How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer

1 00:00:03.271 --> 00:00:06.499 Well, a lawyer can help guide you through what otherwise 2 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:14.129 is a very confusing system of statutes and codes and court rules 3 00:00:14.314 --> 00:00:16.442 that just aren't easily understood 4 00:00:16.443 --> 00:00:20.357 by anyone who's trying to handle their own case. 5 00:00:20.414 --> 00:00:21.428 When picking an attorney, 6 00:00:21.429 --> 00:00:24.429 you're going to want to choose an attorney who has experience 7 00:00:24.729 --> 00:00:28.386 and training on how to advocate in your particular state. 8 00:00:28.857 --> 00:00:31.571 Across the country, there's local rules. 9 00:00:31.686 --> 00:00:34.628 There's different case law that can impact your case. 10 00:00:34.629 --> 00:00:37.299 Here in Washington, you want an attorney 11 00:00:37.300 --> 00:00:40.657 who specifically knows how to handle Washington-based cases. 12 00:00:40.771 --> 00:00:42.770 If you don't, you're going to be in trouble. 13 00:00:42.771 --> 00:00:46.013 An individual who's bringing a Washington state claim 14 00:00:46.014 --> 00:00:48.614 should have a Washington state lawyer 15 00:00:48.671 --> 00:00:54.000 because there are things like limitations on when a case can be brought. 16 00:00:54.071 --> 00:00:57.270 There are things like who you can sue. 17 00:00:57.271 --> 00:00:58.399 In Washington state, 18 00:00:58.400 --> 00:01:01.728 we have something very particular to our state 19 00:01:01.729 --> 00:01:06.829 which allows us to bring claims against the state of Washington itself. 20 00:01:06.830 --> 00:01:08.929 You can't do that in every state. 21 00:01:08.930 --> 00:01:11.057 A good lawyer can promise that they're going to listen, 22 00:01:11.071 --> 00:01:13.371 that they're going to take care of your needs, 23 00:01:13.543 --> 00:01:17.670 make sure that they meet your goals, and make sure that they provide you 24 00:01:17.671 --> 00:01:22.129 with the level of expertise that you need on your case. 25 00:01:22.314 --> 00:01:24.799 If you're trying to handle your own case without a lawyer, 26 00:01:24.800 --> 00:01:28.585 the risk is that you're running into a system 27 00:01:28.586 --> 00:01:31.714 that is not meant for individual plaintiffs, 28 00:01:32.143 --> 00:01:37.800 so the idea that you're bringing your own claim against a huge corporation 29 00:01:37.943 --> 00:01:40.500 is just set up for failure.