Is Morgan and Morgan Legit?

It's usually unfortunate circumstances that drive people to look for the services of a law firm. You might be seeking compensation for injuries sustained in a car wreck, a loved one may have been abused in a nursing home, or a dangerous prescription drug may have caused irreparable harm. Although there are numerous reasons to seek legal advice, the traits of a legitimate law firm are typically universal. Here are some things to consider:

The success rate of a law firm is crucial because it's an indicator of the likelihood they'll successfully resolve your own legal issue. Although previous success does not guarantee anything, it does show unquestionable veracity. When asking if Morgan and Morgan is “legit," you have to consider the number of cases we've been involved in and the amount we've recovered for clients. In more than 35 years, Morgan and Morgan have represented tens of thousands of clients and have recovered over $20 billion cumulatively for them.

Of course, some of those wins were enormous, like $1.8 billion for the Porter Ranch gas leak victims and $90.8 million for the family of a victim of Big Tobacco. Still, when you're looking at $20 billion recovered, that's a lot of wins where clients recovered meaningful compensation that made a substantial difference in their lives and their families.

That's not to say we haven't had our frustrations. In some cases, we may discover that evidence isn't as strong as we had hoped, which may have steered us onto a different course. In the instances where we learn we can't help people, we don't charge these clients for any services rendered up to that point. However, we always try to catch these issues before taking on a client because we know how disappointing it can be.

One thing we have found that drives our success is that our end goal is to satisfy clients. Client satisfaction to us means that we've held wrongdoers accountable for the actions that hurt our clients and made them compensate for it. We always think about our client's needs and do our best to ensure they get satisfactory results.

Law firms that are working on establishing themselves are doing so at the same time they are handling clients. While everyone has to get a start somewhere, you may not want to hitch your wagon to a law firm that doesn't yet have a grasp on how they're going to operate. You may end up finding that they are unorganized, phone calls aren't getting returned, and your lawyer may have a haphazard approach to handling your case.

Your time is precious, especially when dealing with injuries and juggling doctor's appointments and other commitments linked to your case. The last thing you need is to feel like you have to jump to accommodate a disorganized law team. Life after a serious accident or other harmful life event is chaotic enough.

Morgan and Morgan have been in business since 1988, started by our founder, John Morgan. Since then, we've steadily grown to have offices all over the country with more than 1,000 lawyers and thousands of support staff. Our principles and work style are well-defined so that our lawyers can focus all of their efforts on meeting the needs of clients.

While we've established some important qualities in a law firm, choosing the right lawyer may be even more consequential. After all, the law firm provides support and guidance to the lawyer, but if the lawyer isn't the right fit, it doesn't matter how big or successful the law firm is, right?

Also, you may have concerns about the legitimacy of your lawyer's credentials. Frankly, good on you for questioning it! Although Morgan and Morgan's lawyers go through an extensive vetting process before we allow them to work with clients, here are some steps you can take personally:

Check That They Have Passed the Bar

Many people assume that if someone works in the capacity of a lawyer, they must have passed the state bar exam. In most cases, that would be true. But there have been instances of people masquerading as lawyers at other law firms that never passed the Bar. A lawyer is required to have a valid license in any state where they practice law. That means that even if they're a hotshot in New York, they can only practice law in Georgia if they've acquired a license. Furthermore, you want to be sure a lawyer is licensed in your state because state laws often have a significant impact on legal matters.

It's pretty simple to check. Just do an internet search for your state's bar association. All you should need to do is search for the name of the lawyer and the law firm. Search results should reveal whether the lawyer has a state bar certificate in good standing, where they went to law school, when they graduated, what area of law they specialize in, and the size of the law firm. The status of "good standing" is, of course, crucial.

Check for Complaints

As you may have discovered in other business relationships, just because someone is licensed to perform a service doesn't mean they're any good at it. On the state bar association website, you should also be able to research if they have grievances filed. Grievances are generally ethics violations, also known as misconduct. Still, make sure you look at any grievances fully because the state bar will investigate legitimate ones. If the complaint has no merit, it will be dismissed.

If the complaint is valid, the lawyer usually faces some sort of disciplinary action, which may include admonition, reprimand, or censure. If the misconduct is substantial, the Bar may choose to suspend the lawyer's license or disbar them completely. Still, having a mark on their record doesn't always mean the lawyer isn't a good one. You have to make a choice based on the information available.

Do an Internet Search for Their Name

You can find a lot online about professionals these days. They may have been mentioned in news stories worth reading so that you can learn how they handle themselves in newsworthy cases. Likewise, they may be part of public websites that offer free advice about legal matters. Review their responses and gauge their level of knowledge and professionalism. Finally, check out any reviews they may have, especially peer reviews. A positive review from another legal professional is as good as gold, since they know the ins and outs of the industry.

Still, you have to take some reviews with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, when we cannot accept cases because they lack merit, it's understandable that people get angry because their other choice is to pay a lawyer an hourly fee with no guarantee of success. Since we work on a contingency fee basis, we only get paid when our clients do, so we have to be very selective in the cases we work on. We have to feel like there is a good chance of success. Otherwise, Morgan and Morgan and our lawyers would risk pouring substantial hours and resources into a case with no return on the investment. 

Our bread and butter is personal injury law. In fact, the reason why John Morgan began the business in 1988 is that he wanted to right the wrongs that big business perpetuates on the average person. When John was young, his brother suffered grave injuries while on the job. Between his family making a poor choice of the lawyer representing them and the bulldozing antics of his brother's employer's lawyers, John's brother did not get the financial compensation he should have. John decided that he would make a difference for other people who might find themselves in the same position, so he went to law school. He met and married another lawyer, and they have sons that now work at Morgan and Morgan, making it a real family-owned business.

Even though we've grown to be one of the most prominent law firms in the nation, we still maintain the principles of a family-owned business and never forget what got us started in the first place. However, that doesn't stop our enthusiasm for expansion. Here are some of the areas where we have highly specialized lawyers practicing:

• Motor vehicle, boat, and pedestrian accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Premises liability
• Civil rights violations
• Dangerous drugs
• Defective products
• Insurance disputes
• Class actions
• Mass torts
• Nursing home abuse
• Slip and fall accidents
• Mesothelioma
• Workplace discrimination
• Employment law
• Disability benefits denied
• Data breaches
• Negligence
• Sexual abuse cases
• Toxic and environmental cases
• Wrongful death
• Dog Bites
• Birth injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Wage disputes

It's natural to wonder, "Is Morgan and Morgan legit?" This is especially true before trusting us to take on a legal issue that could have major implications in your life. However, you don't have to take our word for it. Serious news sources always check the validity of their news stories before running them, so here are a few links to significant cases we've been involved with recently. Please don't hesitate to reach out anytime for a free case evaluation. We promise to give your case the attention and concern it deserves.

Norfolk Southern East Palestine Railroad Disaster Lawsuit Coverage in Time

Norfolk Southern East Palestine Railroad Disaster Lawsuit Coverage on NBC News

Norfolk Southern East Palestine Railroad Disaster Lawsuit Coverage on Good Morning America

Orlando FreeFall Ride Fatality at ICON Park on Fox News

Delta Airlines Intellectual Property Claims on Law.com