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When you need medical care, you trust the practitioners to give you the best possible care. The last thing you should worry about is whether the doctor or professional is making the best decision with your treatment plan.
Medical malpractice is an unfortunate reality, but when malpractice does occur a patient or the patient’s family can claim compensation for negligence. If you or a loved one has suffered because of medical malpractice, you should seek a consultation with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
It is estimated that, at a minimum, somewhere between 65,000 and 200,000 people die each year due to medical accidents. Among those deaths, somewhere between 25,000 and 120,000 of those deaths can be attributed to medical malpractice. The Center for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School states that a small percentage of medical professionals—only 4.8 percent—are responsible for half of the malpractice claims filed in the United States.
Medical malpractice is real and harmful, and responsible medical practitioners need to be held accountable for their negligence. Choosing a medical malpractice lawyer to represent you is an important decision and not one that you should take lightly.
When it comes to choosing an attorney for your medical negligence or medical malpractice suit, it is important that you thoroughly research potential candidates before making any decision. Each case will require individual considerations, but the following three factors are universal among qualified lawyers.
In cases involving medical malpractice and medical negligence, you will carry the burden of proof, which can sometimes be challenging to prove. Having a qualified medical malpractice attorney who has a proven track record of success is crucial to claiming the compensation you deserve. The best lawyer for you is going to be one who has successfully settled or returned a verdict on many medical malpractice cases. He or she will have the knowledge and know-how to investigate your situation and will have qualified medical professionals to speak as expert witnesses to prove that the care you received was negligent.
A sub-point of experience is specialty. Medical malpractice and negligence is a specialty within the realm of personal injury cases, but it is still a vast specialty that covers many different situations. An attorney who is proficient in misdiagnosis cases may not be the best choice for a case involving a surgical error or delayed treatment. Many qualified medical malpractice attorneys and firms will have experience in several kinds of malpractice and negligence cases, so it is possible for you to find someone experienced with your particular situation.
The attorneys at Regan Zambri Long, PLLC, are experienced in various kinds of medical malpractice and medical negligence cases. The legal team includes two former registered nurses who can to lend their additional knowledge to complex medical malpractice cases in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Just because an attorney has taken on many medical malpractice and negligence cases does not mean that he or she is the right representation for you. If an attorney can’t provide a sampling of successes and victories, you may need to look elsewhere. It does you no good to have an attorney who knows the laws inside and out but is unable to successfully win you compensation. A qualified medical malpractice attorney with a consistent pattern of settlement and/or recovery will give you the confidence you need to move forward with your case.
Regan Zambri Long’s case results lend additional credence to our experience. Our multi-million dollar recoveries have made it possible for victims of medical malpractice and negligence to rebuild after their injuries. We won $11 million for a patient who suffered a stroke during heart surgery due to failure to perform a pregnancy test before the operation and we recovered $8 million for a woman who suffered quadriplegia due to a surgical and anesthetic error. A $4.7 million verdict in a malpractice case tried in the Washington, DC, district court is one of the district’s largest medical malpractice verdicts in recent years. Not every attorney can handle major cases, so choosing one who has a demonstrated ability to win high-dollar compensation for the victim is important in your medical malpractice case.
Your qualified medical malpractice lawyer will be representing you and your interests, perhaps even at times when you are not present. You must be able to trust your medical malpractice lawyer to represent your interests and to act with integrity throughout the entirety of your case. Doing some Internet research via Google searches and even social media and social networking sites can give you an idea of an attorney’s reputation before you schedule a consultation. Reviews and testimonials from clients, local and national accolades and awards, and continued professional development can help guide you toward qualified medical malpractice attorneys—and help keep you away from less-than-reputable attorneys.
At Regan Zambri Long, we believe in striving to be the best we can be for our clients. Our attorneys receive both local and national commendations individually, which is why our firm is collectively recognized for its integrity and dedication to excellence.
You will want to meet with prospective attorneys before committing your case to any one lawyer or firm. To prepare for these meetings you should have an understanding of your expectations and a list of questions or topics to ask about. This list should include:
Lawyers and firms can choose different ways to collect fees from clients. You should decide ahead of time if you are willing to pay an upfront fee for services or whether you want or need to work on a contingency basis. You should also know ahead of time whether you will have to pay some fees if the case is not resolved in your favor. Additionally, a malpractice case is not cheap to pursue, so you should discuss beforehand whether your attorney will cover the costs of the case initially or whether they expect you to pay.
Your medical negligence claim will likely occupy your entire focus, but for an attorney it is one case among several. While you may not be able to get utterly undivided attention from your attorney, you can ask about the time a potential attorney has to dedicate to your case and how many cases they generally accept at one time. An attorney who takes only one case at a time might not have the skill and experience to represent you well, but an attorney who takes on too many cases won’t be able to give you the attention your case requires.
As you contact potential medical malpractice attorneys, you might keep notes on your initial experience. Is it easy to get in touch with the lawyer? Do they have a professional online presence and a professional interpersonal presence? Are they thorough in gathering initial information? You may choose to compare your early experiences with available client testimonials or online reviews to see how other clients have viewed their experiences.
At Regan Zambri Long, PLLC, we pride ourselves on being the ideal partner and representation for many clients in their medical malpractice and medical negligence cases. Medical malpractice is unfortunately a common occurrence, but that does not mitigate the need for practitioners and professionals to be held accountable for the harm their mistakes cause.
Our team comprises several qualified medical malpractice lawyers who will bring their cumulative experience to bear on your case, working tirelessly to recover the compensation you deserve.
We don’t collect any fees until we’ve won a recovery in your favor, so schedule your free consultation today by calling 202-960-4596.
