How Do I Select a Personal Injury Attorney?

There are many different factors to consider when one needs to retain a personal injury attorney.  Over the many years of service the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. has provided to accident victims throughout Briarcliff Manor and the rest of the state of New York, we have found that our clients have come to us from many different avenues. We find most of our clients have come to us because of our reputation throughout Westchester County and beyond. Many clients have come through referrals from prior clients and other professional organizations in the communities of Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, White Plains, Yonkers and throughout the state. It is this stellar reputation that has given us a perspective on how we feel it is the best way for one to select a personal injury attorney. To begin with… 

Speak to an Actual Attorney on Your Initial Consultation 

Whether it is a phone consultation, zoom consultation or in person at the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. we find it of vital importance that you speak to an actual attorney on your initial consult.   Many firms have specific people that they hire to take initial intakes or they have paralegals handle the initial consult. With all due respect to those types of individuals we feel that if a firm does not feel the need to have an actual attorney speak on an initial consult, then do they really value an accident victim’s time and struggles? We feel that having an actual attorney that handles personal injury matters is imperative in the initial consult. An attorney that has experience with actual litigation is really the only one that can fully lay out how a claim will proceed and any pit falls that need to be addressed. We feel like this needs to be fully established from the beginning of the attorney/client relationship or it is destined to fail or not reach optimal results. An injured victim needs to know from their initial consult that their attorney is on their side and that the attorney values their time and will put their best effort to succeed. At the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C., located in Briarcliff Manor, NY, one will always speak to an actual attorney on their initial consult. 

Now that you have had your initial consult, what is the next thing to do… 

Have an In-Person Interview With the Prospective Attorney 

Most of the time the initial consultation is done via phone or zoom or some other digital platform.   Thus, once you have had your initial consult and feel comfortable with the attorney you spoke to you should set up an in-person interview with the attorney. 

Many attorneys will try to forgo this by saying they are going to send a paralegal, investigator, or someone else on their behalf to meet with a prospective client after the initial consultation. Other attorneys even say, “I will mail, fax, or email you certain documents and once you receive them call me and we can get the process started.”  Just like with the initial consult the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. feels that if we cannot make the time to actually meet in person with the prospective client, we would be doing a disservice to these accident victims. After the initial consult if both the prospective client as well as the attorney feel like they would make a good attorney/client relationship, we set up an in-person interview for the prospective client to meet their attorney. We treat this meeting like an actual interview of our services. We want and expect the prospective client to come to the meeting and ask as many questions as they feel necessary. We act as if we are being interviewed and need to show the prospective client why we are the right choice to be their attorney. If after this interview the injured accident victim is comfortable, the final step in selecting the personal injury attorney is… 

Sign the Retainer Agreement 

To actually hire the attorney one needs to sign an actual retainer agreement. This agreement is necessary and vital for the relationship to exist. This retainer agreement will state that you are hiring the attorney to work on the matter for you and it will likely lay out all of the conditions to the attorney/client agreement. Most important to the accident victim is that it should state the terms as to how the attorney is going to be paid in the matter. Because this document is so important, we at the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. go through all the terms with our prospective clients. Some attorneys just give their prospective clients the agreement and say they need this signed before they can start working on the case. Although that is true that the agreement must be signed for the attorney to start the process, we feel that it crucial that the prospective client knows what they are signing. We will go through the retainer agreement paragraph by paragraph and answer any questions the prospective client may have. If they don’t understand something we will take all the time necessary to find a way to explain it to them.   Honestly, we feel that the best way for an attorney/client relationship to be successful is if there are no surprises and the prospective client understands all the terms of the relationship they are entering. 

At the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. we are proud of the fact that we foster a strong relationship with our clients. We have represented numerous accident victims throughout Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, White Plains, Mt. Kisco, Bedford, Yonkers and all of Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange counties as well as the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and Brooklyn and all over the rest of the state of New York. We use the methods mentioned above in helping our clients choose us as their personal injury attorney.  If you are thinking of retaining a personal injury attorney, we implore you to follow the above strategies and we at the Law Offices of Spencer M. Fein, P.C. are always here for a free consultation.