How to choose a cruise ship injury lawyer to represent you

 

If you’re injured in a cruise ship accident, finding the right lawyer to help you out can be a tough.

You’re already dealing with the pain and frustration of the injury and now you have to seek out legal advice that could impact your health, finances and general well-being.

Where do you turn? Who do you talk to? Who can you trust with your case?

These are common questions you’ll have as you look for someone to help you navigate the legal matters of filing a claim for your injury against the cruise line.

Wondering what qualities you need to look for in the perfect lawyer?
Here is what we suggest…

**Naturally, we feel as though our attorneys are best suited to help almost anyone – passenger or crew member – in personal injury cases against cruise lines. We have a tremendous amount of experience successfully working on behalf of our clients.  If you wish to consider other lawyers, please keep the following in mind.

Relationship matters: Look for a firm or an attorney you can get along with. Be sure to hire someone who you feel you can trust, will be honest with you and who will work hard to represent your interests above all else. A lawyer that you are comfortable around, whether on the phone or in person, will help make the legal process easier for you.

Experience matters: Check out the attorney’s track record and past experience. Look online for reviews or ask them personally about other cases. Ask direct questions about their success rate. Do they have specific experience managing a case similar to yours? Have they gone to court?

To view our Settlements and Verdicts for cruise ship injuries, click here.







Evaluate their team: It won’t be just the lawyer working for you. A team of paralegals and support staff will also likely be involved (especially as you investigate larger law firms). Know if your lawyer works with a team and see how that benfits them or doesn’t. If you want more of a personal relationship, work with a smaller firm.

Determine their speciality. Some lawyers have more experience in one area over another. You want to find the right attorney with the right experience who is going to give you the best approach for a successful case.

Your well-being and your finances can be greatly impacted, positively or negatively, based on your decision. The more they know about your issue and the more they know about fighting against the cruise lines, the more they will be able to help you.

As we know, experience matters greatly. Look for an attorney who specializes in cruise ship injury law and who understands the specific legal process involved.

**Maritime and cruise injury law are different from other areas of the law. You need an attorney experienced in these matters. A local car accident attorney is not going to fare well on your behalf when engaged with experienced defense attorneys working for the cruise lines. We can’t stress that enough!

Where is their office located? Location used to be more important, especially if you need to meet on a regular basis. But with phones and internet access, this is less of an issue these days and should be a smaller factor when deciding which attorney to work with.

What is important in regards to filing claims and managing lawsuits against the cruise lines is that the many of the major cruise lines specify that all lawsuits must be filed in locations in Florida – mainly Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. A cruise ship injury lawyer based in Miami is better suited to efficiently managing the legal process.

Waks and Barnett is located in Miami and has been working with injured passenger for over 25 years.

Cost can be an issue: Yes, the cost of legal fees may impact your hiring decision. But know this – most reputable attorneys will offer a free evaluation of your case. They’ll want to understand if you have a case and what the potential success of that case will be in court or through arbitration.

Also, most personal injury attorneys representing injured cruise ship passengers will work on a ‘fee basis’. That simply means that they will only be paid when they return a successful settlement on your behalf. The attorneys will carry the cost of managing the process. If an attorney won’t work with you upfront, then it may mean they think the chances of you having a successful case is low. You can always get a second opinion (and you should!).

We offer a Free Consultation over the phone or in person. We want to help you evaluate your potential claim.

If you need more information about hiring a cruise ship personal injury lawyer – for an injury or medical illness – please contact Waks and Barnett at (800) 905-2891.