You are driving along the highway when another vehicle slams into you. Your life changes in that moment. Maybe you were taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Maybe you missed work for a day, a week, or even longer. The medical bills are piling up around you and it is hard to think about how you are going to pay them, let alone perform your normal daily tasks like washing the dishes or folding the laundry.
Maybe you have considered settling before you are completely healed but you know that you need help. You want an attorney, but not just a good attorney. You want the best personal injury lawyer in Minnesota. If you truly want the best, then consider whether an attorney has the following attributes:
Does the lawyer focus on personal injury?
There are many general practice attorneys that will take whatever case walks in the door. However, if you want a good attorney, then you need an attorney that focuses on the relevant area of law. An attorney that has a laundry list of available services cannot provide focused attention on the ever-changing laws that impact personal injury.
Patterson Dahlberg, Personal Injury Lawyers: we have it in our name. We list our areas of practice on our website: personal injury and workers compensation. Because we practice law in two areas, we are able to devote time and attention to evolving our personal injury practice, resulting in better outcomes for you.
Is your attorney local?
Personal injury law is based on state statutes and common law, meaning, you should obtain an attorney that is dedicated to practicing in Minnesota rather than covering multiple states. Moreover, though you can have an attorney licensed in another state to negotiate with a claims adjuster, that attorney will have little leverage in the negotiation if he or she does not have a Minnesota bar license because he or she cannot file a lawsuit without local counsel.
There are many national or large regional law firms that will take your personal injury case. However, often those firms will not have a local office where you can meet with an attorney. Alternately, they might have an office fitted with only a paralegal or a first year attorney who is provided with little resources and oversight when handling your claim. Having a local attorney ensures that you will have a lawyer who understands Minnesota personal injury laws and you will be able to visit us at our office in the historic Kelly building.
What is your attorney’s track record?
There are other law firms that focus on personal injury in Minnesota, but to find the best you need to know whether that attorney can secure a successful settlement. Patterson Dahlberg has recovered over $120,000,000 for our personal injury clients. We do not accept an unfair settlement offer and we fight for every client. Some law firms will force clients to settle because they see the potential settlement as being too small for a fight, but at Patterson Dahlberg, we want to make sure that every avenue is explored in recovering damages.
Does your attorney care?
The difference between a good attorney and the best attorney is whether that attorney cares about you and not just the settlement. The attorneys at Patterson Dahlberg understand that behind every personal injury claim is a person who has been deeply affected physically, mentally, and financially. That person has a family that is impacted as well. Patterson Dahlberg understands that a settlement cannot make you entirely whole, but it helps to ease the burden.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a negligent act or omission and are seeking the best personal injury lawyers in Minnesota, please contact us for a free consultation.