Yes, I’m not ashamed of being a personal injury lawyer, so those who refer to us collectively in a negative way can forget embarrassing us. If we are embarrassed about anything it’s the ignorance of those who on the one hand criticize us and then run to use our services when they get a boo-boo. Of course the reason why they criticize the personal injury lawyers is because they were turned away by us and are angry about not being able to take advantage of the system to make thousands of dollars for a boo-boo; the very thing they criticize us for doing. There’s a lot of mis-information out there about what we do as personal injury lawyers and presently fear mongers are making a good living off of selling hate, so these bozo’s keep at it out of spite.

Lawyers get a bad rap–personal injury attorneys even more so. But the need is clearly there, responsible and experienced personal injury lawyers help more true victims than not, and you’ve got to keep up the fight of fighting misinformation, not just about lawyers but personal injury laws as well.

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Which claims you might be able to take to small claims court without a lawyer? As a general rule of thumb, you case should not involve

• serious long-term or permanently disabling injuries
• severe injuries
• medical malpractice
• toxic exposure

If you case does not involve these issues, the insurance company may well be willing to negotiate and settle out of court. Many times, it’s simply cheaper for them to pay you than to prolong the fight.

You do not, repeat do not, have to sign the contract right away. You can talk to another lawyer or two or even just take a day to think about it and make an appointment to come back and sign the contract if you choose them.

Here are a few more things to watch for:

• Fees. How much is the lawyer going to take of the settlement? It shouldn’t be an excessive amount.

• Honesty. Do you get a sense he is overinflating your potential award settlement or chance of winning to get you as a client? Like the saying goes, if sounds good to be true if probably is. That’s not to say that you don’t have a good case, but an experienced lawyer knows that most companies won’t sit quietly by as you sue them. He or she should let you know honestly what to expect.

• Quality. Does your lawyer answer all your questions so that you understand them or do you feel rushed through? You want to work with someone who is willing to get all the details and to work with you to get what you deserve. You don’t want a lawyer with a thousand clients, giving a half effort because he’s happy if a few of the lawsuits get paid.