Guide Find a Mesothelioma Attorney

Method 1 of 3: Determining Jurisdiction

1Determine the appropriate county, or parish, and state in which to bring your claim. A lawsuit should be brought in the county, or parish, and state in which the person you are suing, called the Defendant, lives or operates a business.

Method 2 of 3: Comparing Attorneys

1Gather the contact information for all of the personal injury attorneys in the county, or parish, where you will file your claim. A lawyer who primarily works in the county where you will bring your suit will be familiar with local rules, have a relationship with the Court personnel and other attorneys, and will personally know the Judges in the county. Therefore, an attorney located in the county, or parish, where you will file your lawsuit is a good choice. You can find personal injury attorneys in that county by:
Checking the yellow pages. If you have a phone book for the proper county, check the attorney listings in the yellow pages. Look under personal injury if your book contains that sub-category. Gather website address and phone numbers for each attorney.
Using a local business directory. Online directories such as Yahoo Local, Yellow Pages, and Manta provide users with detailed information on local businesses.
Using an attorney directory. Popular attorney directories include Lawyers.com,[2] LawInfo,[3] and FindLaw.[4]

2Do some investigation and research. Investigate each attorney on your list. Some things you may want to do in your investigation include:
Reviewing each job candidates website. If you did not see a website URL in the advertisement where you got the contact information, search for it using your favorite search engine. Review the site for the quality of information, grammar and spelling, and visual appeal. Attorneys who maintain sites with large amounts of grammar and spelling errors, low quality articles, and a barrage of ads can be crossed of your list.
Doing a basic name search. Run a search for each attorney in your favorite search engine, putting his or her name in quotation marks, “Joseph Stephens” or “Ann Sterling” for example. Searching a person’s name or their name and location will sometimes return valuable information about them such as social media or business profiles, news items, or press releases.
Locating client reviews. Many business directories and attorney listings include information about each attorney, such as client reviews, which can be a valuable source of information when deciding who to hire in your fight for compensation.

3Make a few appointments for consultations. Choose five of the attorneys you have located and considered, and make appointments with each of them. Do not worry; the consultations will be free of charge. Attorneys representing clients in personal injury cases charge a percentage of whatever you are awarded in your suit, so unless and until you get paid, they do not.

4Prepare for your consultations. Gather any documents the attorneys have requested that you bring to your consultation, fill out any forms you are sent, and prepare a list of questions for the attorneys. When preparing your questions:
Remember you only have a certain amount of time. Most initial consultations are 30 minutes to an hour.
Think of the consultation as a job interview where you are interviewing each attorney for the job of representing you. Ask questions that will help you determine if you like any particular attorney better than you like the others.
Ask if the lawyer has handled a mesothelioma case before, approximately how many he or she has handled, and what the outcome of those cases was.[5]

5Meet with each attorney. Go to your initial consultation appointments, taking any documents the attorney requested and your list of questions. You may also want to bring along a notepad and a pen, and take some notes. Writing down your initial impression of each attorney, his or her answers to your questions, and notes about your meeting will help you remember which lawyer said and did what, so that you can better decide which attorney is right for you.

Method 3 of 3: Narrowing Down Your Choices

1Narrow your list down to three names. After meeting with at least five (5) attorneys, sit down with your notes and cross all but three off your list of potential lawyers. Some things to consider when choosing which attorneys to remove from your list include:
Your initial reaction to each. It is important that you trust your attorney and feel comfortable with him or her. You will be spending a lot of time with this person, after all.
Experience. While a younger less experienced attorney may pull at your heartstrings to give a guy, or gal, a chance, experience is too important in the selection of a mesothelioma attorney to let your heart make the final decision. Cross off any lawyers who have little to no experience with mesothelioma cases.
The answers given to your questions. Did the attorney actually answer your questions or did he or she avoid the question by talking about something else? Did all of the attorneys give the same answers? Does any particular candidate stand out as more or less qualified than the others for the job?

2Get some recommendations. Take your three (3) names to the public and let their experience help you decide which to hire. Friends, family, and complete strangers who have experience with one or more of the attorneys left on your list are all around. Find out what some of them think about your potential new attorneys by:
Calling, texting, emailing, or otherwise contacting some family members who may know or your used the services of any of your job candidates. Ask for their professional and personal opinion of any of the lawyers on your list.
Talking to co-workers about their experiences with your potential candidates. Even if a co-worker has never hired one of the attorneys on your list, he or she may know one or more of them professionally or personally and be able to provide you with useful information.
Checking online reviews by current and former clients. Local business directories, such as Yahoo Local, and attorney directories, such as Lawyers.com, offer client reviews of listed businesses.
Looking at disciplinary records. State bar associations keep public records about complaints and disciplinary actions taken against attorneys licensed to practice in the state. You can find your bar association’s website by selecting your state from the State & Local Bar Associations page[6] provided by the American Bar Association.

3Choose an attorney. Select an attorney from your remaining three. If you are unsure about which to choose, go with your instincts. Your instincts are likely telling you to choose the attorney you happened to like the most, and since you will be working very closely with your mesothelioma attorney, it is important that you like him or her.