When faced with the tough decision of who to hire when you need an attorney’s expertise, hiring a local attorney near your residence or within the same county is highly recommended. However, with the proliferation of the internet and the ability to buy ad space through Google and other vendors, lawyers from across the country, particularly in southern California, purchase ad space in large metropolitan areas like Sacramento using property addresses or office addresses listed in the Sacramento area. Through buying these ad spaces, law firms can appear to be Sacramento-based attorneys when they’re not. The value of hiring an honest Sacramento-based lawyer or a local attorney near you is significant regarding important case factors like evidence, medical care, and going to trial.
Evidence
Lawyers in Los Angeles or other parts of the United States may do a great job explaining the pros and cons of your case. But can a lawyer in Huntington Beach understand the intricate details of one of the most dangerous intersections in Sacramento of Howe and Fair Oaks? Most likely not. Do they accurately understand the traffic caused by active highway construction and the challenges of Highway-50, Interstate-80, or Interstate-99 interchanges? Most likely not. An attorney can use Google Earth to research intersections for a car accident case and other factors. But non-local attorneys most likely only understand these challenges and roadway dangers specific to the area if they are locally-based experienced car accident attorneys. On a separate note, a lawyer in Los Angeles or San Diego most likely won’t show up at an uncooperative witness’ residence and knock on a door to obtain their testimony. So another good reason for having a local lawyer is that they are more invested in helping accumulate the proper evidence for your case.
Medical Care and Treatment
I would like to let you know that hiring an attorney near you is essential for getting medical care and treatment. Using the internet or a healthcare directory to find a doctor is easy, but how do you find a doctor who will cooperate with your attorney when presenting evidence at trial? Or to prepare a detailed medical report? Relying on Google or Yelp for a doctor can be convenient, but will that doctor cooperate with your attorney? And only a local attorney would understand which doctors will be helpful and which doctors won’t. Likewise, most doctors require that payment from insurance companies or pay-as-you-go. However, some doctors will treat what’s known as a lien basis where instead of making you pay upfront, you can pay at the end of the case when it’s resolved. Hiring an attorney near you is good because they know which doctors will treat you on a lean basis and which will cooperate with your case during trial.
Going to Trial
Besides gathering evidence and medical care, one of the ultimate bluffs is going to trial. In some cases, it is true that probably 97% of personal injury cases are resolved without going to a trial or a courtroom. However, what they settle for or decide is a product of whether the lawyer and client are willing to go to trial. For example, is that lawyer ready to fly in from southern California if you’ve got a case requiring the lawyer to come to the court to handle the settlement conference and go to trial? The insurance companies are often betting that they won’t and, as a result, give a lowball settlement or a lower settlement than they would give a local attorney.
What is considered near you?
So, as a general rule, yes, you want to hire an attorney or a lawyer near you. I’m wondering what is near you. That’s a good question, and it varies. Realistically, you’ll only go to the lawyer’s office occasionally, so having a minor inconvenience in seeing the attorney is a manageable problem. Ideally, you want a lawyer that’s a 20-30 minute drive, so you can go in and sit down to have a good, meaningful conversation when necessary. In addition, you want a lawyer near the courtroom where your case and trial will be held. You want a lawyer near the community where you’re getting your treatment and care so that that lawyer can give you advice and instruction about which doctors to see and not see. Ideally, an attorney in Sacramento works perfectly if you’re in Sacramento or one of the neighboring counties. If you live in one of the smaller counties, it is more practical for most of your specialist doctors to be in larger cities such as Sacramento. Having an attorney in Sacramento makes more sense because that attorney can then deal with that medical specialist as needed.
In short, when searching for a nearby attorney. You’ll want to find an attorney that is:
- Close enough to you that you can walk into their office anytime you want or any time necessary and sit down and have a meaningful conversation.
- That is close enough to gather evidence properly.
- That is close enough to the courtroom to present your case if it moves to trial.
- That knows which local doctors will treat you leanly and which will cooperate with your case during trial.
Suppose you or a loved one has been the victim of a severe accident and suffered personal injuries. In that case, we highly recommend you consult with one of our expert personal injury attorneys at Eason & Tambornini, A Law Corporation, to determine your case eligibility. Our team of expert attorneys offers FREE and confidential, no-obligation consultations. To reach our offices and to speak with an attorney, pick up the phone and call 916-438-1819 to take advantage of our free and confidential consultations today.
