Whether it is Morgan & Morgan, The Hammer, Keller & Keller, Hensley Legal, etc., Indiana residents are constantly and incessantly bombarded by personal injury attorneys with commercials, social media ads, and billboards. With overly dramatic commercials and/or flashy billboards, large firms are hoping to use market saturation to lure prospective clients in as quickly as possible while touting their stats, their self-perceived reputation in the industry, and the size of their firm.
But, is the size of the firm what truly matters? Will your case receive the attention it deserves by a firm that is located all across the US? Will you be just a number? Will your case be fought for the same as a high dollar case? These are the questions you should be asking yourself. The truth of the matter is, many of these large firms have huge call centers that field their initial intakes. Those call centers are often manned by non-attorneys, sifting through potential cases for ones that are clear cut with huge potential payouts. They quickly brush aside the medium to lower dollar cases. They rush to get you signed up with high pressure sales tactics and fear. Once you sign on the dotted line, your case quickly gets put in order of importance — high dollar cases get the most attention, while lower dollar cases and difficult facts get the least amount of attention. These firms churn and burn cases as quickly as they can so they can update their advertising with how many millions of dollars (or billions) they have recovered for their clients. The question is, is that what you want?
Within these larger firms, many of them use non-attorneys to handle the majority of the client communication and case management from start to finish. There can be intake specialists, pre-litigation teams of non-attorneys, legal assistants, administrative staff, paralegals, salesman, etc., as a first line defense before you can speak to an actual lawyer (if you can at all). It is these non-attorneys that often screen cases and will be the point of contact for most clients for the majority of their time. This can be very frustrating for those that are going through some of the most difficult times of their life. Sadly, lawyers at these firms typically review settlement offers and have very sparing contact with their clients. In fact, many lawyers don’t even know who their client is until they are handed a file or take a call after the client has signed. That means they have no skin in the game except to settle the case for the most money they can. Typically, the lawyer has no personal relationship with the client and has no personal knowledge of the client’s background other than what is in their computer system or in their file. Again, is that what you want?
Many times the best place to start when choosing a firm is not by choosing the largest but by reading the reviews of the firm. There are ethical rules against firms paying for reviews or using outside firms to generate fake, phony, or non-authentic reviews. Therefore, assuming firms follow these rules, reviews should be true reflection of that firm’s reputation and work product. Secondly, you need to actually speak with a lawyer. Get to know them. Ask them all the questions you need to. Take time to learn about your lawyer. Ask questions about their experience level, their availability, the importance of your case to them, the time and attention they can give you, and what to expect moving forward. Thirdly, is there a personal paralegal to the attorney that will always be there to answer your questions and assist you personally with therapy, medical records, etc. Do you know the paralegal and attorney’s name? Are you on a first name basis? Fourthly, does the firm have the capacity, experience, team, and litigation experience to fight for you. Will the firm be able to treat your case like it is important and have the experience to know what to do? Lastly, does the firm and the attorney have a relationship with the insurance companies and have they worked with them in the past to reach appropriate settlements. Despite what a commercial may say, insurance companies don’t fear particular firms. That’s a myth. While they respect litigators more than non-litigators, a firm name doesn’t automatically cause an adjuster to panic (no matter what a commercial shows). Remember, flashy isn’t always indicative of talent.
While the list above is not exhaustive, hopefully this blog has spurred some questions in your mind about whether or not a large firm is the way to go. These huge firms will try to convince people that because they have recovered so much money they must be the best. Or, that because they are such a large company they can handle your recovery better than others. But, is that true? Who actually is handling your case? Honestly, what really matters is whether or not the company is loved by its clients, whether or not your case will get the attention it deserves, the availability and experience of your attorney, and the willingness of the firm you choose to treat you like a human being whose case matters. That is typically found at a firm small enough to care, and not so large that billboards and commercials with their faces on it are what matter most.
Give the experienced personal injury attorneys at Banks & Brower, LLC, a call today. We have the reputation you truly need, the right sized firm to assist you, and the personal attention you deserve. We are here 24/7/365 at info@banksbrower.com and by phone at 317.870.0019. We look forward to helping you through a difficult time so that you can get back to being the best you as soon as you can be. Why? Because it is as personal to us as it is to you.