How to Choose a Birth Injury Lawyer for Your Case

Raising a child with a disability or chronic health condition often entails a lifetime of expensive medical treatment and emotional turmoil. You may be able to recover compensation for your losses if you believe your child’s birth injury was caused by medical malpractice. Birth injury lawyers in Baltimore specialize in investigating and negotiating birth injury claims and the size of your settlement will depend in part on the experience and skill of the lawyer you choose to hire.

How to Choose a Birth Injury Lawyer for Your Case

Most birth injury lawyers offer a free consultation in which they can discuss your situation and determine the value of your claim. It’s wise to consider these initial consultations as a mutual interview process; don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you like. Here are a few important qualities to look for while speaking to prospective lawyers.

Experience With Similar Birth Injury Claims

Birth injuries are among the most challenging and complex medical malpractice claims. In order to win the case, your attorney must prove that the healthcare practitioners involved in the birth of your child acted with negligence. This means proving that they failed to meet accepted medical standards either before, during, or after the birth, and their negligence resulted in your child’s injury.

Successfully achieving this often requires understanding highly technical and specialized medical issues. It’s therefore wise to hire an experienced birth injury lawyer who already has a deep understanding of the laws and medical factors involved in different types of birth injuries. Lawyers who have previously handled many similar cases will also have access to a network of medical expert witnesses who can help to investigate the events of your child’s birth and potentially testify in court if necessary.

A Willingness to Try Your Case in Court

Most birth injury claims are resolved with an out-of-court settlement, but occasionally a jury verdict in court is required. If your claim needs to go to court, you’re likely to be facing a well-funded legal team defending the medical provider. Successfully litigating and achieving a court-awarded payout will therefore require a seasoned medical malpractice lawyer who’s ready and willing to take your case to court.

When speaking to prospective attorneys, ask about their experience trying and winning similar cases to yours before a judge and jury. Ideally, you’ll find an experienced trial attorney with dozens of successful birth injury lawsuits and court cases under their belt.

A Long Track Record of Success

You can also ask prospective lawyers about their win rate with birth injury cases and how long they’ve been practicing medical malpractice law for. Needless to say, it’s wise to hire a lawyer or law firm with a strong track record of success.

As with any profession, the longer an attorney and law firm has been practicing, the more proficient they’ll usually be. Click here for an example of a law firm with a 50-year track record of successfully helping medical malpractice clients in Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland.

A Good Reputation With Clients and Attorneys

For each attorney you meet, ask if they can provide you with testimonials and references from prior clients. Most reputable lawyers shouldn’t have any problem with this. Another pertinent question is how much of their business comes from referrals from other attorneys. Well-known lawyers often receive a good deal of steady referral business from their peers.

Before you meet an attorney, you can carry out a little online research into their reputation. Firstly, make sure that they’re in good standing with the state bar; for attorneys in Maryland, this is the Maryland State Bar Association.

Excellent Communication Skills

The complexities of medical malpractice law can make claim proceedings difficult to follow for the average layman. Therefore, one important task of any attorney is to bridge this knowledge gap by explaining even the most convoluted medical or legal issues in a simple way that’s easy to understand.

Clear communication is a crucial skill for any birth injury lawyer, so after meeting a prospective attorney, you shouldn’t be left feeling lost or overwhelmed with legal jargon. Choosing a lawyer who’s easy to talk to will make the entire claims and lawsuit process a much easier experience for everyone involved.

Focus on Birth Injury Lawyers in Baltimore

If you live in Baltimore, it’s best to find a local attorney. The laws governing birth injury cases are different in each state and you’ll need an attorney well-versed in the legal system of Maryland. An experienced local attorney will have access to a network of expert witnesses in Baltimore and nearby. These local expert witnesses may prove extremely valuable while investigating and litigating your case.

The stressful process of filing and pursuing a birth injury claim becomes far more bearable with the right lawyer by your side. If you look for the qualities laid out in this article, you’re sure to find an attorney who can provide effective legal guidance, build a strong case, and win you the full compensation you and your child deserve.