QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK BEFORE HIRING A WORKER'S COMP. ATTORNEY

  1. EXACTLY WHICH ATTORNEY IN THE FIRM WILL BE REPRESENTING ME? -Many firms have "intake" personnel to answer the phone. They are probably not attorneys. When you need to get an attorney, you deserve to have an attorney with whom you feel confident and feel comfortable helping you make decisions. Making a connection with an intake person does not guarantee you that you will have a connection with the attorney they may randomly assign you. Even more disturbing, is what exactly the intake person is telling you. Recently, a prominent Phoenix lawyer was sanctioned by the Arizona Supreme Court because his intake personnel was making promises that he legally could not fufill. These are people who did not go to law school and yet may be telling you what the law says. The law is very complex, and the law of worker's comp. in Arizona is even more complex. Don't rely on an intake person to hire that firm. Make sure you have spoken PERSONALLY with the attorney who will be taking command of your case.
  2. IS THE ATTORNEY THAT WILL BE REPRESENTING ME A WORKER'S COMP. SPECIALIST IN ARIZONA? -In Arizona, once you gain admittance to the bar, anyone can start practicing any type of law they want. Any attorney can tell you they know Arizona Work. Comp. law and you have no way to really know, with the exception of one thing: Certified Specialist. The State Bar of Arizona has a certification process in Worker's Comp. An attorney cannot say that they specialize in work comp without having passed a difficult testing and proving process. Not all attorneys that have workers comp websites are Certified Specialist. Make sure you ask this specific question.
  3. DOES THIS LAWYER PRACTICE OTHER AREAS OF LAW? -If you have a heart problem, would you rather go to a family practice doctor, or a heart specialist? Same holds true for attorneys. Our office limits our practice to only worker's comp. We don't do social security, we don't do disability. We believe you do one thing and you do it well.
  4. HOW LONG HAS THIS LAWYER BEEN PRACTICING WORKER'S COMP? -There's really no substitute for time and experience. Ask how long YOUR attorney has been practicing law. Ask how long the practice has been in Arizona, and ask how long he or she has been doing work comp law. You wouldn't want a well-extablished foot doctor to take care of your kidney problems, same holds true to lawyers. Some lawyer also try to tell you that they have been in the field longer because they perhaps took a class on it in law school. Ask how long they have been practicing only worker's comp as a lawyer.
  5. HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY ATTORNEY? -If the answer is "by email," you may want to reconsider. While its easy for attorneys to practice law by email, things could get lost in the process. I'm sure everyone has had an instance where they typed something and the feeling of the email was lost or misunderstood. Communicating primarily with your attorney by email can cause some make communication problems. Sure, there are things that are great for communicating by email. But, if you want to speak personally to your attorney, so that he or she will be able to ask follow-up questions, or get the gist of your needs, this is an important question to ask. Before hiring an Arizona Worker's compensation lawyer, do your homework. Look at their qualification. See if there are any client testimonials. Talk to them and decide if this is a good fit.

You need to feel well-represented with qualified, diligent and serious representation. We talk to people all day long. Call the Crossman Law Offices for a FREE PHONE CONSULTATION: 602-248-0380.