How do you find a medical malpractice lawyer in New York?
That's almost like asking the rhetorical question, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer of course is "practice."
When looking for a medical malpractice lawyer in the State of New York, here are your varied options:
1. Look in the yellow pages
2. Get a name from a billboard
3. Call your local bar association (not the place where people drink, rather the place where lawyers belong, and usually have a lawyer referral service)
4. Get a name from a friend
5. Get a name from someone who was satisfied with their malpractice lawyer
6. Do an online search
"Which is the best way to find a lawyer?" The answer is 'all of them'.
Here's what I mean. Each method above has it's risks and benefits. The key is trying to find an attorney who is experienced in handling a case like yours, and one that you feel comfortable with.
Dilemmas using each of the methods above include,
(1) Trying to distinguish one lawyer from another in the yellow pages.
They all pretty much say the same thing. So how do you know which full-page ad lawyer is right for you? It's really difficult- even for an experienced lawyer to tell the firms apart.
(2) The same problem arises from a billboard.
Sure the billboard may capture your attention, but does a photo of a crashed car and an injured victim tell you what type of lawyer or law firm you're dealing with?
(3) When you go to a lawyer referral service at a bar association, are you getting the next name on a list that the organization has?
This is almost the same as closing your eyes and pointing your finger blindly in the yellow pages? You don't really know if there are any qualifications needed for the lawyer to be listed on their referral list, other than to pay the yearly dues to the bar association. Maybe they handle malpractice cases. So how do you know if this is the right lawyer for you? You need to ask lots of questions about the lawyer's experience and what type of law firm they have.
(4) Getting a referral from a friend is a great way to find a lawyer.
But what if you don't have any friends who know a good lawyer to handle your particular type of case? On to the next method...
(5) Getting the name of a lawyer from someone who was happy with their malpractice lawyer is also an excellent way to find a good lawyer.
But again, what if you don't know anyone personally? Then go on to the next method...
(6) Do an online search.
Your best bet is to focus on the search words for your neighborhood. For example, let's say you live in Brooklyn, and are looking for a medical malpractice lawyer to help you investigate if you have a valid case. You could enter the following words in Google search, "medical malpractice lawyer in Brooklyn." The results will give you a lot of useful information, and then you can start looking at each web site to see if that lawyer is right for you.
When looking online, keep in mind the difference between websites that come up on the first page, known as "organic search results" as opposed to the paid advertisements that appear at the very top of the page, and those in the right hand column of the search results page. The difference between the paid ads and the organic results, is that the paid ads literally pay to appear on that page when a particular search is done. The natural search result is Google telling you that these websites are important and relevant to your search results. Does that mean that a lawyer that pays to advertise on that page isn't the right one for you? Not at all. Just keep in mind the distinction when doing your search. Ask why that law firm isn't in the organic search, and why are they only on the paid advertising section.
Also, I've found it extremely helpful when a lawyer has a video on their site explaining how they can help you, rather than explaining how great the lawyer is. I know when I look for information online, I don't want to hear how wonderful someone is. I am searching online because I have a problem, and I am looking for a solution to my problem.
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