What is a lawyer referral service and should I use one?

Over the last several years, there have been a growing number of very visible lawyer referral services in the Tampa Bay area. Before that, lawyer referral services were generally rather small and not very visible. Like many things, that has changed significantly.

Many people don't know really know what a lawyer referral service is and don't know whether or not it's something they would want to use if they’re involved in a Tampa car accident Clearwater with serious injuries. One of the first things you should know is that all lawyer referral services must be registered with the Florida Bar in order to operate in the State of Florida. The Florida Bar is an organization that monitors and supervises Florida’s several thousand attorneys. So while lawyer referral services are not illegal, many will operate illegally by avoiding the rigors of registration and the rules that the Florida Bar imposes on them. For example, lawyer referral services are under the same advertising regulations as Florida’s lawyers. These rules can be quite restrictive. Because of the restrictions, lawyer referral services may operate without proper registration with the Florida Bar until they are brought to the attention of the Florida Bar and forced to register. Therefore, before dealing with any lawyer referral service, it may be appropriate to contact the Florida Bar to make sure that the referral service has fulfilled the Florida Bar's requirements with regard to their activities.

Lawyer referral services make money by charging attorneys a fee in order to receive referrals. The fee in part helps the referral service advertise for clients. It's important to know that the referral service has no obligation to screen the attorneys in any manner and could work with any particular law firm because they were willing to pay the most or were the first to show up at the lawyer referral services door. As a result, the consumer who calls a lawyer referral service after being involved in a Tampa or Clearwater car accident would have no idea whether the lawyer that they were referred to had any particular level of experience or expertise in personal injury. It would be the same as thumbing through the hundreds of attorneys listed in the phone book with your eyes closed and choosing the first one that your finger landed on.

This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad way to choose your legal representation if every Tampa car accident lawyer were the same or if it didn’t matter to the results you obtain what auto accident injury lawyer you chose. If choosing a Tampa accident lawyer were like choosing a tomato at the supermarket, then hiring any attorney for your claim would make sense. And that may certainly be the public’s perception but nothing could be further from the truth.

Tampa’s injury law firms are very different in terms of experience, commitment, integrity and client service. Choosing the right attorney for your injury claim can make a huge difference in your health and your financial well-being. So it makes sense to take time to consider the qualities of the auto accident injury lawyer that you’ll be hiring. Since we all cost the same, it makes sense to hire the person you believe will best serve your needs.

One way to make sure that you find the right attorney for your claim is to ask questions. Ask your neighbors who they might recommend. Ask your friends. Interview the attorney both on the phone and in person. You can get a good idea of what make the any particular Tampa car accident attorney tick. If you get the sense that it’s all about maximizing the attorney’s share of the settlement than you’re probably right. What you’re looking for may be an experienced personal injury lawyer both inside and outside the courtroom. You are likely to benefit from finding an individual or a firm that is stable and likely to keep good, strong staff for many years. A firm that has the financial strength to pursue your claim and the integrity to use that strength to obtain the outcome you’re looking for.
Choosing the right car accident injury Tampa lawyer can make all the difference to your peace of mind and your financial and physical well-being. Knowing this early on in the process of choosing an attorney is much better than finding out in the middle of the case that choosing the right personal injury law firm is very important.

You should also know that increasingly lawyer referral services are also associated with various medical clinics. Therefore, when you call a referral service you may be asked or directed to see one of the doctors that is part of or perhaps operates the service. Just as with the discussion above regarding the importance of making a good choice with regard to hiring a Tampa injury lawyer, it’s just as important that you ask enough questions that you feel comfortable that you are being put in the hands of a doctor that can and wants to help you recover from your injuries as quickly as possible.

Should you have a need to speak with a Tampa injury attorney, please feel free to contact us. Although we hope that you might have been referred to us by one of our many clients we have served over the years, we would be glad regardless to discuss with you our experience and commitment to excellence. At our law firm, our entire staff is dedicated to providing our clients caring, competent, aggressive legal representation and exceptional client service. We would look forward to meeting with you in person and discussing any personal injury claim that arises as a result of a car accident Tampa or a medical malpractice case.