When Choosing an Attorney, Look at Trial Experience

John H. “Jack” Hickey | 888-393-1388 | Free Consult

Did you know that insurance companies and cruise lines keep records tracking which lawyers take cases to trial? This means they can relax if they see that certain attorneys always settle their cases before they reach the courtroom. Give yourself the best chance of success by hiring an attorney with trial experience.

John H. “Jack” Hickey is an injury attorney and maritime lawyer based in Miami. In this video, he explains the differences between trial attorneys and attorneys who simply settle all their cases. When choosing an attorney to represent you, ask them how often they take a case to trial.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-393-1388 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

All attorneys can go to trial, but not all attorneys are trial attorneys.

The difference between attorneys and trial attorneys is usually just some additional training in advocacy, as well as experience taking cases all the way to trial. Many attorneys have the goal to build your case in a way that can get you a good result through a settlement process, but if it comes to actually going to court they may not have the experience or advocacy training they need to effectively defend your interests. Trial attorneys immediately begin gathering the specific evidence they know they will need if/when your case goes to trial, as opposed to the average attorney which may collect a different variety of evidence, predicting to settle the case out of court.

97-98% of cases settle outside of court.

While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it could indicate that some attorneys are settling out of court because they are not comfortable or practiced enough to take the case all the way to trial, even if that may be the only way to obtain the best outcome for their client. If it becomes clear an insurance company won’t offer fair compensation without taking your case to court, it helps to have the experience and willingness of a trial lawyer on your side.

Insurance companies keep track of which attorneys take their cases to court.

This fact in itself should indicate the necessity of having an attorney who is ready to go to court at a moment’s notice. Having an attorney who is comfortable handling court proceedings and has a proven track record of getting results could make an insurance company think twice about trying to low-ball you in a settlement.

Insurance companies will look at the attorney you hired when deciding how to proceed.

If you hire a trial attorney with a track record of taking their cases to court and getting good results, it may change how the insurance company deals with you. Instead of trying to get you to accept an amount they know is insufficient to your damages, they may be more willing to offer you a fair settlement upfront rather than risk going to trial with your attorney. However, if the insurance company does choose to take the issue all the way to court, you will be in good hands with an experienced trial attorney who can defend your interests in court better than the average attorney could.

To learn more, contact Jack Hickey directly by calling 888-393-1388 or by submitting a contact form on this page. The consultation is free and confidential, and you owe no out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Video Transcript:

There is a lot to conducting a trial from preparing for it to choosing or selecting the jury, to putting witnesses on the stand and then cross examining the defense witnesses and then closing argument. There’s a lot to that. Something like 97, 98 percent of all tort cases, all personal injury cases settle, even though most settle, the insurance companies and their cruise lines, they know the plaintiffs’ attorneys. They keep, you know, if you want dossiers, they keep records. They rank and rate and evaluate the plaintiff’s attorney. That’s one thing the companies look at is, who did the injured person hire? There are lawyers who don’t go to trial. We go to trial. And the insurance companies and the cruise lines know it. And they also know that when we go to trial, more times than not, we get good results.

Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.