If you’re the victim of someone’s negligence, be it an auto accident or a slip and fall in Sarasota, hiring the right lawyer is perhaps the most important step in ensuring that justice will prevail in your case. As the local landscape is filled with lawyers advertising on every park bench, taxi and billboard, how can one sort out the highest quality counsel from the unscrupulous? It’s actually easier than you might think.
What Does “Board Certified” Mean?
For many years Florida has a system in place where the best lawyers can become Board Certified in their given area of practice. Only five percent or 1 in 20 lawyers in Florida are Board Certified. These attorney have passed a rigorous written exam, have vast experience and passed a stringent peer review process. For Personal Injury, the area of certification is Civil Trial Law.
Hire a Lawyer Experienced in Dealing with Insurance Companies
The next area of inquiry should be the lawyer’s career background. Personal Injury lawyers battle insurance companies. Does the lawyer you are considering have insight into the inner workings of the insurance industry? This is critical to successfully negotiating your claim. If negotiations breakdown or the insurance company is being unreasonable, you will need a lawyer with real trial experience. Typically that experience comes from starting your career as either a prosecutor or working as in-house counsel for an insurance company. In both of these jobs, lawyers gain valuable experience trying many cases to juries.
Look For Community Involvement
Finally, you want a lawyer with strong community ties. A history of involvement in local legal organizations is a good indication that a lawyer is well-respected in their city.
Learn More About Laurie Zimmerman
Laurie Zimmerman is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer. That means she is a Specialist in trying civil cases which include Personal Injury cases. Ms. Zimmerman spent over five years as in-house counsel for All State Insurance Company. She knows the inner workings of the insurance industry and how they go about opposing your case. In that time Ms. Zimmerman successfully tried many cases before Sarasota judges and juries. Before that Laurie started her career as a prosecutor here in Sarasota. In those years she tried over one hundred criminal trials in Bradenton and Sarasota. Laurie lives, works and raises her family in Sarasota. She is a former President of the prestigious Inn of Court in Sarasota where she has further established herself as one of the true leaders of our legal community.
