urgency

One thing has always bothered me about urgency-based advertising.

It encourages people to make an important decision while they’re frightened, overwhelmed, medicated, and often still trying to understand what happened.

That’s probably the worst time to make a life-changing decision.

I’d much rather see injured people become informed.

Understand the process.

Know what questions matter.

Then decide who has earned their trust.

Confidence is a much better reason to hire an attorney than fear.

The Balance

If you’ve read our companion article, Why Waiting Too Long to Contact an Attorney Can Create Serious Problems, you may wonder whether these two ideas conflict.

They don’t.

In fact, they fit together perfectly.

Learn early.

Protect your rights.

Understand the process.

But don’t confuse learning with hiring.

You don’t gain anything by delaying the hiring decision until important opportunities have been lost.

And you usually don’t gain anything by hiring the first attorney you see before you’ve had an opportunity to make an informed decision.

Those two ideas can both be true.

That’s Why We Created Paul’s Guide

Paul’s Guide wasn’t built to convince people to hire a particular attorney.

It was built to help injured people become informed enough to choose one wisely.

Sometimes that means asking better questions.

Sometimes it means comparing more than one attorney.

Sometimes it means negotiating better fee terms.

But it always means putting the injured person—not the marketing system—at the center of the decision.

That’s where it belongs.

General information—not legal advice. Paul’s Guide is not a law firm. This article provides general educational information and may not address every fact, exception, jurisdiction, or change in the law. Legal rights and deadlines vary based on the circumstances and applicable law. Reading this article, by itself, does not create an attorney-client relationship with Paul’s Guide or Paul Zimmerman. For advice about a specific claim, promptly consult a lawyer licensed in the appropriate jurisdiction.