Your child threw their ball into the neighbor’s yard. You know they have a pretty big dog next door, so you elect to go retrieve the toy instead of sending the child over. As soon as you enter the yard, you’re met with strong puppy jaws.
Needless to say, you’re not able to grab the ball.
Besides going to the doctor to have your dog bite injury treated, what else should you do? Depending on the laws in your state, you might have a case.
You will need to get a good dog bite attorney on your side if you want to see any compensation, however. Check out this guide to learn how to find one.
- Do Your Research
When it comes to finding a good dog bite lawyer, Google is your friend. Look up attorneys in your area and check out reviews. If you don’t know where to start, get referrals from friends and family members.
If they’ve never dealt with a dog bite before, ask around in your community. There has to be someone who can give you a list of lawyers you can talk to.
- Experience is Important
Falls at work, car accidents, and dog bites all fall into the personal injury category. A dog bites attorney may dabble in a mixture of all these areas.
A lawyer that mainly works on car accident cases might not be able to help you as much as one that actually specializes in dog bites. This is something that you need to keep in mind during your search.
- Request a Consultation
By now, you most likely have a nice list of attorneys that you can pull from. The thing is, you don’t really know how well you can work with a lawyer until you talk to them in person. To this end, call and request a free consultation.
If you don’t feel like they’re the best dog bite attorney for you after your meeting, you don’t have to hire them. There’s no commitment involved.
- Understands Your State Laws
Before someone can call themselves a lawyer, they’ll have to take a bar test in their state. In most cases, once they pass that bar test, they have to practice in that state.
Some areas will allow a lawyer to practice no matter if they’ve passed the bar test in that specific state or not. That means the attorney you find might not be up to date with the laws in your state. That won’t bode well for your case.
Choosing the Right Dog Bite Attorney for Your Case
Getting bitten by a dog is a worst-case scenario for everyone involved. Going to the doctor to have the injuries treated isn’t cheap. You’ll need to find the right dog bite attorney if you want to get compensation.
We hope that you’re able to use this article to get started with your search.
If you need a bit more information, we have more advice where this came from on our blog.
