Can You Hire More Than One Attorney?

Let's discuss a standard personal injury claims process to understand when it is right to hire more than one attorney. 

You may need an experienced attorney to fight for your rights when you get injured due to someone else's negligence. The attorney will evaluate your case to determine whether you have a valid claim. 

Suppose the attorney feels your claim is valid, and you agree to hire them to represent you. In that case, they'll proceed to the next step, which involves signing documents to establish a client-attorney relationship.

Remember, during the initial consultation, you are not the attorney's client. At that time, the attorney considers you a potential client. It is only after signing a client-attorney agreement that you officially become the attorney's client. It will then be the attorney's responsibility to build a strong case for you. 

The attorney will then begin investigating your case. This step includes but is not limited to reviewing existing evidence. In the process of reviewing evidence and examining the circumstances under which your injury occurred, the lawyer might discover that more than one party might be responsible for your injuries. 

Let's say you're driving your car on the freeway, and another driver hits you from behind. You lose control of your car. You try to hold the brakes, but they fail to work. The car finally lands in a ditch, and the airbags fail to deploy. As a result, you suffer serious injuries and require multiple surgeries.

In that case, more than one party might be responsible for your injuries. Secondly, this case might require the attention of more than just one lawyer. 

Here's why:

When someone hits your car from behind, most state laws will hold them liable for the accident. It is very unlikely that the individual will avoid liability for the accident. The argument here is that drivers must observe a safe distance between their car and the next on the road. Unless certain factors, such as bad weather, limit the driver's ability to control the vehicle, such an accident shouldn't happen.

Unfortunately, these accidents are common all over the country and occur due to many reasons, mostly negligence. Distracted driving is actually one of the reasons such accidents occur. That one millisecond you spend checking out your social media while driving could be the difference between life and death.

Back to the example we discussed earlier; such an accident would require the intervention of a car accident attorney. Again, this is because car accident lawyers specialize in handling accidents involving vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians. 

But there's one thing you need to know: a product liability attorney might also be interested in this case. 

Remember when we mentioned the brake and airbag's failure to deploy? When it comes to such accidents, it is important to conduct thorough investigations. The more facts and evidence your attorney discovers, the higher your chances of filing a successful claim. 

A product liability attorney will come into this case to investigate why the brakes and airbags failed to deploy. Is it because they were defective? Did the manufacturer make certain mistakes during the manufacturing process, preventing these two products from functioning as they should? 

Under normal circumstances, a faulty airbag is a defective airbag. 

But an experienced product liability attorney looks at this situation differently. Such an attorney sees probable negligence by the manufacturer, technician, distributor, marketer, or any other party involved in the product in one way or another. Therefore, it is their job to establish whether someone was negligent, causing the airbag and brakes to fail to function. 

And if their suspicions are true, it may be necessary to proceed with a claim or lawsuit against the negligent party. As a result, you will have both a product liability attorney and a car accident attorney working on your case. 

Using the car accident example above, let's say the brakes and airbags worked well as expected. In that case, you wouldn't need a product liability attorney; you'll only need a car accident attorney to fight for you.

But what would happen if you decide to hire two attorneys to work on the case?

Attorneys tend to have mutual respect, so it's highly unlikely that one attorney would want to take on a case already under another attorney.

Secondly, hiring more than one attorney to handle one case simultaneously could create confusion. Insurance companies will not know who to deal with. 

It's even worse when the courts are involved. The insurance company or the court will want to know who to communicate with, where to send important documents about your case, etc. 

However, there's an exception.

Let’s say you’ve hired a leading personal injury law firm like Morgan & Morgan, the largest in the United States. With Morgan & Morgan, there’s a high chance that multiple attorneys will collaborate to build a strong case for you. That’s because Morgan & Morgan has an extensive team of over 1,000 personal injury attorneys.

These attorneys specialize in different areas of personal injury law. Whether it is a wrongful death, car accident, medical malpractice, product liability, or anything else, Morgan and Morgan has the right attorney to work on your case.

And there's no problem with different attorneys working on your case under the same roof. In fact, this is actually a good thing; the attorneys can share their experience handling similar cases and work together to build a strong case for you. 

But even as they do so, your case will have a lead attorney. This individual handles every important aspect of the case even though they might require assistance from other attorneys in the law firm, especially when handling complex cases. In addition, the lead attorney will be in charge of communicating with the other parties, witnesses, the court, insurance companies, medical professionals, and everyone else involved in your case.

Regarding hiring more than one attorney, let's look at it from the financial perspective. Most attorneys charge their clients on a contingency basis when it comes to personal injury cases. This means they get paid a percentage of the settlement amount but only if they win the case. If they lose, they don't get paid anything. 

When you hire more than one attorney to work on your case, you'll need to ensure both attorneys are paid if they don't work for the same law firm. While such cases are rare, they have happened before. 

Therefore, when you look at the costs of hiring two attorneys to work on the case independently, it may not be worth it. The cost of the attorney's service might be higher than the value of the case. 

Let's face it; some attorneys might not be worth your time. Some promise heaven and deliver hell. There are times when you might regret hiring a particular attorney. 

If you ever find yourself in such a situation, there's always a way out. 

Discuss the Issue With the Attorney

The first step is to discuss the issue with the attorney. Schedule a meeting with them in advance. Before the meeting, write down a list of things you don't like about the attorney. Examples of such issues include:

• Lack of regular communication about your case
• Lack of desire to tackle your case
• Failure to demonstrate an understanding of your case

And so on. 

End the Client-Attorney Relationship

If the attorney is unwilling to address these issues, you may need to end the client-attorney relationship with them. You may notify them about it and in return, they may ask you to sign something confirming that you're no longer their client. 

There are thousands of law firms and attorneys all over the United States. But when it comes to personal injury cases, no law firm comes close to Morgan and Morgan.

Morgan and Morgan is the largest personal injury law firm in the country. We serve clients all over the United States by providing the legal representation they need in their pursuit of compensation. 

Being the largest personal injury law firm in the country also comes with numerous benefits, that is, if you choose to work with us. Because we have an army of over 1,000 attorneys, you won't need to hire different attorneys to work on your case. Instead, you'll get the best of the best under one roof. 

Unlike many injury law firms in the country, Morgan and Morgan has a solid track record of winning cases. So far, we have recovered more than $20 billion as compensation for our clients in different cases. 

This tells you one thing: we're not one of those personal injury law firms that settle for any amount of compensation just to close the case and move on to the next. Rather, we believe in fighting for our client's rights, ensuring they receive the compensation they need and deserve. We believe that true victory in a personal injury case comes when our clients are happy. This only happens when they receive a reasonable settlement for their injuries. 

Given that we're the largest injury law firm in the country, you can count on us when you need a law firm with resources to fight for you. Experience aside, legal resources are usually some of the most important things to look for when hiring an attorney to work on your case.

A law firm that lacks legal resources, from advanced technology to a network of professionals in different fields, will likely settle for less than you deserve. This is because they don't have enough power to build a strong case. Remember, most injury cases require a lot of investigations. These investigations are expensive and may include many other processes, such as traveling, reconstructing evidence, consulting experts, etc. 

Lastly, one of the greatest advantages of working with an experienced law firm is that it helps you send a strong message to the other party. When you get injured due to someone else's negligence and decide to file a claim with their insurance company, the insurer will evaluate your legal power.

They will want to find out whether you have an attorney. Although they may not ask this directly, they've handled enough claims to know when clients have an attorney and when they don't. 

Having an attorney to fight for you is a great thing. However, the kind of attorney you choose to work with is what matters the most. If you choose just any attorney or law firm you come across, the insurance company won't take you seriously.

But if you work with Morgan and Morgan, the other party will know you're serious about your claim. This is because Morgan and Morgan attorneys are known for their aggressiveness when fighting for their client's rights. They don't settle for less. And if the other party is unwilling to cooperate, Morgan and Morgan attorneys are always ready to go to court.

If you or your loved one has been injured due to someone else's negligence, Morgan and Morgan can help. Contact us any day, any time for a free, no-obligation case evaluation with an experienced legal representative.