What to Look for in a Personal Injury Attorney
Call the Attorney at (503) 222-4411 
Free Consultation
Trying to find a good personal injury lawyer? Here's a guide to help you find the best attorney for your case.
If you have decided to hire a lawyer, how do you find a good one? We can offer a few hard and fast rules, and a few guidelines.
Hard and Fast Rules
Hard rule #1: Meet with the lawyer before you sign anything. If you have a bad feeling about the lawyer, trust your gut instinct, and go elsewhere. You will have to tell your lawyer everything and be completely honest. It is very difficult to be completely open and honest with someone you do not trust.
Hard rule #2: Make sure your lawyer is willing to go to trial. If you do not get a reasonable offer, your lawyer needs to be able to tell you that, and then be able to do something about it.
Hard rule # 3: Make sure your lawyer explains all fees up front. You do not want any surprises.
Hard rule #4: Make sure your lawyer has adequate malpractice insurance. Even the best lawyers in the world are human, and anyone can make a mistake. One mark of a good lawyer is that he or she is prepared; a lawyer’s mistake should not become the client’s problem. Every lawyer in Oregon is required to carry at least $300,000 in malpractice insurance. A careful lawyer will carry more than that. If your case is worth more than $300,000, you should be sure that your lawyer has enough malpractice insurance to cover you. Do not be afraid to ask your lawyer how much malpractice insurance he or she has.
Guidelines
Guideline #1: Take a look at the Client Bill of Rights at the end of this chapter. Some of them may not be important to you. But decide which ones are important to you, and find a lawyer who agrees to abide by them.
Guideline #2: Specialists beat generalists. If your lawyer writes wills, secures adoptions, and does divorces, he or she may not understand the intricacies of injury law.
Guideline #3: Your lawyer should be a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) and the American Association of Justice (AAJ, formerly ATLA). Membership in these organizations shows that your lawyer is proud of what he or she does, cares about justice, and is willing to put money and time toward the cause of justice. A good lawyer should also be a member of the Oregon State Bar, the Multnomah Bar Association, and at least a couple of other justice-related organizations as well.
Guideline #4: Ask around. If you can get a referral from someone you trust, that is an excellent place to start. But be aware, a lawyer who did a divorce or reviewed a real estate deal for a friend may not be the right lawyer for an injury case.
Guideline #5: If you want the personal touch, ask the lawyers you call how many cases they handle at a time.
Guideline #6: If you have a smaller case, educate yourself about ORS 20.080.
Guideline #7: Your lawyer should be licensed to practice in Oregon. An out-of-state lawyer will not be familiar with Oregon law. Out-of-state lawyers can try to settle Oregon cases, but if they have to file a lawsuit, they will probably have to join up with an Oregon lawyer, and they won’t know Oregon law.
Guideline #8: Your attorney should educate you.
Guideline #9: Interview more than one attorney before you hire anyone.
Guideline #10: Beware of an attorney who rushes you into signing. Your lawyer should encourage you to take your time and make an informed decision.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joshua Shulman and Sean DuBois
Joshua Shulman and Sean DuBois are partners with Shulman DuBois LLC. Shulman DuBois is a premier personal injury law firm in Portland, Oregon. Specializing in client care, each case that our firm takes is treated with personal attention. We pride ourselves on communicating with, and educating, our clients at all times.
Copyright Shulman DuBois LLC
More information about Shulman DuBois LLC
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
Hard and Fast Rules
Hard rule #1: Meet with the lawyer before you sign anything. If you have a bad feeling about the lawyer, trust your gut instinct, and go elsewhere. You will have to tell your lawyer everything and be completely honest. It is very difficult to be completely open and honest with someone you do not trust.
Hard rule #2: Make sure your lawyer is willing to go to trial. If you do not get a reasonable offer, your lawyer needs to be able to tell you that, and then be able to do something about it.
Hard rule # 3: Make sure your lawyer explains all fees up front. You do not want any surprises.
Hard rule #4: Make sure your lawyer has adequate malpractice insurance. Even the best lawyers in the world are human, and anyone can make a mistake. One mark of a good lawyer is that he or she is prepared; a lawyer’s mistake should not become the client’s problem. Every lawyer in Oregon is required to carry at least $300,000 in malpractice insurance. A careful lawyer will carry more than that. If your case is worth more than $300,000, you should be sure that your lawyer has enough malpractice insurance to cover you. Do not be afraid to ask your lawyer how much malpractice insurance he or she has.
Guidelines
Guideline #1: Take a look at the Client Bill of Rights at the end of this chapter. Some of them may not be important to you. But decide which ones are important to you, and find a lawyer who agrees to abide by them.
Guideline #2: Specialists beat generalists. If your lawyer writes wills, secures adoptions, and does divorces, he or she may not understand the intricacies of injury law.
Guideline #3: Your lawyer should be a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) and the American Association of Justice (AAJ, formerly ATLA). Membership in these organizations shows that your lawyer is proud of what he or she does, cares about justice, and is willing to put money and time toward the cause of justice. A good lawyer should also be a member of the Oregon State Bar, the Multnomah Bar Association, and at least a couple of other justice-related organizations as well.
Guideline #4: Ask around. If you can get a referral from someone you trust, that is an excellent place to start. But be aware, a lawyer who did a divorce or reviewed a real estate deal for a friend may not be the right lawyer for an injury case.
Guideline #5: If you want the personal touch, ask the lawyers you call how many cases they handle at a time.
Guideline #6: If you have a smaller case, educate yourself about ORS 20.080.
Guideline #7: Your lawyer should be licensed to practice in Oregon. An out-of-state lawyer will not be familiar with Oregon law. Out-of-state lawyers can try to settle Oregon cases, but if they have to file a lawsuit, they will probably have to join up with an Oregon lawyer, and they won’t know Oregon law.
Guideline #8: Your attorney should educate you.
Guideline #9: Interview more than one attorney before you hire anyone.
Guideline #10: Beware of an attorney who rushes you into signing. Your lawyer should encourage you to take your time and make an informed decision.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joshua Shulman and Sean DuBois
Joshua Shulman and Sean DuBois are partners with Shulman DuBois LLC. Shulman DuBois is a premier personal injury law firm in Portland, Oregon. Specializing in client care, each case that our firm takes is treated with personal attention. We pride ourselves on communicating with, and educating, our clients at all times.
Copyright Shulman DuBois LLC
More information about Shulman DuBois LLC
View all articles published by Shulman DuBois LLC
Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, it is not intended to provide legal advice as individual situations will differ and should be discussed with an expert and/or lawyer. For specific technical or legal advice on the information provided and related topics, please contact the author.
