New
York Personal Injury Lawyers
New York personal injury lawyers help those
throughout the Empire State pursue settlements to which they are
entitled. New York is actually thought of as two regions: New
York City and the rest of the state.
This page focuses on New York personal
injury lawyers who work throughout the state and not the city.
In order to find a qualified New York personal injury lawyer
it is important to first read the general page on personal
injury lawyers in order to know how to screen your choices.
When finished, come back to this section to find out specifically,
how to choose a New York personal injury lawyer to fit your needs.
Outside of New York City, personal injury lawyers work throughout
the state from Niagara Falls and Buffalo to Syracuse to Albany
and everywhere in-between. It is preferable to pick a New York
personal injury attorney who works in the region in which the
injury occurred. A personal injury attorney who has lived and
worked in a particular judicial district for a long time knows
the laws, court procedures and attitudes for that region and has
an advantage over an attorney who is not a "local".
New York personal injury attorneys also need to know the political
climate of the region that they live and work in, since politics
affect laws and laws affect the rights of those injured. For instance,
New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica are heavily
Democratic. The more rural areas of the state, however, tend to
be more conservative and Republican. Knowing this, your New York
personal injury lawyer will be able to represent your interests
more effectively.
When it comes time to interview your pool of prospective New
York personal injury lawyers for possible representation, it is
important to ask many questions regarding the prospect's qualifications
and vision for the claim. Questions regarding how long your prospect
has worked specifically as a New York personal injury attorney
and for how long in his / her particular district are good places
to start. Also, ask about their success rate at trial in regards
to litigating personal injury cases and if the attorney has litigated
any cases similar to yours. Another question that is relevant
is what CLE Courses the prospect has taken recently in order to
stay current in the field of law.
If you would like to test your potential New York personal injury
lawyer's knowledge about current cases, you may wish to ask about
Blair v. Tirado, which involves an automobile accident or Renow
v. A. W. Chesterton Company, which involves an asbestos-related
illness allegedly stemming from a Volvo station wagon. If your
prospective attorney is not up-to-date on these two cases, no
worries but they should be familiar with Samuels & Gallagher
v. New York, which is a current hot civil rights case involving
gay marriage. The attorney doesn't have to be for or against this
kind of union, but should familiar with the case as they should
be aware of all high profile civil cases.
When investigating an attorney for possible representation it
suggested that any disciplinary actions against the lawyer be
investigated as well. New York personal injury lawyers who have
received disciplinary actions can be investigated through the
Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court. Information
such as law school attended and when admitted to the bar, can
be investigated through the New York State Bar Association. In
addition, the bar also gives out attorney referrals unlike many
other states.
When dealing with personal injury cases in New York, patience
is important. The legal pace for personal injury cases in New
York is perhaps the slowest in the nation. For instance, just
obtaining a police report can take 3 times longer in New York
than in other states. Because of the backlog and slow pace, personal
injury cases in New York may take years before they actually come
to trial. The more a person is prepared for a lengthy legal battle,
the more they can exercise the necessary patience to see the case
through to its conclusion.
|
