Offshore Injury Lawyers in Houston, Jones Act Attorneys

Lawyers. You hope you never need one but when you do, you want the right one to be by your side. 

Offshore injuries are one field in that lawyers can represent victims. In 2020, there were about 160 injuries and a handful of fatalities from offshore work. 

While it may not sound like a lot, offshore injury victims still could use representation to be the compensation that they deserve. If you happen to be one of those people, you are going to need an offshore injury lawyer. 

What should you look for in an offshore injury attorney? How do you know you are getting the right representation? 

Here are some things to look for before hiring a lawyer. 

Experience in Similar Cases 

The first thing that you will want to look for in a lawyer is if they have any experience with offshore injuries. This is not just experience as a general lawyer but specifically with offshore injury cases. 

For example, while a traffic attorney may be a good lawyer for those cases, they may not be able to switch to a field like offshore injuries. There are certain rules and regulations that these rigs have to follow. That includes anyone working at or managing an offshore area.  

This may not be something any ordinary lawyer knows off the top of their head. Someone with experience with offshore cases is probably more likely to be able to tell right from wrong in this area. As a result, it is more likely that the lawyer can help build a case to your advantage. 

In other words, ask a lawyer about their experience with similar cases and if they have ever handled offshore injuries before. 

Location They Practice 

Something else that you may want to keep in mind is where a lawyer practices. This can be important for two reasons. 

The first reason is that it will make it easier to talk with your lawyer if they practice in your local area. Say you had an offshore injury while coming out of Houston.

Let’s say you also live in Houston, Texas. Having a lawyer in Houston will make it a lot easier for you to meet with them before your case goes to court. This can help you come up with a better legal strategy and make you more prepared for a possible trial. 

Another advantage is that a lawyer in your area is likely to have more knowledge of the local laws. Each state has its own set of laws and sometimes, this can even go down to the local city level. 

So, if there was a violation on an offshore rig in the Houston area, the rules and regulations of operating those may be different than those on a rig in Edmonton. You have to consider this possibility and if you want to play it safe, then you should narrow down your legal options to lawyers that are already in the area. 

A Lawyer’s Fees

Like most things in life, a lawyer is not going to be free. Unfortunately, you may be in a situation where you do not have a lot of money to pay a lawyer to take on your case. 

However, there is some good news here. With these types of cases, you are likely only going to have to pay a contingency fee. For those with limited cash on hand, this can be a great option to make sure that you get the representation that you need. 

What is a contingency fee? This is basically when a lawyer agrees to take a certain percentage of any potential settlement that you receive. 

It can be an effective arrangement because you do not have to pay any cash in advance and a lawyer will be more incentivized to make sure that they can get you the best settlement possible. 

Just be aware that you are going to have to set aside a certain percentage of your settlement to make sure that your lawyer is properly compensated. The average contingency fee can range anywhere between 33-40%. 

So, you may be tempted to go with a lawyer that charges less for their contingency fee. While this is an option for you, do not base your whole decision on what lawyer to hire if you feel like a particular lawyer is the best person for the job. 

Reviews and References 

Something that you may want to keep in mind is what types of reviews and references a lawyer may have. If you have friends or family that have ever been involved in an offshore injury case, perhaps you should ask them what their experience was like with it. 

With all of the digital marketing that is used these days, people forget that word of mouth can still drive new customers to businesses. Lawyers are no exception to this. 

About 88% of people have the highest trust in a business when a friend or family member directly recommends it. On top of this, 90% of people are more likely to trust a recommended brand than one they have never heard of. 

This can show you how effective getting a good recommendation could be. If you value the opinion of your friends and family, this may be the best course of action to take for your case. 

If you do not know anyone that has directly been involved in a case like this, go online and read reviews about what lawyers did for other clients in similar circumstances. If you find mostly positive reviews, you should feel better about hiring a certain lawyer. 

Reliable Communication 

If you are hiring a lawyer with these personal stakes, you are going to want to know that you can communicate with them. You should factor in their availability to answer any questions that you have, how good are they at explaining the case process and what you have to do, and if they are receptive to the things you are saying. 

This also comes into play if you have an idea that the lawyer does not agree with. They have to be able to explain to you why this is a bad idea and to stick with the course of action that they are suggesting. 

A good lawyer is supposed to give you good legal counsel. Part of proper legal counsel is communicating every part of a strategy to the client and to make sure that they can explain your stance to others. 

Evaluate this and then determine if this lawyer is the right fit for you. 

Use Consultations 

Many lawyers will offer you a free consultation before you have to commit to them for your case. Take this time to get to know your lawyer and get a good feeling of what they are about. 

While you are not going to know everything about them after one consultation, you should at least have a gut feeling of where their head is at. One part of this is having an idea of whether you can trust them or not. 

Another part of this is getting an idea of if you think they have the competence to represent you in court. Are you sold on their presentation style? Are you sold on the way a lawyer comes off? 

These are things that you are going to have to consider and can do so during a consultation.

Explore Your Options 

Finally, do not just hire the first lawyer that you see who practices in this field. See if you can arrange consultations with a handful of lawyers in the area and get a feel for each of them. 

From there, you can decide which lawyer you have the best feeling about and which lawyer works the best for you. This allows you to have more options when it comes to your representation. More importantly, it can allow you to open up to ideas you may not have even considered without searching further. 

Hire Your Offshore Injury Lawyer 

These are some of the things that you can use to find the right offshore injury lawyer for you. One of the most important things here is to make sure they have the proper experience in the offshore injury field. Then, make sure that you trust them and look at all of your options. 

It is likely best that you find one in the Houston area for this situation and make sure that you know the fees going in. 

Do you need an accident lawyer for your case? Message us today for a free consultation.