Houston Injury and Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Vujasinovic & Beckcom Law Firm : Workplace Injuries, Car Accidents, Insurance Claims : Harris County, Texas

If you or a loved one are injured in an accident in Houston or the surrounding area, you will probably want to hire the best, most competent lawyer for the case.

So how do you find the best lawyer for your particular case?  And how do you even get an appointment to talk to the best lawyers in Houston?

The best and most experienced attorneys in Houston will have people lining up at their door to hire them.  These lawyers will be very selective about the cases they accept and the people they represent.  It's often hard to get an appointment to talk with them directly.

If it's easy to get an immediate appointment with the lawyer you are thinking about hiring, ask yourself why?  Maybe that lawyer doesn't have much else to do?

Once you get an appointment with a lawyer you are thinking about hiring for an injury, accident, wrongful death, or business dispute case you should ask questions.  Lots of them.

Good lawyers will not be insulted by questions.  They will most likely encourage you to ask as many questions as you want.  Most of the best lawyers in Houston will want you to educate yourself during the hiring process.

Any lawyer who seems to discourage your questions or doesn't answer them in a straightforward no-nonsense way should raise red flags.

After all, the best lawyers consider it their job to keep you informed and educated and comfortable during the entire process.

Questions to ask a lawyer you are thinking about hiring

1.  How long have you been in practice?

2.  Do you have any experience handling a case like mine?

3.  Can you give me a list of your past results or past cases?

4.  Have you  ever published any articles about cases like mine?

5.  Have you ever had a case against the same company that was negligent in my case?

6.  Will you actually work on my case?

7.  How much experience does your support staff have in these types of cases?

8.  Have you ever won a large verdict or settlement?

9.  Are you board-certified in any field?

10.  Do you carry malpractice insurance?

11.  Have you ever been disciplined or reprimanded by a bar association?

12.  What is my case worth?

13.  Have you ever represented large companies or insurance companies?

14.  Can I have a copy of my attorney-client contract to take home and study?

15.  Why do you believe you should handle my case and not some other lawyer?

This list does not include every possible good question.  It may depend on your case.  But this list will certainly cover a lot of important areas and get you started down the right road.

Any good Houston personal injury lawyer will be glad to answer all these questions and any other questions you have.  And they will be glad to answer them in a straightforward, honest, no-nonsense way!

If the lawyer is evasive or says he won't answer your questions until you hire him as your lawyer by signing papers, then you should probably just leave the appointment.  That lawyer is either not experienced enough for your case, is desperate for business, or has something to hide.

Have a good question you'd like to suggest? 

If you have other questions you'd like to suggest that are not on the list above, please submit your question to the comments section below.  We will print the most popular and most helpful question in a future post.

For more questions, visit the rest of the entires on this website or go to www.vbattorneys.com.

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After an accident involving serious injury, or even wrongful death, especially in truck or car accidents, you can expect the insurance companies to be pounding on your door (not literally, of course!) and calling you all the time for a "statement." 

Be very careful about what you tell the insurance adjuster.    Especially if you don't have your own lawyer yet.

In fact, it is a good idea many times not to give a recorded statement at all.  Why?  Because the insurance adjuster may be asking you "trick" questions that will hurt your case later on. 

Even though the insurance adjuster may tell you he or she is just trying to "gather up some information" or "get enough information to settle your case," the reality is that most insurance adjusters in serious accident claims are there to try to "trick" you into saying things that will hurt your case.

One purpose of written, recorded, and sworn statements is to keep someone from "changing the story" later on.  The other purpose, of course, is to allow the insurance adjuster to twist your words into something you did not mean to be used against you at a later time. 

When an insurance company comes to you looking for a statement, a big reason is to try to trick you into saying things that will hurt your case.  The insurance adjuster are professionals at this sort of thing and have extensive training in taking statements from injured people. 

Do you want to know if the insurance company is trying to trick you? 

If you want to know if the insurance company is trying to trick you, ask them these questions and see what they say:

1.  Before you take my statements, will you admit liability and put it in writing, and have the insurance company sign the letter?

2.  Before you take my statement, will you promise to pay for all my medical care until I am 100% recovered, and will you put that promise in writing too?

3.  Before you take my statement, may I see a copy of your investigation file for this case?

4.  Before you take my statement, can I take a recorded or written statement from the person who hit my car?

5.  Before you take my statement, will you promise to settle my claim and send the settlement check within 30 days?

Most insurance adjuster will not answer these questions or follow-thru with the commitments in the questions.  That's because they are not really trying to help you or settle your case quickly or determine what's wrong with you so they can pay your claim.  They are trying to minimize what they owe you.

Don't fall victim to the insurance company traps. 

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A barge worker's widow recently filed a lawsuit against a barge company and a contracting company after her husband was killed. 

In the lawsuit, the widow claims that her deceased husband died when he slipped and fell on an icy barge.  The barge was empty.  The lawsuit claims that the barge company failed to provide the worker with a safe place to work.

About this case and maritime wrongful death claims

Under maritime law, the direct descendents of deceased workers may be able to bring claims for wrongful death.  Under most claims, the survivors must prove that the company did something "negligent" to cause the death or that the vessel was "unseaworthy" and that caused the subject accident or death.  The damages available differ depending on a lot of factors, but if the survivors were financially dependent on the deceased worker, they generally can collect damages for the loss of financial support.

The negligence standards differ depending on whether the case is a Jones Act case, a Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act case, a General Maritime Law case, or some other case.

Most of the time, only an experienced maritime and Jones Act lawyer will be able to tell you what law you can file under and what claims you can bring. 

Most important, don't trust the insurance company to tell you your rights.  Hire your own independent lawyer to advise you.

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The Houston Chronicle has an interesting article about British Petroleum and its safety record in today's edition.

Even after killing 15 people and injuring hundreds in 2005 at its Texas City refinery, and pleading guilty to a felony as a result of its conduct leading up to that explosion, BP apparently has not learned its lesson.

According to the Houston Chronicle, since the 2005 explosion, BP's Texas City refinery  is still the nation's most dangerous. 

You can read the full article by clicking here.

For some reason, the federal government apparently believes that a $50 million dollar fine for BP's felonious conduct would be sufficient punishment.

(Tell that to the parents, siblings, and children of the 15 people killed in 2005 and the 4 people killed since then.)

Many safety focused attorneys have objected to the proposed fine as too lenient.  Why?

Simply put, it is too lenient.  A $50 million dollar fine for BP (which is worth billions) is like a fine of less than one penny for someone with ten dollars.  It's just not high enough to have any deterrent effect.  It doesn't register.

Rather than have a meaningless, arbitrary fine, that will have a minimal effect on BP's bottom line, some people have suggested that the fine should be tied in some way connected to BP's net worth or profits.  That is the only way for the fine to have any "bite" to it.  Otherwise, the fine is basically meaningless.

What do you think?  Feel free to comment below.

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Every once in a while, a prospective new client will tell me that "there is no way to lose" his or her case and the insurance company will pay money quickly.

I wish I had a dime for every time someone said this to me.

Although most cases settle, they do not settle until the insurance company has done everything in its power to minimize the value of the case. 

For example, the insurance companies know that the television advertising making false claims about the U.S. civil justice system will probably prejudice a lot of jurors against the injured person from the get-go.

Then, the insurance company will spend whatever it takes to win the case.  They will hire doctors to say you are faking it.  They will try to twist any pre-existing medical condition you had into an excuse for not paying for your current injuries.  They will hire experts to say the accident was your fault or that you don't have any economic losses.  And the list goes on.

What this means is that you cannot entrust your case to a lawyer who says it will be easy, quick, painless, or automatic.  Any lawyer who tells you this is not very familiar with the reality of personal injuries cases in Houston.

Instead, you want a lawyer who is honest and straightforward, who answers all your questions, and evaluates your case realistically. 

Don't ever assume a personal injury case in Texas is easy.  That is almost always never the case, especially in a case with significant and permanent injuries.  To maximize the fair value of your case, talk to a lawyer who knows personal injury law in Texas.

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