How to Choose the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Atlanta 

The decision of which law firm you hire could be one of the most significant ones you ever make. What should you look for in prospective attorneys and firms? How can you select the best personal injury lawyer in Atlanta for your legal matter? The Dixon Firm explains what you need to know.

Arguably, the top reason that anyone hires a lawyer to begin with is that they want someone who knows the law. Every attorney practices in a different area of law, and to varying degrees. You wouldn’t want a traffic ticket attorney who has never handled a personal injury case to represent you, nor would you want a law firm that practices in so many areas of law that they cannot adequately focus on personal injury. 

In Georgia, an accident victim has the burden of proving four specific elements in a personal injury lawsuit. They are:

• Duty of care: This means acting responsibly and with reasonable care, and in some cases (like medical malpractice) according to certain professional standards. As an example, a driver owes other motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians a duty to drive safely and obey traffic laws.
• Breach: A breach occurs when, due to some negligent act or failure to act, or because of recklessness, a party violates the duty of care. Using the driving scenario, some examples of breaches are speeding, driving while intoxicated, and distracted driving.
• Causation: Next, the victim has to prove that the breach was a direct or proximate cause of the accident. Direct means the breach happened and was followed immediately by the accident. Proximate means the breach was the primary or underlying cause that set in motion a series of events leading to the accident.
• Damages: Lastly, the victim has the duty of showing that because of the accident, they suffered damages. These include economic damages like medical bills and lost income, and also non-economic damages (which are more subjective), such as pain and suffering.

We pride ourselves on our extensive experience in arguing and proving the above elements of a personal injury lawsuit. But an attorney’s knowledge only begins here. Your lawyer also needs to know about:

• Civil procedure: These are the rules that govern the filing and processing of the lawsuit, including those concerning the complaint and answer (the pleadings), service of process, motions, and much more.
• Discovery: This is a specific subset of the rules of civil procedure and involves the request and exchange of documents and information that are relevant to the lawsuit. Our firm is adept at handling all aspects of discovery, including depositions, interrogatories, and requests for documents.
• Evidence: If you do not know the rules of evidence, you may fail to have important evidence admitted in court. On the other hand, the opposing party could have something admitted that should not have been.
• Valuing your case: How much is a car accident case worth? What role do expert witnesses play in establishing a decreased earning capacity? Your lawyer needs to be prepared to answer these and related questions to determine a fair amount of compensation.
• Local rules and institutional knowledge: Local courts have their own special rules, which you need to understand and follow. It also helps to have a law firm that knows the biases and preferences of judges and the sort of evidence they like to see.

The Dixon Firm believes that the above are merely the basics that every personal injury law firm should know. Effective advocacy goes further, however, and includes experience with negotiations and mediation.

Most Atlanta personal injury lawsuits are able to settle through negotiations among the attorneys and insurance companies. These negotiations are sometimes informal, but more often involve the formal process of mediation. During mediation, a neutral third-party mediator facilitates productive discussions aimed at reaching an out-of-court settlement. 

The mediator has no power to decide cases or give legal advice, but can provide insight as to what a settlement might look like or how a court may consider various arguments and evidence. If you’re an accident victim, you must have legal representation during mediation. The right attorney can:

• Propose offers and counteroffers to settle
• Review offers and counteroffers made to you
• Explain the legal meaning and consequences of certain terms and clauses
• Modify the settlement language to be more favorable to you
• Help you decide whether to settle or take the case to trial

Again, an attorney who is not experienced with personal injury law will be woefully inadequate to represent or advise you during mediation. The Dixon Firm has mediated and negotiated countless lawsuits and settled personal injury cases for amounts that fairly compensate our clients.

Nobody wants to be treated as just another number. When you hire a personal injury law firm, you want your attorney to treat you with professionalism and compassion. You likely have questions and concerns, and this is probably your first time dealing with the civil court system. 

Our firm thoroughly explains the personal injury process to our clients, which includes helping the client understand what we do, how we are paid by way of our contingency fee, and what sort of compensation they can realistically expect. Client service means timely answering questions and communicating with our clients so they understand the status of their case. We also invest time and resources into our expert witnesses, accident reconstruction, and case development. 

We believe that nothing speaks louder about the quality of a law firm than its results. Although past results are no guarantee of future results, they do speak to the level of experience and dedication that a law firm brings to the table. We are proud of our results, and we work hard to replicate them with each client we represent.

Were you injured in an accident, and you’re trying to find the best attorney to handle your case? Do you have questions about Georgia personal injury law and what you should expect? Connect today with The Dixon Firm to schedule your initial consultation and get started with your legal matter.