Surely one lesson from the Fen-Phen case debacle is how utterly unhelpful lawyer advertising is as a way for the average person, who probably has no prior involvement at all with the legal system, to find a lawyer to help them. For years here in Central Kentucky we were regaled with colorful television ads that urged us to “Call the Man.” Apparently, many did including a few hundred that were injured by the Fen-Phen diet drug. During the recent Fen-Phen criminal trial, however, we learned that “the Man” they called was so incoherently drunk in the early A.M. hours that he could not understand, at least according to the jury’s verdict, the circumstances by which he was collecting some many millions in attorneys fees.
It doesn’t take that much to participate in a federal criminal conspiracy: only knowledge of a criminal purpose and something (an overt act) done in furtherance of the conspiracy’s purpose. But putting aside issues of criminal conspiracy, one can fairly wonder exactly what legal services were provided to justify any fee.
But all that begs the question of what is an individual to do when they or a family member has suffered some serious personal injury and they need to find a qualified lawyer to represent them. Looking at the Yellow Pages isn’t going to provide much help, although it is a place to start. Most of the ads all say about the same thing: something to the effect that the lawyer will rip the flesh off somebody while representing you and/or they handle a variety of types of cases. All that’s good and well but how are you to have any idea as to whether the lawyer is smart and capable and experienced. Most consumers have no idea how to go about making this type of assessment.
So here are some helpful tips:
- Ask a lawyer that you know for a referral. He or she will likely know somebody who handles the type of case you have. If you don’t know any lawyers, go to www.lawyers.com and start ther
- The phone book actually can be a good place to start but keep in mind that not all lawyers advertise in the Yellow Pages.
- Meet with and interview a number of attorneys. Ask each one who else in town handles your type of case. If they won’t give you any names, get up and leave.
- Ask each lawyer to explain to you why it is they think you have a case. You should be able to understand the explanation; if you can’t, ask yourself how the lawyer is going to be able to make a jury, which will be made of people just like you, understand it. Of course, keep in mind at the beginning of a case the lawyer may not know all the facts that will prove important but they should be able to give you an informed outline of how they would anticipate your case moving forward.
- Ask each lawyer if they have any information to provide you such as a website or other materials that you can review on your own time to find out more about your type of case, their qualifications, and experience.
- Ask the lawyer if they will handle your case or if somebody else in their office will.
- Find out how the lawyer will keep you informed about the progress of a case. You should understand how you can expect your case to move forward, what events will take place and what a general time frame may be.
Don’t be a victim of a Fen-Phen flim-flam. When you or your family are faced with a serious injury or other serious legal situation, finding and hiring a good lawyer to represent you is very important. I hope this will help anyone facing this difficult situation make a good choice.
Robert L. Abell
www.RobertAbellLaw.com
