Five Vital Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Attorney

THE FIVE VITAL QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK BEFORE HIRING YOUR ATTORNEY

1. Knowledge—Does Your Attorney Teach Other Lawyers In This Area Of The Law?

In Pennsylvania, every lawyer is required to attend Continuing Legal Education seminars and courses. Attorney Matzus is one of the most sought after speakers in Pennsylvania on the topics of: personal injury law, insurance law, trial presentation techniques, trial strategy and trial tactics and is an invited speaker at numerous seminars at which he teaches other lawyers what they need to know to handle personal injury cases. Over the years, Attorney Matzus has taught thousands of attorneys in seminars throughout Pennsylvania.

2. Experience—Does Your Attorney Actually Have Courtroom Experience In Your Type of Case?

Personal injury law is far too specialized an area of law to trust your case to attorneys who do not concentrate in this type of law and have courtroom experience in these types of cases. You should be aware that the insurance companies who defend personal injury cases know who the attorneys are in your area that actually go into court to try cases and those attorneys who do not. The insurance company uses that information to evaluate their risk and figure out how much money they will offer you in an out-of-court settlement. If this information is important to the insurance company defending your case, shouldn’t it be important to you? Beware of attorneys who “handle” a lot of personal injury cases but “settle them all” because you may not be in the best of hands. If the insurance company defending your case knows that the attorney handling your case always settles every case, the insurance company will not offer you full value on your case because they know that your attorney will accept less than full value in order to avoid a trial. Attorney Matzus has the courtroom experience that insurance companies respect.

3. Leadership—Does Your Attorney Hold Any Leadership Positions In Professional Organizations?

Recognition by one’s peers and colleagues is an open testament of a person’s professionalism, skill and integrity. Attorney Matzus is an elected member of the Executive Committee of both the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association and the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to being an elected officer of the Executive Committee of both organizations, Attorney Matzus is an elected member of each organization’s Board of Governors. The Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association is the largest professional organization for plaintiff personal injury trial lawyers in Pennsylvania with 3,000 members. Attorney Matzus has been elected to these positions by his peers and colleagues throughout Pennsylvania. Attorney Matzus considers it a tremendous honor to have his colleagues place this degree of confidence and trust in him to hold these positions of responsibility.

4. Professional Credibility—Does Your Attorney Publish Articles In This Area Of The Law?

Another sign of respect in the legal community is if your attorney has written legal articles that have been published. Attorney Matzus has had numerous legal articles published in a variety of legal publications. Additionally, Attorney Matzus is frequently asked by the leading lawyer educational companies to write materials for Continuing Legal Education seminars to help teach other attorneys about all aspects of personal injury law, insurance law, trial presentation techniques, trial strategies and trial tactics. Attorney Matzus believes in giving back to the legal community by writing articles for publication.

5. Personal Service—Who Will Actually Do The Work On Your Case?

Oftentimes, the attorney seen on “TV” or the other attorney that you initially speak with, is not the attorney who will be handling your case. Frequently, your case may be passed on to “claim specialists” or handled primarily by office staff, not by an attorney. At Matzus & Associates, you will receive the personal service and attention of an experienced trial attorney during all phases of your case. If you are hiring an attorney for their skill, knowledge and experience you deserve to have that attorney actually handle your case. You do not deserve to be passed off to different attorneys and other office staff employees. If you call a law firm and speak to one their “intake specialists,” not one of their attorneys, this should be an immediate tip off to you that your case may not receive the personal service and attention it deserves from an experienced attorney. Think about it: if you are not speaking with an attorney at the beginning of your case that should tell you everything you need to know about how important your case is to that law firm!

“Checklist Before Hiring Your Attorney”

	Attorney Matzus	Other Attorney	Other Attorney
Knowledge
Experience
Leadership
Professional Credibility
Personal Service

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Matzus & Associates
Pittsburgh, PA