ABA Family Legal Guide

Personal Injury

The Basics of Personal Injury Law

If I have suffered a personal injury and think I have a case, how do I go about finding a personal injury lawyer?

Contact a local bar association for referrals to lawyers who handle personal injury cases, talk with lawyers you know, or ask your friends about lawyers they know or have used. You can find the telephone number of the local bar association in your telephone directory. Most lawyers offer free consultations, so you are able to meet with as many as you like. Choose a lawyer you feel most confident about--and comfortable with--to handle your case. Chapter 1, "When and How to Use a Lawyer," gives you more guidance on finding the right lawyer for your case.

Many personal injury lawyers advertise in a wide variety of media, including radio, television, yellow pages, billboards, and newspapers. But remember that the selection of a lawyer is an extremely important step and one that should not be taken lightly.

Keep in mind that the law of torts is constantly evolving. Many areas of tort law are complex and require a lawyer with expertise in that particular area. Particularly if you believe that you have a medical malpractice, product liability, or toxic tort case, use care in selecting counsel.

If a case is outside a lawyer's usual practice area, the lawyer has an ethical obligation to tell you and may refer you to someone who can better represent your interests.