Where to Find a Personal Injury Lawyer in British Columbia

If have been injured in a car accident in British Columbia and you are reading this post you have already found a personal injury law firm!  At best, most personal injury claimants have never had the need to hire a lawyer and often have little understanding about how to hire a lawyer. I have discussed how lawyers are paid in BC before and will focus on where to look to find the right injury lawyer for your case. Most people will logically start by asking friends or family members. However, accident injuries happen so rarely most people have never had to hire a personal injury lawyer. Also the experience of a friend or family member may be dependent on the facts of their case and the lawyer may treat your injury clam in a very different way.  Here are a few of my best found tips on where to find a personal injury lawyer:
1.   The Internet. The use of search engines can help you find and hire a personal injury lawyer in British Columbia. You can then do a Lawyer Look-up with the Law Society of BC to confirm that the lawyer really  is a practising member of the BC Bar.  The Law Society of BC has been given the legal responsibility to protect the public by ensuring lawyers in British Columbia meet certain ethical and professional standards.
2.   Traditional business directories. Although the world is becoming increasingly paperless respected and established directories can help narrow the search for a good established personal injury lawyer. These directories insist that any advertising not be misleading and that the information about the lawyers is true. 
3.  Not for Profit lawyer referral programs. Be careful using private legal online directories run by non-lawyers or former lawyers.  These “for profit” lawyer referral services charge the lawyers a fee to advertise at their website and the service will only list lawyers that  pay the fee. You will get an incomplete list of lawyers and no real way to determine their experience in the field. Also look for disclaimers at those referral sites, they may be telling you that they are not actual lawyers! Of course, sometimes disclaimers state the obvious.
 The only lawyer fee service I recommend is the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) which  is funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia and operated by the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch.
Once you have located a lawyer or law firm you will need to meet with the lawyer and decide on whether you will be able to work together.  Check out my other posts on what to do when you find a personal injury lawyer in BC. Posted by Mr. Renn A. Holness