Is A Certified Specialist Really Better Than Other Attorneys?
http://www.lawsays.net/articles/8029/1/Is-A-Certified-Specialist-Really-Better-Than-Other-Attorneys/Page1.html
Chris Zachar
Chris Zachar is a Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyer who has practiced law in Arizona since 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. In 1992, Chris graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in Tucson with his Juris Doctor Degree. He is admitted to practice law in all city, county and state courts in Arizona. By Chris Zachar
Published on 07/5/2011
While many services advertise that they "specialize in customer satisfaction," for example, it requires much more than a clever turn of phrase to become a certified specialist attorney.
Phoenix personal injury lawyers can seem like a uniform group; for the most part, they dress alike, talk alike, work in similar surroundings, and have similar backgrounds. So it's tempting to think that one phoenix personal injury lawyer will be able to handle your case just as well as any other and to just pick the cheapest one. The truth is that while just about any lawyer _might_ be able to handle your case, the best choice is a certified specialist.
While many services advertise that they "specialize in customer satisfaction," for example, it requires much more than a clever turn of phrase to become a certified specialist attorney. In addition to the qualifications all attorneys must possess, e.G., gradutation from an accredited law school, passing the state bar exam, and good character, phoenix personal injury lawyers who wish to be certified by the arizona state bar as specialists have to meet several strict requirements:
First, the lawyer must have been practicing law for at least five years and practicing in arizona for at least the last two years.
Next, at least 50% of the lawyer's time must be spent in the area in which they wish to specialize, which means that each lawyer can have no more than two specialties, and usually only one.
Additionally, phoenix personal injury lawyers who wish to be certified must show that they are "substantially involved" in that particular area of the law and have been for at least 4 out of the last 6 years. Being substantially involved means, among other things, devoting at least 1000 hours per year to practicing in the field and meeting the bar association's stringent quota of number of cases, complexity of cases, and quality of outcomes.
Lawyers who become certified specialists all attend mandatory classes on new issues in arizona tort law every year and are also evaluated on how many papers they have published and how many courses they have taught in the field.
The assessment of a lawyer's record guarantees that a certified specialist isn't just better educated than the average lawyer, they also get better results. The assessment includes things like whether the lawyer got a larger verdict at trial than the other party was offering, the number of experts the lawyer has worked with, the number of times the lawyer has been successful on appeal, and the complexity of the cases the lawyer has handled.
Finally, all lawyers who wish to become certified specialists must pass an exam designed by other specialists to test whether the aspiring specialist has a complete knowledge of the specialty. This is in addition to the standard bar exam which all phoenix personal injury lawyers pass.
What's more, all certified specialists must go through the majority of this process every five years to remain certified, so you can be confident that your specialist is up to date.
Another good reason to think about selecting a certified specialist when you need help from a phoenix personal injury lawyer is that in addition to getting higher quality representation, there's a good chance that a certified specialist can do the job faster and at reduced cost. Both the facts of an injury case and the relevant law can be quite complex and so even experienced attorneys typically need to do a considerable amount of research and investigation before they can proceed with your case. Naturally, that all costs money, so a good way to cut down on legal costs is to get help from a lawyer whose experience and focus in personal injury law will allow them to complete the preliminary work quickly and efficiently.
It's true that many lawyers practice in the civil litigation field and some generalists can be very capable. But if you have a serious injury and someone else is at fault, it's a safe bet that that person is going to make it as hard as possible for you to get what you deserve. You wouldn't want a general physician to do your heart surgery if a cardiologist was available. Similarly, when you have a serious injury and need someone to stand up for your rights, you need a phoenix personal injury lawyer who is a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation.
It is crucial to understand that if you have been wrongfully harmed, you have rights which can only be vindicated in court. It is important to have the guidance of an phoenix personal injury lawyer with extensive experience to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.
While many services advertise that they "specialize in customer satisfaction," for example, it requires much more than a clever turn of phrase to become a certified specialist attorney. In addition to the qualifications all attorneys must possess, e.G., gradutation from an accredited law school, passing the state bar exam, and good character, phoenix personal injury lawyers who wish to be certified by the arizona state bar as specialists have to meet several strict requirements:
First, the lawyer must have been practicing law for at least five years and practicing in arizona for at least the last two years.
Next, at least 50% of the lawyer's time must be spent in the area in which they wish to specialize, which means that each lawyer can have no more than two specialties, and usually only one.
Additionally, phoenix personal injury lawyers who wish to be certified must show that they are "substantially involved" in that particular area of the law and have been for at least 4 out of the last 6 years. Being substantially involved means, among other things, devoting at least 1000 hours per year to practicing in the field and meeting the bar association's stringent quota of number of cases, complexity of cases, and quality of outcomes.
Lawyers who become certified specialists all attend mandatory classes on new issues in arizona tort law every year and are also evaluated on how many papers they have published and how many courses they have taught in the field.
The assessment of a lawyer's record guarantees that a certified specialist isn't just better educated than the average lawyer, they also get better results. The assessment includes things like whether the lawyer got a larger verdict at trial than the other party was offering, the number of experts the lawyer has worked with, the number of times the lawyer has been successful on appeal, and the complexity of the cases the lawyer has handled.
Finally, all lawyers who wish to become certified specialists must pass an exam designed by other specialists to test whether the aspiring specialist has a complete knowledge of the specialty. This is in addition to the standard bar exam which all phoenix personal injury lawyers pass.
What's more, all certified specialists must go through the majority of this process every five years to remain certified, so you can be confident that your specialist is up to date.
Another good reason to think about selecting a certified specialist when you need help from a phoenix personal injury lawyer is that in addition to getting higher quality representation, there's a good chance that a certified specialist can do the job faster and at reduced cost. Both the facts of an injury case and the relevant law can be quite complex and so even experienced attorneys typically need to do a considerable amount of research and investigation before they can proceed with your case. Naturally, that all costs money, so a good way to cut down on legal costs is to get help from a lawyer whose experience and focus in personal injury law will allow them to complete the preliminary work quickly and efficiently.
It's true that many lawyers practice in the civil litigation field and some generalists can be very capable. But if you have a serious injury and someone else is at fault, it's a safe bet that that person is going to make it as hard as possible for you to get what you deserve. You wouldn't want a general physician to do your heart surgery if a cardiologist was available. Similarly, when you have a serious injury and need someone to stand up for your rights, you need a phoenix personal injury lawyer who is a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation.
It is crucial to understand that if you have been wrongfully harmed, you have rights which can only be vindicated in court. It is important to have the guidance of an phoenix personal injury lawyer with extensive experience to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve.