Wrongful death leads to financial and emotional harm. This absolutely warrants a settlement from the person who caused a loved one’s death. A wrongful death attorney can help you there. Let’s talk about what you should expect from your Houston, TX wrongful death lawyer when you hire them.
What to Expect When Hiring a Houston, TX Wrongful Death Attorney: 6 Things to Look For
1. Excellent Communication Skills
You need a wrongful death lawyer who can effectively communicate. You don’t want to be out of the loop during the process. Effective communication prevents litigation in healthcare, so there was likely a breakdown somewhere that led to your loved one’s wrongful death. Don’t let there be a breakdown between you and your attorney, too: always choose someone you can communicate well with.
An excellent lawyer will always be pleasant and calm while communicating, and they’ll be highly responsive to your questions and concerns. You can also be certain that a good lawyer will break down difficult terms and situations for you, and they’ll never make you feel bad about having any confusion or asking questions about your case.
2. Great Field Experience
An excellent Houston wrongful death attorney will have a solid background in wrongful death cases, giving them great experience in this field. It’s always a good idea to peer into your lawyer’s background during your free consultation with them. Ask them questions about how long they’ve been practicing personal injury law, how much of their practice is made up of wrongful death claims, and what their track record of settlements and verdicts is.
You should expect your lawyer to have great experience in this field, and that will tell you that they will be able to guide you through this process with ease. Your emotional health is likely very fragile right now, so you need someone whose experience makes you confident in their abilities. If they don’t seem to have the best experience, then perhaps ask if one of their colleagues has a better track record or a higher number of cases completed in wrongful death.
3. A Solid Track Record
As stated above, you deserve to work with a lawyer with a lot of experience in this field. An excellent track record will help you see your attorney’s skill in this area. You’re more likely to have success with a wrongful death claim if your lawyer has been highly successful at procuring settlements in similar cases.
Lawyers with good track records are tenacious. They can research clearly and properly present evidence that can prove the at-fault party’s negligence to the full extent. Read over some of their past cases to check on how similar they are to yours. If they’ve won plenty that are similar to yours, then you can be very confident and comfortable with the attorney that you’re working with.
4. Trustworthy Answers
You’re going to be asking a lot of questions during your free consultation with a potential attorney for your case. Now is the time to have a case assessment. Ask their professional opinion, and listen closely to their answers to questions such as:
- What kind of settlement can we realistically expect?
- What factors are working in my favor?
- What factors are working against me?
- Do you think we should go to trial, or is mediation a better choice?
- How long do you see this case taking?
- Is there a case to be made here for medical malpractice?
If you feel you can trust the answers to your questions, then it’s an excellent sign.
5. Inconclusive Answers
While your attorney should be able to answer all of the questions above with relative certainty, there’s one question they should never have a solid answer to: the time frame of this case. Wrongful death cases are notorious for dragging on. They often contain many complexities, and even the best lawyer can’t answer your questions with concrete certainty.
Your lawyer will be able to estimate how long this will take based on similar cases they’ve won in the past, but that answer will always be an estimate. The true time frame could vary considerably. Have faith that your attorney will try to make this case as short and simple as possible, but sometimes there’s just no preventing a drawn-out case, even with the best lawyer.
6. Comfort
If you don’t feel comfortable dealing with your lawyer, then perhaps you should seek help from one of their colleagues, instead. You deserve to be at ease with the attorney you choose, as you may be working together for several long weeks or months as this case stretches on. Always expect your lawyer to try to make you as comfortable as possible, as they understand how vital it is that your mental well-being is taken care of while fighting for your settlement.
Hiring a wrongful death lawyer can be stressful, but you can generally expect a highly experienced lawyer to make you comfortable, communicate effectively, and answer your questions with confidence. Together, you and your lawyer will strive to reach a settlement you can be satisfied with.
