In choosing any lawyer, finding the right match for you and your case is extremely important. One of the most important areas perhaps is medical malpractice, and you’ll want to know ahead of time what to look for when selecting the proper lawyer.
To begin with, what is medical malpractice? Medical malpractice is defined as any act or omission by a physician during treatment of a patient that deviates from accepted norms of practice in the medical community and causes an injury to the patient. Examples of medical malpractice include: failure to diagnose, as when a doctor fails to recognize the true disease, does not diagnose, the the failure to diagnose results in the patient’s death; delayed diagnosis, when a symptom is not diagnosed soon enough, resulting in the patient’s death; Medication errors, as when a doctor or nurse fails to specify the amount of vitamin supplement or other form of medication, resulting in an overdose and patient death; anesthesia errors, as when an anesthesiologist administers the wrong quantity of anaesthesia, resulting in brain damage or death; childbirth injuries, as when a doctor fails to perform a C-section in adequate time, resulting in damage to the infant; or surgery errors, as when a surgeon makes a wrong cut, resulting in injury or death.
If you or a member of your family experienced any of the above categories, you will want to hire a medical malpractice lawyer. When selecting a medical malpractice lawyer, it’s important to look for the following seven things. One, are they rated highly by reviews and and your state’s bar association? Two, find out how much of the firm’s caseload is devoted to medical malpractice; the more experience they have in this area, the better. Three, find out what portion of cases go to trial, instead of settle. Four, ask about the attorney’s fee agreement and payment of case costs. You should be able to hire your lawyer on a contingency fee basis, meaning that he or she will collect a percentage of any money collected through settlement. Five, a good medical malpractice lawyer may be too busy to meet with you face-to-face, so don’t cross one off your list simply because their schedule is full. Six, ask about the firm’s delegation policies, to determine how much of the case will actually be worked on by the attorney. Seven, find a lawyer who is conveniently located. Like these Rochester Medical Malpractice Lawyers, someone trusted will be right around the corner.
For something as important as a medical malpractice case, it’s important to work with trusted lawyers, ones who won’t take advantage of you and who will accomplish what you need. Working off this list, you should be able to find the lawyer who’s right for you.
