Some people are unlucky enough to be born with a disability or live through an injury that causes one. These disabilities can either be temporary or permanent. But, temporary could also mean years of someone’s life. During those years, the person is unable to function properly, go to work, or even take care of themselves.
Even the simplest and smallest disability could alter your life permanently. If you are in such a situation, you definitely should consider filing a disability claim. But, to win that claim, you will have to hire a good disability lawyer. Unfortunately, finding a professional, experienced and reliable lawyer is never an easy task. This is true for any kind of lawyer.
Because of this, it is very important that you do enough research beforehand to ensure that you are hiring an expert that can help you win. Otherwise, you might end up with a rookie that does not have any kind of experience with your type of case. To make your hiring process a little bit easier and simpler, we decided to write this article to provide you with several useful tips.
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1. Look for a licensed attorney
It is true that it is possible to hire a non-licensed lawyer to help you with this kind of claim and it may end up being cheaper for you because they usually offer lower fees, but the benefits you will get out of a licensed attorney are much better.
So, if you are looking for someone that is going to ensure that you will win this disability claim, you should be looking for someone with a license.
Usually, these professionals have a lot more experience with all kinds of different cases. And, if the case has to lead to court, they will know exactly what to do and how to handle the entire process.
To get this information, I suggest asking the attorney whether they have a license or not. If they do, they should show you the documentation.
2. Office location
For a lot of people, this may not be the most important factor, but we believe that it should be. It is one of those benefits that is going to make this entire process so much easier. It is much better for an attorney to have an office that is located somewhere near your area, instead of having to drive out to another town for miles and miles.
Also, this increases the chances of the attorney doing home visits. This is especially important for people with disabilities. If you have trouble traveling work getting out of your own home, it is much better for the lawyer to come to your house instead of going to their office. Again, this is not a vital factor, but it is something that you should consider when hiring a disability lawyer.
3. Experience in disability claims
Naturally, you are looking for a professional that already has a lot of experience with cases similar to yours. Someone that has dealt with dozens of disability claims. With the help of such an expert, the chances of being denied or terminated by the insurance company are much lower.
So, if you are searching online, you should probably be looking for attorneys that have at least 10 or 15 years of experience in this area as suggested by www.disabilitylawyertoronto.ca.
An experienced lawyer will not care whether you have short-term, long-term, or even a psychiatric disability. If it is something that is legitimately impacting your quality of life, they know that you deserve compensation.
4. Fees
It is no secret that lawyers are expensive. It does not matter what kind of situation you are in. Every legal situation is long, complicated, and stressful. Because of this, attorneys have to invest hours and hours of work to help you win. This ultimately leads to high fees.
However, usually, these disability lawyers usually do not request any kind of upfront fees. This is a great benefit, especially if you do not have any money at the moment. But, if you do manage to win your claim and you get all of the benefits, you will have to give out a certain percentage of it.
Often, these lawyers charge about 15% to 25% of the total compensation once the case is closed. But, these lawyers also put in a maximum fee which is usually around $5000 or $6000.
Of course, that is a lot of money, but considering that you would not have one without their help, these professionals are definitely worth the money. It is very important to keep this in mind because if you do manage to find an attorney that is asking for a lot of upfront money, it is best that you avoid them.
5. Talk to previous clients
To truly find out the experience and history of a disability lawyer, you should probably go through their previous clients and cases. A professional attorney will be more than willing to provide you with all of their previous cases and even contact information regarding their previous clients.
Once you get into contact with those clients, you can ask them about their experience with the attorney that you are currently considering hiring. Obviously, if all or most of the experiences are positive, you have found a legitimate and reliable attorney to help you with your case.
6. Read online reviews
If for some reason you do not feel comfortable calling those previous clients for info, you could always resort to online reviews. These days, there are reviews available for anything. In other words, you will probably be able to find reviews for the attorney that you are considering.
If most of the reviews are positive and if all seems well, it is probably time to hire that attorney.
With the six tips that are listed above, we are certain they will help you with your searching process to find the perfect disability lawyer. Once you find the right one, you will surely be able to win your disability claim and get those benefits you deserve.
