When Do You Need To Get A Second Opinion About Your Personal Injury Case?

If the first personal injury lawyer who you talked to was not very optimistic about the prospects of you winning a settlement for your personal injury case, don’t fret. You can always get a second opinion. While it is always advantageous to get a second opinion when the first personal injury lawyer tells you that your personal injury case will likely not win, you may want to consider the following first:

Did you trust the first lawyer?

Since you develop a personal yet professional relationship with any personal injury lawyer in Thousand Oaks, you need to be able to trust him or her. That is the only way you will be able to trust his or her professional opinion regarding a legal issue. You may want to strongly consider getting a second opinion if the trust element is absent in your professional relationship with your lawyer.

Was your first personal injury lawyer competent?

While it may seem obvious and intuitive that all lawyers would have to be competent in order to be successful, this is not always the case. You want to choose a lawyer who you know is competent. You’ll, after all, be able to trust more competent personal injury lawyers much better than one who seems to know much about general and personal injury law than you do!

Additionally, a more competent personal injury lawyer will generally be able to get you a bigger settlement in court. This is crucial if you were involved in a major personal injury accident like a major car accident with an 18-wheeler and suffered substantial expenses and property damage/bodily injuries as a result.

Also, remember that a one-hour initial consultation is not enough time for any personal injury lawyer to give a completely fair and objective opinion regarding the probable outcome of a personal injury case with someone who is not his or her (personal injury lawyer) client.

How to obtain a second opinion?

If you have decided that you need to get a second opinion, do the following:
● Research for a good personal injury lawyer – you did this when finding your first lawyer, so you can do this again
● You have to be careful if there were trust issues with your first lawyer. You will have to thoroughly investigate the second lawyer’s background including the kinds of cases taken and won. This will give you a better indication of the trustworthiness of the second lawyer. It will also tell you if the second lawyer is more competent
● Be sure to ask for references and read honest reviews about the second lawyer. It will give you more insight into his or her true capabilities based on his or her track record.

Indeed, getting a second opinion isn’t difficult but you need a good lawyer in your corner to help you.