Many lawyers think that a tractor trailer crash is just a big car wreck. Not knowing how much they don’t know, they fail to take necessary steps to preserve and develop evidence. So how can you as a consumer identify an appropriate lawyer for a trucking accident case? My friend Morgan Adams in Chattanooga recently wrote on this topic in his blog.
1. A trucking accident trial attorney should have peer review ratings and specialty organization memberships that indicate experience, competence, and a very strong focus on trucking trial practice. Generally, the attorney should be member of his or her state trial lawyers organization (e.g., Georgia Trial Lawyers Association), the American Association for Justice (AAJ), AAJ’s Interstate Trucking Litigation Group, and the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America. It is a plus if an attorney has chaired continuing legal education seminars in the area of trucking litigation, who are Certified Civil Trial Advocates of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and who have participated in a meaningful way in local or state bar associations.
2. A trucking accident attorney should have the capacity to fund substantial litigation. The cost of accident reconstruction experts, economists, vocational experts, video depositions of multiple defense witnesses and treating physicians, custom medical illustrations, and extensive travel around the country for depositions can be quite expensive. While the lawyer’s office need not be palatial or in a state of the art office tower, it should have some of the earmarks of success and competence. The key is whether the lawyer has access to funds, often through a large litigation funding line of credit, to fund properly preparing a case for trial.
3. Any lawyer you entrust with handling a catastrophic injury case should have the experience of litigating and trying truck accident cases.
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Georgia Truck Accident Attorney Blog
