How to Find the Best Elder Care Attorney Near Me

Seniors, in general, are vulnerable to a wide variety of abusive acts ranging from battery to Ponzi schemes. However, certain factors make some nursing home residents more vulnerable to abuse than the other residents at the same facility.

Gender

Women living in an elder care facility face a higher risk of abuse than the risk of abuse faced by men. The NCVC discovered nearly two-thirds of all nursing abuse cases involved women as victims.

Previous Trauma

Elderly care residents that have suffered from some form of abuse in the past are more likely to face abuse again.

Mental Health Issues

Nursing home residents at the mid to advanced stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are especially vulnerable to abusive behavior. Reports released by the NCVC indicate about half of all dementia patients living in a nursing home face some type of abuse.

Low Socioeconomic Status

Residents of nursing homes that receive Medicaid assistance might stay at lower-quality facilities that hire inexperienced caregivers. The result can be exploiting the low socioeconomic status of poor residents by abusing them.

Finding the right elder care lawyer for you or a loved one is a critical step in getting compensation for nursing home abuse. Most elder care facilities have experienced legal representation that is no match for someone who does not have the legal credentials to litigate a nursing home abuse case.

The question is not should you hire a nursing home abuse attorney, but how do you find the best one to handle your case.

Get Referrals

Getting a referral from a trusted friend or family member can help you save time in your search for a lawyer, as well as find one that has the credentials to stand up for your rights. Other sources of referrals include neighbors and professional peers.

Asking a lawyer to refer you to a personal injury attorney is also an effective way to connect with the best lawyer for your case. Even if a lawyer does not practice personal injury law, the attorney might know someone in his or her legal network that runs a successful personal injury law practice.

State Bar Association

Your state bar association should have compiled a database of all the attorneys that are licensed in the state. Simply go to your state bar association’s website and click the link for personal injury lawyers. Then, you narrow your search by looking for a personal injury attorney who specializes in litigating elder abuse cases.

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

As a broad database, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys covers every type of elder care issue. You want to find an elder care attorney who specializes in litigating nursing home abuse cases. Some elder law attorneys do not take cases that involve elder abuse. 

Even if you receive one or more referrals, you still have to vet every attorney that lands on your shortlist of candidates.

Tip #1: Free Case Evaluation

This is an important tip for several reasons. An attorney that schedules a free case evaluation is more interested in learning more about your case than taking your money. Second, you get the opportunity to see how a lawyer works. Third, you should come away with an idea about the chances of you winning a civil lawsuit.

A free case evaluation can last between 15 minutes an hour. Present the same information to each attorney that you meet with and then compare their responses.

Tip #2: Amount of Experience

Years of litigating elder abuse cases is what you should look for in a lawyer. An elder care attorney who specializes in financial management issues might not be a good fit for your nursing home abuse case. An experienced lawyer should not only be skilled at litigating nursing home abuse cases, but the attorney also should have developed professional relationships with several civil court judges.

Tip #3: Communication Skills

This is not about how well your attorney presents evidence and argues a case, although that is certainly an important criterion for hiring the best elder care lawyer. You want to answer the following questions.

•       Does an attorney return emails and phone calls shortly after receiving them?
•       Is the lawyer polite and understanding of your legal situation?
•       Do you understand what the attorney is saying?
•       Does a lawyer follow through with promises?

Tip #4: Verify Professional Credentials

The database created by your state bar association offers much more than names. You can also confirm that every lawyer is licensed to practice personal injury law in the state where you live. The state bar association database should also include information that concerns any disciplinary action taken against an attorney on your shortlist.

Tip #5: Online Reviews

Online reviews posted by former clients should not be the most important factor in choosing the best elder care lawyer near you. What online reviews can do is provide supporting information for the rest of the research that you have conducted. Check out the rating every attorney on your shortlist has received from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as well.

The team of elder care lawyers at our Orlando, Florida office recently won a settlement for a client that far exceeded the pre-trial offer made by the nursing home. Our client won a settlement of $375,000 for nursing home abuse while the facility offered a pre-trial payment of $500.

This is the type of results Morgan & Morgan delivers for clients that have suffered from elder care abuse. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.