How to Find a Good Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Atlanta

Your Atlanta workers’ compensation case is important. When you’re hurt at work, you need someone who will fight on your behalf to help you get the benefits that you deserve. In many situations, a work injury will put you out of work for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years. 

Medical care is expensive, and many workers don’t have health insurance that will address their injuries. That is part of the reason that workers’ compensation benefits exist in the first place. 

You don’t need just any attorney—you need a good Atlanta workers’ compensation attorney. So, how can you find one?

Start By Asking Friends and Family

Sometimes the best connections to an attorney are because friends and family have used a particular person in the past. You can ask your family members and friends about their experience, including what they liked and didn’t like about a particular lawyer. Having candid information about an attorney’s skills and knowledge can go a long way.

Sometimes co-workers or former co-workers can be a good resource for you. If one attorney has already gone against this particular employer and their insurance company and had some success, that could be a leg up for your situation. 

Check Qualifications and Experience

You should be sure that whoever you consider has experience with Georgia’s worker compensation laws. This area of the law is very specialized. It is not like the average car accident case, so you need to find an attorney who has experience with your unique type of claim. 

Even if the lawyer lists workers’ compensation as a practice area on their site, you should check to be sure they have content related to work comp and appear to have this type of experience. Some attorneys will list this area of the law simply because it’s similar to personal injury cases. But, don’t be fooled—this area of the law requires a specific type of experience and knowledge of Georgia law. 

The internet can be a great resource to investigate potential options further. Local legal directories in Atlanta will give you a list of lawyers that specifically practice in the area of workers’ compensation. Simply entering an attorney’s name in a search engine will often pull up reports of ethics complaints, significant wins, and other useful information. You can also check online rating sites and read reviews from previous clients, too. 

Set Up an Initial Consultation

Once you have done some initial research, you should set up a consultation with your prospective attorney. Don’t be afraid to set up appointments with a few lawyers if you’re interested in more than one. The initial meeting will tell you a lot about your potential lawyer. You can ask questions like:

• How long have you been practicing?
• How many workers’ compensation cases do you do per year?
• What percentage of your practice is workers’ compensation?
• Have you had any cases that are similar to mine?
• Who will my main point of contact be?
• How long does it take you to respond to emails and calls?
• How involved will I be in the case? What do you need from me?
• Why should I use you as my lawyer instead of someone else?
• How are you going to approach my case?
• What are the next steps that you recommend?

You should also take a few minutes and ask about the logistics of your relationship as well, including what the fee arrangement will be and the overall timeline of your case.

Talking with your potential attorney will also help you get a feel for their personality and approach. If you want someone aggressive, you can often tell by the lawyer’s tone whether or not they can provide that type of service to you. If you’d like someone to work out a deal quickly, you can ask questions about hat type of situation too.  Your lawyer should also always treat you with respect and listen to what you have to say. 

Your lawyer should make you feel comfortable, and you should be confident about their skills and experience. Trusting your lawyer and being able to share information with that person is critical in a workers’ compensation case. If you aren’t sure, talk to other lawyers until you find someone that fits your needs. Treat the initial consultation like an interview or meeting to determine whether this person will be your partner.

Do you need help with a workers’ compensation case? John Foy & Associates would like to meet with you to see if we can help. Fill out the form to your right, or call us to get your FREE consultation today.