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Law Office of Arnold, Haynes & Sanders
207 East Main Street, Suite 2-A
Johnson City, TN 37604
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How to find a medical malpractice lawyer?
You have just suffered one of the most devastating losses you have ever experienced. Your loved one has recently died after being discharged from your local Hospital emergency department with a diagnosis of influenza. Your intuition told you that they weren't paying attention to him in the Emergency Room. You really felt like your loved one was very sick, but the Hospital staff and doctor convinced you that it was just a bad case of flu. Little did you know that your loved one would die of a massive heart attack just hours after being in the place where you are supposed to go when you are sick so they can prevent death or serious disability.
Stories like this one are heartbreaking. Yet, stories like these are being told to attorneys every day. Each story is slightly different, just as each life affected is unique. The common thread amongst these stories is that a special person that you loved dearly has been taken away from you or otherwise the life they have known has been permanently altered.
You are just now getting over the intense pain of the loss. The last thing you want to do is talk with a lawyer about this tragedy. The last thing you want to do is re-live the horrific experience. But you have this nagging feeling that your love one was ignored, that he or she was given substandard care, and you have questions. You are not seeking a big payout. You are seeking answers. You are seeking justice. And you believe strongly that no one should have to suffer through what you and your family have just experienced.
So where do you turn? You see seemingly every lawyer in your area proclaiming expertise in personal injury and medical malpractice. Aren't they all alike? Won't any one of them do? Can't the lawyer that handled your uncle's car crash, or the lawyer that helped your friend in her divorce, or the lawyer that helped your neighbor's son when he was charged with a DUI, help you? It depends on who you ask. But if you ask a lawyer that has truly handled medical malpractice cases, the answer will almost always be that you need a lawyer that focuses the majority of his or her time in evaluating, developing, and trying medical malpractice cases.
Why do you need a lawyer that focuses most of his or her practice on prosecuting medical malpractice cases? Because medical malpractice is different. It is unlike any other area of the practice of law. If a lawyer doesn't understand that medical malpractice is different, he or she will litigate a medical malpractice case as if it was an automobile collision case, or a slip and fall, or any other injury case that the lawyer has handled in the past. But, it is worth repeating, medical malpractice is different. Failure to contact a lawyer experienced in medical malpractice first can truly effect whether your case ever sees the courthouse.
So, how do you know whether the lawyer is experienced in medical malpractice before you make the first call? You have to do your homework. If you have an attorney you know and can trust to advise you of the most capable and experienced attorneys in your area, that may be a good place to start. The key, however, is being able to trust the attorney to provide you advice that is in your best interest, not that of the attorney. Who would the attorney contact if he or she had a loved one that had been injured due to malpractice? What firm do other attorneys associate to assist them in handling medical malpractice cases if they need help? The answer to these questions may very well point you in the right direction.
Second, you may visit reputable sources such as "BestLawyers.com" or "SuperLawyers" for a list of lawyers in your area that have met the qualifications for inclusion. Be wary, however, that, unlike BestLawyers and SuperLawyers, there are multiple lawyer list sources that allow inclusion of an attorney merely because he or she pays for it. Finally, visit the attorney's website to see whether the lawyer has actually handled malpractice cases. Where is the attorney's office? Will they be accessible to you when you need to discuss your case or drop off/sign documents? When speaking with the lawyer, be very cautious if the lawyer suggests that your case is a "shoe-in" or very quickly concludes that you have a "great case." Why? Because, as we've said before, medical malpractice is different. While an experienced malpractice attorney can often assess whether you have a possible claim over the telephone, if a lawyer promises that you have a winning case before he or she has reviewed any medical records or consulted with an expert, he or she is probably a lawyer that doesn't handle much in the way of medical malpractice. In conclusion: be careful and do your research.
Arnold, Haynes & Sanders has been representing victims of medical malpractice for decades. Our attorneys devote the majority of their practice to handling medical malpractice cases, drawing upon their extensive experience to seek the best result for their clients.
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