Personal Injury Attorney Or Ambulance Chaser?

If you’ve been in an accident and are seeking some form of compensation for your pain and suffering, you’ll have no shortage of options when it comes to hiring a personal injury attorney. There are billboards, commercials, and Internet advertisements all offering free consultations as well as representation at no cost unless you win your case. The temptation can be great—a free attorney, what is there to lose? Unfortunately, many of these lawyers are actually ambulance chasers, looking for a quick buck at the expense of their client’s best interest as well as the integrity of their profession.

The most obvious way to spot an ambulance chaser is that they will seek you out. It isn’t too common to see a personal injury attorney wandering the streets waiting to catch a collision, but if a business card is passed your way when you are in a hospital waiting room, it’s probably best to politely decline. Today, an ambulance chaser is more likely to have their face plastered on the back of a bus or a bench with a phrase such as “Get the Settlement You Deserve” emblazoned across it with a phone number. Many people who even seek the advice of these lawyers do so because they offer free consultations and no fees unless your case is won, which means the defendant has little to lose. Even if their claim is not that valid or they don’t feel entitled to any compensation, the thought of easy money might prove too tempting. Some ambulance chasers also may pressure clients to pursue a case when it isn’t the best idea.

So why do ambulance chasers thrive on the weak? As with any profession, sometimes if there isn’t enough work, you have to go out and find some. Unfortunately in the legal world, frivolous lawsuits or exorbitant claims only serve to help an unscrupulous personal injury attorney or a greedy defendant. Cases like this cost taxpayers thousands of dollars every year and are a waste of valuable resources. Ambulance chasers also give a bad image to people who take the profession seriously and choose the clients and cases they take on with great care. The so-called guarantees may also be of little value. Pursuing a claim is pointless and a waste of time if the personal injury attorney knows full well that there is no case.

The best way to find a skilled and professional personal injury attorney is through referrals or cold calling and interviewing on your own. Signs of a potential ambulance chaser include excessive client workload (they will take on nearly any case) and too-good-too-be-true guarantees. A good lawyer has the luxury of discretion when taking on clients and would never make a guarantee, but rather will provide honest advice and give you realistic predictions. A he will also have a solid reputation behind him and be able to provide quality, recent references on requests. The prices may be higher, but the work will be honest.