You can contact your local bar association for a referral. You can also ask the individual's psychiatrist if he is aware of any knowledgeable lawyers. Here is a site that many lawyers use to find co-counsel: martindale.com
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If you, as a patient, have issues related to Medicare & medicaid, medical bills, access to care, medical record confidentiality, consent to medical treatment, a health & health care law attorney can help.
Write out questions about the lawyer's practice. You can generally find out the basic information about the attorney online, such as how long s/he has been practicing, where s/he went to law school, etc. For your in-person questions, ask about matters that are relevant to your specific case.
It is always preferable to locate an attorney who has specialized expertise in the practice area that your case involves (e.g., malpractice law, bankruptcy law, etc.). It’s also a good idea to find attorney familiar with the courts and laws of the area where you live. This will enable your attorney to best represent your interests.
Most people don't have a "regular" lawyer, in the sense that they have one or more doctors that they see at least annually. So how do you find the lawyer who's right for you?
Here are a few questions to help you determine what type of law would be a good fit for you:How Much Do You Like to Argue?How Motivated You Are by Money?How Much Control Do You Need Over Your Work Life?How Much Interaction Do You Need With Other People?What Do You Like to Do?
5 Signs of a Good LawyerCautiously Optimistic. Most cases aren't slam-dunks, and it is important that your lawyer doesn't make promises regarding the outcome of your case and should not be overconfident no matter how seasoned he or she is. ... Great Listener. ... Objective. ... Honest About Fees Upfront. ... Trust Your Gut.
Medical law is the branch of law which concerns the prerogatives and responsibilities of medical professionals and the rights of the patient. It should not be confused with medical jurisprudence, which is a branch of medicine, rather than a branch of law.
– Consumers are mostly likely to turn to the Internet to find and research a lawyer before hiring them, compared with other methods, according to a new survey by FindLaw.com, the most popular legal information website. Thirty-eight percent of people surveyed said they would use the Internet to help them find a lawyer.
Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.
Signs of a Bad LawyerBad Communicators. Communication is normal to have questions about your case. ... Not Upfront and Honest About Billing. Your attorney needs to make money, and billing for their services is how they earn a living. ... Not Confident. ... Unprofessional. ... Not Empathetic or Compassionate to Your Needs. ... Disrespectful.
A medical lawyer, also known as a medical malpractice attorney or medical malpractice lawyer, is a personal injury lawyer that specializes in cases involving improper or harmful medical care.
Medical negligence is substandard care that's been provided by a medical professional to a patient, which has directly caused injury or caused an existing condition to get worse. There's a number of ways that medical negligence can happen such as misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or surgical mistakes.
Examples of medical malpractice that a patient may claim in a lawsuit include: Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose. Delayed diagnosis. Childbirth injuries.
In all honesty, in 95% of the cases, the location of the attorney doesn't matter. We don't live in the 1800's anymore where people had to hire an in town attorney, as there were no other options. In today's legal market, it's the lawyer that matters, not where they are.
Lawyers can get referrals from multiple sources. The two most lucrative are from 1) past and current clients and; 2) fellow attorneys practicing at other firms in different areas of law. Some law firms depend on referrals for every 9 out of 10 clients.
Advocates have no direct contact with clients. For this reason advocates are said to be in a referral profession. Attorneys are the lawyers that clients see first with their problems. Attorneys give general advice in the law.
These plans vary. Many cover most, if not all, of the cost of legal consultations, document preparation, and court representation in routine legal matters. Other programs cover only advice and consultation with a lawyer.
Employers or unions set up a fund to pay the employees’ legal fees, with the employee sometimes contributing a small co-payment. Legal group plans have become much more widespread in recent years. Some retail department stores and credit card companies even offer such plans to their customers.
Some legal aid offices have their own staff lawyers, and others operate with volunteer lawyers. Note that people do not have a right to a free lawyer in civil legal matters. I have been accused of a crime, and I cannot afford a lawyer.
Appeals are a legal tool that enables you to request insurance companies reconsider their decision to deny your claim. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) laid down in the US constitution empowers you with the right to appeal against the claim denial and even get it reviewed by a third party. A typical appeals process has the following stages:
In most states, the process begins by requesting the insurance company to review their decision. This is done by filing an appeal with the company. Generally, the details of filing for an appeal can be found in the denial letter.
If both your first and second appeals to your insurance company fail, you can demand an independent third party to review your claim without any bias. The independent third-party review entity works in collaboration with a doctor that specializes in the condition that is in question.
Insurance is a contract that you sign with the company. The contract binds you to make your premium payments on time and obligates insurance companies to cover the medical expenses they commit to in the contract. If an insurance company is denying the claim wrongfully or unreasonably, they are breaching the contract.
Ask around among your family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances to see if they know of any attorneys they could recommend. Personal references can be some of the most reliable references you will find.
You can run an attorney search at databases such as Avvo and Martindale Hubbell, which provide information such as practice areas, location, disciplinary records, and lawyer reviews.
Now that you have some attorney options, it’s time to choose. To get you started, here’s a list of questions to ask an attorney before hiring them:
One way to get a feel for an attorney’s practice is to be observant when you go for your first consultation.
Finding a good attorney may be the most important step you can take toward winning a legal case and it doesn't have to be a difficult task. You will, however, need to take your time with the search.
Family law attorneys handle matters such as separation, divorce, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, guardianship, child custody and support. Personal injury law. Personal injury attorneys handle cases involving medical malpractice, dog bites, car accidents and any injury to a person that may be the fault of another.
The attorney will receive a percentage of the settlement amount, usually between 30 to 40 percent.
Typically, you should look for an attorney with at least three to five years of experience practicing the type of law you need help with. Additionally, you should choose an attorney that currently practices in the area you need help with.
Keep in mind that even with a strict budget, if your case becomes significantly more complicated or takes significantly longer than the attorney originally anticipated, you may need to pay more in legal fees. If you cannot afford the attorney’s fees upfront, ask about potential arrangements such as payment plans.
Most attorneys do consultation appointments for free. However, some may charge a small fee for a consultation. Make certain that you know whether you will be charged, and don't make an appointment with an attorney who isn't forthcoming about these details. Most attorneys offer consultations for free.
One of the primary rights that patients should know about is the right to refuse treatment. Regardless of whether the patient was committed to a mental health facility voluntarily or involuntarily, according to the law, a patient always has a right to refuse treatment. However, there may be some exceptions.
On the other, the mental health provider could be the only who knew about or had access to the information that the patient might pose a danger to others.
A rapidly growing field of malpractice lawsuits stems from a category known as “mental health malpractice.”. A mental health malpractice claim may arise when a mental health practitioner (e.g., a psychiatrist) treats their patient in a negligent manner or abuses the power that they have over them as a professional.
Since then, many jurisdictions have opted to adopt this ruling and it has been generally applied in almost all states that a mental health provider does have a duty to warn someone else if their patient seeks to harm them. This is especially true if the patient intends to kill the victim.
For example, a doctor who fails to treat their patient properly and as a result, ends up making the patient worse, could be sued for medical malpractice .