Here is one that you might not have heard: What is the difference between a mosquito and a lawyer? One is a blood sucking parasite who carries around disease, the other is an insect.
Before you get bit and your family is put in jeopardy, here are a couple of questions you might want to ask your personal injury lawyer who has asked you to sign a contract:
How many cases do you have right now?
Law firms with huge advertising budgets and big overhead tend to take on way too many cases. If the personal injury attorney you are thinking of hiring is carrying over 50 cases at a given time, it is very unlikely your case will receive the type of attention it needs.
At our firm, we limit the number of complex personal injury cases to no more than 10 at a time. We will take on some workers compensation claims which do not require as much individual attention as the remedies are driven by statute. Finally, we handle a handful of serious criminal defense cases but only when we truly believe we can provide the type of attention required in such serious matters.
I may have referred you to this page after we have decided not to take on your case. If that has happened, please understand that our decision not to handle your case does not necessarily have anything to do with the merits. We are very careful with our time and want to provide the best representation we can for the folks to who have agreed to provide us with the opportunity to represent them.
How often do you conduct jury research projects?
Don Keenan of Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the nation’s best trial attorneys. He says, “it is legal malpractice not to conduct focus groups on a significant case.” If the law firm you are considering does not conduct focus groups on a regular basis, and your case may have a value of over $250,000.00, that firm is not prepared to handle your case and you need to find another law firm!
A strange metamorphosis occurs when people go to law school. Not only do many people become bullies, law school graduates have often left their common sense back on campus. Conducting focus groups on a regular basis has not only become common, it is the new standard for attorneys who call themselves trial lawyers.
In addition to working with clients at Foust Law Office, my wife, Heather Foust, owns and operates Seventh Amendment Productions. Through my wife’s business, we have organized and led over 100 jury research projects, more than anyone in the state of Montana. Other attorneys come to us to help figure out how their case will play in front of a jury.
To find out more about Foust Law Office and to inform yourself about your personal injury claim, visit our library and other sections of our website. We are constantly adding new material, and there is no cost for any of the educational information we provide.