A car crash, a slip and fall, or a dog bite can leave you hurt and facing medical bills you didn’t budget for. Florida law lets you seek compensation for those injuries, and the attorney you choose can change how much you recover and how long it takes. Six questions separate an attorney worth hiring from one who will settle your case for less than it’s worth. Florida attorneys from Freidin Brown can answer all six, and any firm you’re considering should be able to as well.
1. How Long Have You Done This Kind of Work?
Start with a simple question: How many cases like mine have you handled? A lawyer who has spent 15 years handling car accidents and slip-and-fall cases may know how insurance companies operate, what similar injuries are worth in your area, and when an offer is too low. A lawyer who has only been practicing for three years may still be building that experience. That does not mean they are a bad choice, but it does mean you should ask more questions before hiring them. Look at the lawyer’s actual experience, not just how long they have had a license. Those numbers can be very different. You also want a lawyer who will treat you like a person, not just another case number.
2. Have You Ever Gone to Court for a Client?
Most personal injury cases settle before trial, and that’s normal. But insurance companies know which attorneys never file a lawsuit, and they treat those cases differently. A firm with a real trial record gets better offers, because the other side knows walking away from the table costs them more. Picture two offers on the same broken ankle: one adjuster offers $40,000 to a settlement-only firm, and a different adjuster offers $90,000 to a firm known for walking into a Miami-Dade courtroom. Ask how many trials the attorney has personally handled, not the firm as a whole. And ask what happened in those cases.
3. Who Will Actually Work on My File?
Big firms put the partner’s face on every billboard, but a paralegal or a junior associate you’ve never met might handle your actual case. Find out who signs your retainer and who answers when you call with a question about a medical bill. A Florida personal injury attorney worth hiring tells you this upfront, before you sign anything. If the answer is vague, that’s worth noting.
4. What Percentage Do You Charge, and When Does It Change?
Florida Bar rules set the ceiling on injury attorney fees, and the number isn’t a mystery. Ask your prospective lawyer to walk through exactly where your case falls on the scale.
- Before a lawsuit – Up to 33 and a third percent of the first $1 million recovered, if the case settles before the defendant files an answer.
- After an answer is filed – The fee can rise to 40 percent of that same first $1 million.
- Between $1 million and $2 million – The rate on that portion drops to 30 percent.
- Above $2 million – The rate on that portion drops again to 20 percent.
5. Will I Hear From You While We Wait?
Cases can sit for months during medical treatment or the pre-suit investigation, and silence during that stretch makes people nervous. Ask how often you’ll get an update, and who sends it. Some firms call every two weeks with a short summary. Others go quiet for three months and resurface only when there’s a settlement offer on the table. Ask whether you’ll talk to the attorney directly, or only to a case manager you’ve never spoken with before. You deserve to know which one you’re hiring.
6. Can You Show Me Real Case Results?
Numbers tell you more than promises ever will.
- Settlements – Ask for examples of cases similar to yours, with real dollar figures, not just a vague claim about winning big.
- Verdicts – A firm willing to list actual jury verdicts, wins and losses both, is being honest with you.
- Client reviews – Look for reviews that mention communication and follow-through, not just the final check.
Ask All Six Before You Sign Anything
Six questions, one afternoon, and you’ll know more about an attorney than any billboard or commercial could tell you. Ask about experience, trial record, who handles your file, the fee structure, communication, and results. So write them down before your first consultation, and don’t sign a retainer until every answer makes sense to you.
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