How to Find the Right Personal Injury Attorney in Austin, TX

How to Find the Right Personal Injury Attorney in Austin, TX

There are a glut of attorneys in the U.S. In fact, lawyers are the 25th most common profession in the country. There are over 108,000 active attorneys in Texas alone. 

With this many lawyers around, it can be hard to know how to find the right one for your case. This article discusses how to find the right personal injury lawyer in Austin. Read on for key tips that can help you in your search for legal representation. 

1. Searching the Internet 

Searching the internet for an Austin personal injury lawyer

The internet is the most common method for finding a lawyer. Over 90% of consumers use a search engine when looking for legal services. Google, of course, is the most popular search engine.

You can begin your search for a lawyer on Google. You can search for keyword terms like “personal injury lawyer near me” or “Austin personal injury lawyer.” This search will provide you with a list of lawyers and law firms in your area.

A Google search should be the beginning — not the end — of your search. You can’t automatically assume that law firms that appear on the first page of Google are the best firms to handle your injury case. They may just have the biggest marketing budgets or the most search-engine-friendly websites. 

Therefore, you should always conduct further research on the attorneys you find on Google or other search engines.

2. Legal Directories

Legal directories provide an excellent way to do more in-depth research on a particular personal injury lawyer. Directories provide useful information about an attorney, including their contact information, years of experience, practice areas, awards, and disciplinary history, among other things. Many directories also provide a rating for the attorney based on peer reviews and/or information in their profile. 

We’ll go over the most popular legal directories below.

Avvo

Avvo is perhaps the most well-known legal directory and attorney rating service. Avvo creates a profile for every licensed lawyer it can identify — which includes 97% of attorneys in the U.S.

The platform rates lawyers on a scale of 1.0 – 10.0 based on the information lawyers include in their profiles and information from state bar organizations. Ideally, you’d want to hire someone who has an Avvo Rating of 10, such as Joshua Fogelman, a personal injury lawyer in Austin.

Avvo also has a spot for “customer reviews,” where former clients can rate their experience with a lawyer out of five stars. Avvo allows you to get a comprehensive look at the quality of an attorney’s legal services.

Justia

Justia has a large directory of lawyer profiles. Like Avvo, the platform uses a 1.0 – 10.0 rating system for attorneys. However, a lawyer’s rating is based solely on peer reviews from other attorneys who have worked with the lawyer. Justia provides specific 1.0 – 5.0 ratings for an attorney’s legal knowledge, legal analysis, communication skills, and ethics/professionalism.

Justia provides you with a glimpse of what the legal community thinks about a lawyer.

Findlaw

Findlaw has one of the largest online lawyer directories on the internet. FindLaw does not have its own rating system. Rather, an attorney’s Findlaw rating is based on the average of all the attorney’s client reviews on their profile. Clients can rate a lawyer from one to five stars. 

Findlaw offers a good opportunity to find out what former clients have to say about their experience with a lawyer.

3. Online Reviews

As noted above, many online legal directories provide a terrific source of client reviews. However, Google is the gold standard for attorney reviews — and will be the place you’ll likely find the most client reviews and ratings for a lawyer or law firm. 

You can typically find an attorney’s Google reviews on their Google Business Profile listing. This listing should come up with you search the attorney or firm name on Google. You can also type the name or the term “personal injury lawyer” into Google Maps to see the results with reviews.

Online reviews - personal injury lawyer in Austin

Take time to read the reviews of a lawyer you’re considering hiring. Read the good reviews and the bad reviews. Take note of how the attorney responds to negative reviews. Are they professional and empathetic, or are they petty and aggressive? This information can give you insight into what the lawyer would be like to work with. 

4. Texas State Bar 

State Bar of Texas

The State Bar of Texas website can be a valuable asset in your search for an attorney. The bar operates an attorney referral service for individuals looking for legal services. This service will refer you to a lawyer in your geographic area that best matches your legal needs. 

The Bar also has a directory of all active and inactive attorneys in Texas. This directory will tell you the lawyer’s contact info, date of licensure, and disciplinary history, among other things. 

5. Prepare for Your Consultation With an Injury Lawyer

Prepare for Your Consultation With an Injury Lawyer

Identifying a lawyer is only the first step in finding the best legal professional for your case. Your initial consultation will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision. Most personal injury lawyers offer free consultations. So, be sure to make the most of it.

Prepare a list of questions for your injury attorney to help you determine if they’ll be a good fit for your case. At a minimum, you should ask about:

  • Their years of experience
  • Their history of handlings cases like yours
  • Whether they exclusively practice personal injury law
  • Whether they have trial experience
  • Whether they’ll hire experts to help with your case
  • Their fee structure
  • Their estimation of the value of your claim

Preparing a list of questions can help you stay on task during your consultation. It can also help you remember all the things you want to discuss in the meeting. 

You should walk away from your consultation with a pretty good idea of the attorney’s personality and whether they are they right lawyer for your case. You should feel free to have multiple initial consultations to make sure you get the right legal representation. After all, it can take a few tries to find the best personal injury lawyer in Austin, TX.

Can I File a Valsartan Lawsuit?

Can I File a Valsartan Lawsuit?

Many people who have taken the blood pressure medication Valsartan may wonder if they can file a Valsartan lawsuit. If you have taken Valsartan and been diagnosed with cancer, you may have a legal claim for damages. The best way to know whether you should file a Valsartan lawsuit is to seek advice from an experienced personal injury lawyer.

What Are Valsartan Lawsuits?

Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. Valsartan lawsuits are claims filed by consumers who took the blood pressure medication and subsequently developed cancer. The lawsuits seek damages, including, but not limited to, compensation for:

  • Medical bills and expenses
  • Lost wages and benefits
  • Physical injuries
  • Emotional distress
  • Permanent impairments and disabilities
  • Wrongful death

The lawsuits allege that from 2012 to 2018, many batches of Valsartan were contaminated with NDMA. NDMA or N-nitrosodimethylamine is classified as a probable human carcinogen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall of Valsartan tablets on July 13, 2018, because they could contain NDMA. 

It was believed the dangerous impurity was introduced to the finished products during the manufacturing process. The FDA continues to investigate Valsartan and other drugs that may be contaminated with NDMA. 

Because of the large number of Valsartan lawsuits filed against various drug manufacturers, the courts consolidated these cases into a multi-district litigation or mass torts action based in New Jersey. It is not a class-action lawsuit. Instead, each person files an individual lawsuit against the drug manufacturer and other parties responsible for their injuries and damages. 

What Types of Cancer or Diseases Are Associated with Contaminated Valsartan?

Numerous studies and sources link NDMA to cancer in humans, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. A Danish study from 2018 revealed that exposure to NDMA can cause cancer of the colon, liver, pancreas, stomach, and rectum. 

Valsartan contaminated with NDMA is related to several diseases. NDMA has been shown to cause the following conditions in animals:

  • Liver cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Multiple Myeloma
  • Prostate cancer
  • Gastric cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

People who receive too much NDMA may also exhibit several symptoms. Signs of overexposure to NDMA could include headaches, fever, dizziness, vomiting, jaundice, and impairment of the lungs, kidneys, or liver. Valsartan containing NDMA can cause severe side effects, cancer, and other conditions. Seeing a doctor as soon as you notice any symptoms or signs of a disease is essential to protect your health.

What Are the Legal Grounds for a Valsartan Lawsuit?

The legal grounds for a Valsartan lawsuit depend on the specific circumstances of your case. However, most lawsuits are based on allegations of a manufacturing defect or improper labeling of medication. 

Manufacturing defects occur when a product becomes unsafe because of negligence and mistakes during the manufacturing process. The product as designed is safe to use. However, the product becomes dangerous to use because of errors during the manufacturing process. 

Valsartan is safe to use when it is compounded (manufactured) correctly. However, numerous batches of Valsartan were contaminated with NDMA during the manufacturing process. As a result, the tablets in those batches contain cancer-causing agents. 

Furthermore, the labels on the contaminated batches of Valsartan do not contain warnings that the medication could contain carcinogens. Had the labels included a warning that there was a risk the medication could contain NDMA or other carcinogens, patients would have likely chosen not to take the medication. 

Both legal causes of action are straightforward claims to prove in court. Under product liability laws, manufacturers are strictly liable for failing to include adequate warnings and manufacturing defects. 

Strict liability means you do not need to prove that the manufacturer intended to cause anyone harm. Instead, you only need to prove that the manufacturer’s conduct resulted in harm and damages. 

How Do I Choose a Valsartan Lawyer to Handle My Case?

Search for an attorney who has experience handling Valsartan cases. Attorneys who represent clients in mass tort cases against large pharmaceutical companies have the resources and skills necessary to handle a Valsartan lawsuit.

Also, should avoid personal injury lawyers who ask for payment upfront. Most reputable personal injury lawyers accept mass tort cases on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is based on a percentage of the money the attorney recovers for your case. You do not owe any attorneys’ fees unless the attorney recovers money for your claim.

Attorneys with experience going up against big pharma understand what is necessary to pursue Valsartan claims. They also know what it takes to win these types of personal injury cases.

What Is Considered a “Reasonable Person” When It Comes to Negligence?

What Is Considered a “Reasonable Person” When It Comes to Negligence?

In a personal injury claim, the standard of care that defines negligence is often measured against what a “reasonable person” would do in a similar situation. Interestingly enough, this hypothetical “reasonable person” might decide your case even though they don’t actually exist. However, determining the particular characteristics of a “reasonable person” can be a complex task, as they vary from case to case. 

The Four Legal Elements of a Negligence Claim

Every personal injury claim includes certain “elements,” which are facts that you must prove to win. The most common type of personal injury claim, negligence, typically includes four elements: duty, breach, damages, and causation. Below is an explanation of each, with special attention to how the “reasonable person” figures in. 

Duty of Care

Every adult of normal intelligence owes a duty of care to everyone else. This ordinary duty of care includes the duty to drive safely and to generally refrain from subjecting others to unreasonable risks of harm. The question here is, “What should a reasonable person do in this situation?” Would a reasonable person, for example, drive the speed limit on sheet ice during a blizzard? Probably not.

Breach of Duty

Breach of duty means failure to do your duty, either by doing something you shouldn’t do or by failing to do something you should do. Failing to turn on your windshield wipers while driving during a rainstorm is an example. You breach your duty of care when your behavior fails to meet the standard set by a “reasonable person” as defined by the applicable standard of care.

Damages

“Damages” means losses, both tangible and intangible. They include economic damages, such as medical expenses and lost earnings, as well as non-economic damages, such as emotional distress. In some cases, they include punitive damages. Economic damages are relatively easy to prove, while proving non-economic damages can immerse you into a dispute about how much your subjective suffering is worth.

The “reasonable person” figures in here when the defendant accuses the plaintiff of failing to mitigate their damages. An example of this would be if you failed to follow your doctor’s instructions, thereby causing your medical condition to deteriorate and doubling your medical expenses. Why should the defendant pay for damages that you could have avoided with the exercise of reasonable care? 

Causation

The element of causation is what links the defendant’s breach of their duty of care (in other words, their negligence) with your injury. Without causation, you have no claim. Even if the defendant collided with you while drunk, for example, they would still defeat your claim if they could show that the accident would have occurred if they had been sober. Two types of causation matter: cause in fact and proximate cause.

Cause in Fact

Cause in fact is the logical type of causation. Cause in fact exists if you can prove that, but for the defendant’s negligence, your injury would not have occurred. Cause in fact is necessary, but not sufficient to give you victory. You also need to establish proximate cause.

Proximate Cause

Proximate cause is the subjective type of cause, and it is here that the “reasonable person” again becomes relevant. Even if cause in fact exists, the defendant is not liable if a “reasonable person” would not have foreseen the result. Even a reasonable person cannot foresee everything. 

Special Case: Negligence Per Se

In negligence per se (a shortcut to proving negligence), an enforceable safety standard such as a traffic law, for example, or a regulation on the construction or maintenance of swimming pools, serve as the standard of care. In this case, you don’t need to ask, “What should a reasonable person do in this situation?” A reasonable person would comply with the law.

Speak With a Reputable Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured due to the negligence of another party, it is important to seek legal counsel as soon as possible. An experienced personal injury lawyer can guide you through the process of filing a claim.