How to Find a Good Brain Damage Lawyer

If you've been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, closed head injury, post concussive syndrome, or any similar diagnosis, as a result of an accident, it is imperative that you find a good brain damage lawyer. You may be tempted to assume any lawyer can handle your case, but that is not true. You need a lawyer who really understands the nuances of brain injury, especially mild and moderate brain injuries, and is experienced and capable to interpret diagnoses and present the full facts of your injuries.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• help and support of a spouse, parent, or close friend
• take notes
• phone book and internet

1. Look for lawyers who specifically advertise themselves as brain injury lawyers, or brain damage lawyers. Don't just accept personal injury lawyers.

2. Check out the potential lawyers' yellow pages ads, and particularly, their websites. Do they have a lot of brain injury information on their sites? Do they explain kinds of brain damage, and the rehabilitation programs that work? Select the few that seem to have to clearest and most complete information, whose websites seem devoted to brain injury law and no other kind of law.

3. Call the offices of the few you selected in step two. Ask them specifically about their experience with brain injury cases. Also, you particularly need to find out if the lawyer understands the ups and downs, and tiny nuances of brain injury symptoms. Does this lawyer understand -- really understand -- how a brain damaged patient can seem to be functioning completely normally, yet have life changing difficulties that cannot be seen from casual observation?

4. Talk to the lawyer directly, not through an assistant, before making your choice.
   It is almost certainly necessary for a relative or friend who truly believes your injury and understands the facts about brain injury to help you with this search, and probably to interview all the lawyers for you, but you need to be present, as well.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to have an advocate. If you find the right brain injury lawyer, you will have the best advocate you could get, but you need an advocate to help you find that lawyer.
• Remember that when you have a recent brain injury, you may not always be the best advocate for yourself, and you won't necessarily be able to realize that you are not yourself.
• Brain injury is invisible. Beware of people, even your spouse, parent, or friend, who do not understand the nuances of brain injury or who actually may believe you to be faking your injury.

Resources

• Dealing with Brain Injury
• Medical, legal, and informational resource on traumatic brain injury

[Traqqer]

on 11/9/2009 Didn't realize the legal seriousness of such things. Thanks for sharing.

[georgelarson]

on 9/29/2009 Good tips for finding a good brain damage lawyer after a traumatic head injury or accident. Thanks.