When a loved one passes away due to circumstances that you may consider to be suspicious, it is important to take legal action right away. If someone died under circumstances that were suspicious or if they died due to the result of someone's actions that could have been preventable, you may have grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
You are going to need to hire an attorney to represent you. When you are looking for a wrongful death attorney, there are certain traits or things you should look for.
Thing #1: Direct Experience with Similar Types of Cases
First, you are going to want to look for an attorney who has experience with your type of wrongful death cases. Not all wrongful death cases are the same.
For example, it takes a different skillset to build a wrongful death case against product manufacture for a product that malfunctions than to build one against an employer due to a construction worksite accident. Wrongful death is a broad area of law, so you want to find someone with experience with the type of case you are bringing them.
Thing #2: Who Will Be Working on Your Case
Second, it is important to find out who will be working on your case. You are going to want to find out if the attorney that runs the firm will be working on your case or if associates will be working on your case with the primary attorney overseeing the case.
It is okay if an associate is working on your case, but you want to make sure that you are billed at a lower rate for the work that an associate lawyer versus a partner lawyer does on your case. You also want to make sure that the partner lawyer is overseeing your case.
Thing #3: The Time the Attorney Has to Dedicate to the Case
Third, find out how much time the attorney has to dedicate to the case. You can ask the attorney what type of caseload they are carrying.
You want to find an attorney who is not overloaded with too many cases. You want an attorney who has the time to address your case, and you don't want to work with an attorney who has so many high-profile cases that they will not be able to fully develop and work on your case.
Thing #4: Check Out the Attorney's Background
Finally, you need to check out the attorney's background. You should call the state bar association or check their website and make sure the attorney doesn't have any disciplinary actions against them. You should also look up the reviews for the attorney to see what past clients had to say about working with the attorney.
When looking for an attorney to help you with your wrongful death case, you want to find an attorney who has worked with your specific type of case before. You want to find an attorney who has time to work with your case. Be clear about who will be doing the work on your case, as that will impact your billing. Finally, always check out an attorney's background with the state bar and look at reviews online before deciding who you want to work with.
To learn more, contact a wrongful death attorney.
