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Michigan Accident Lawyer Qualifications
When You've looking for a qualified lawyer in Michigan to handle a serious truck accident case, here are some tips: Talk with friends, peers and other auto accident victims in Michigan. Read about Michigan law relating to truck accidents. You'll also want to search for experienced lawyers who have handled truck accident cases and who have been recognized by independent third-party sources for their excellence and ability in this challenging area of personal injury law.
Michigan Auto Law has many expert attorneys who help people injured in serious truck accident personal injury or wrongful death cases throughout the entire state of Michigan. We have law offices in Southfield, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Sterling Heights.
Researching the Michigan Truck Accident Attorney
Please refer to the following checklist to determine the most qualified truck accident attorney or law firm in Michigan:
- Refer to biographical information about the specific truck accident lawyer and/or auto accident law firm.
- The attorney should have a lot of experience in truck accident personal injury and wrongful death cases.
- The law firm should have a Web site that provides helpful information to inform and educate you.
- There should be news articles, frequently asked questions and other informational features that the truck accident attorney has prepared to educate and inform other Michigan lawyers and accident victims.
- Seek third-party verification of the law firm and the truck accident attorney's reputation by checking legal publications, such as Michigan Lawyers Weekly, for any positive or negative publicity about the lawyer or the cases that he or she has handled.
- The attorney should be familiar with Michigan and federal laws and guidelines for truck accidents, which are different than for ordinary car accidents.
- The lawyer must be aware of trucking companies' strong defense tactics against those they injure in serious accidents.
- The truck accident attorney should have experience with the extensive discovery needed to prove negligence on behalf of trucking companies in accident cases.
- Find verifiable information about the law firm's record of success for both settlements and jury verdicts. (Note that 98 percent of truck and car accident cases settle versus going to trial, because defense attorneys consider jury success when proposing settlements, and auto insurance companies seek to avoid the exposure of injury cases going to trial. Therefore, a personal injury lawyer with demonstrated ability in trial can increase the value of truck accident injury settlements by as much as five-fold in Michigan.)
- Beware of advertising materials and Web sites that contain self-proclaimed endorsements, such as 'the best, the top, leading,' that cannot be supported by fact or verified by recognized third parties.
- The personal injury attorney should be actively involved with legal associations such as the Michigan Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice and the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America -- not just as members, but as recognized leaders.
- The truck accident lawyer should be a speaker at seminars, an author of publications and a panel expert on handling car and truck accident cases.
- Contact the State Bar of Michigan and Martindale-Hubbell, or visit the Web sites to find out if the lawyer is in good standing. Martindale-Hubbell's AV Rating is the highest for legal ability and ethics, though very few Michigan lawyers and law firms have been given this top rating.
- Avoid the Yellow Pages: The best lawyers don't have to advertise heavily, they earn new client referrals from positive word of mouth or from other lawyers.
Be Wary of National Lawyer Referral Directories
When searching online, be wary of submission forms to large, national lawyer referral directories featuring a wide variety of legal topics. This information is specifically designed to speak to a mass audience versus communicating directly with Michigan consumers about their unique laws and challenges. Furthermore, it's rare that mass directories can truly recommend the most qualified Michigan lawyer for a specific type of truck accident case.
Meeting the requirements of the checklist above will probably narrow your choice to only a couple potential Michigan auto accident law firms. At this point, call the firm and ask to schedule a consultation. To see how Michigan Auto Law measures up before the free consultation, please refer to the verifiable Quick Facts about our firm.
To request a free, no obligation case evaluation with one of our truck accident attorneys, please fill out our contact form and we will respond to your inquiry within one business day. Or to speak to an attorney immediately, please call (800) 777-0028.
The truck accident lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have helped enforce important truck safety regulations to make our roads safer. No other law firm in Michigan has received more jury verdicts or consistently higher settlements for truck accident cases. In fact, the vast majority of our wrongful death and personal injury cases from truck accidents are referred to us by local attorneys, based upon our record of experience and success.
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