Deciding on a law firm is often a daunting task. Research makes the whole process easier. You should look into these six factors when choosing an attorney to represent you. You’ll save time and money if you consider the following things:
- Area of specialization such as personal injury
- History of settlements and verdicts
- Involvement in professional association such as trial lawyer groups
- Valid reviews and testimonials
- Openness to working on a a contingency fee basis
- Active online presence
Let’s see how Carole Crosse measures up in each of these criteria.
1. Specialization in Personal Injury
According to the Law Office of Carole Crosse website, Carole brings more than 20 years of family law and trial experience to the table. Her focus is military family law of which she has specialized for 15 years. She handles cases such as:
- Military divorce
- Military property division
- Child custody
- Military spousal support
- Military child support
- Reassignment
- Military relocation
- Deployment
- Military retirement and pension division
While not specifying personal injury, her passion clearly lies in providing professional and direct advice to military families and their specific needs. The firm also offers other services including:
- Collaborative law neutral services
- Discovery to trial services
2. Verdicts and Settlements History
The Law Office of Carole Crosse website does not provide any details on the firm’s history of verdicts and settlements. That’s not surprising given her specialty. Her About page states that 80 percent of her practice is devoted to litigation. Nevertheless, it’s something you should inquire about in your initial free consultation.
3. Professional Associations Involvement
Carole joined the firm in 1995 after receiving her law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock, Texas. She has remained active in speaking with the following presentations:
- “Effective Representation of the Servicemember,” Fort Worth Paralegal Association – May 20, 2005
- “Family Law and the Servicemember,” Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association – November 28, 2006
- “Family Law,” Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans seminar-Tarrant County – May 12, 2011
- “Family Law,” Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans seminar-Tarrant County – July 24, 2012
- “Special Issues in Family Law for the Military Client,” Fort Worth Paralegal Association – October 25, 2012
- “Military Issues,” Dallas Bench Bar Conference – February 8, 2013
- “Military Divorce,” Tarrant County Family Law Section Seminar – November 8, 2013
Also, she is a member of the following professional associations:
- State Bar of Texas, Military and Veterans’ Law Section, Member (past board member)
- Tarrant County Bar Association, Member
- Dallas County Bar Association, Member
The Avvo.com site lists two awards for Carole, both granted in 2015 by Martindale-Hubbell. They include:
- BV Rated
- Preeminent 5.0 out of 5
Before to her current position, Carole worked for the Law Office of Mary Alice McLarty, Lubbock, Texas, 1992 to1995. She has a BA degree in sociology from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. Carole also does pro bono activities for the St. Michael’s Church Children’s Liturgy, 2012 to the present. She certainly has this criterion covered.
4. Testimonials and Reviews
The website does not provide any client testimonials. The firm does have a 5-star rating on Best Zoos. There are several favorable comments about Carole and her work. Her thoroughness and ability to explain things clearly are frequently mentioned. There were no reviews on Yelp.com nor was the site claimed.
The Avvo.com site had just two reviews, one favorable and one which was not. Unlike the Best Zoos site, reviews don’t include full names. The negative review was written by an anonymous user. The positive one cited her trustworthiness. In any case, this is one area where you may need some more information when you contact the firm.
5. Contingency Fee Work
Again, the website provides no details about fees or payments. However, the firm does offer a free initial consultation for service members where you can discuss it. The Avvo.com page states that potential clients should contact the firm for details. It’s worth noting that they also have Spanish language services.
6. Active Online Presence
The firm does not have a business Facebook account or a profile on major social media platforms. Clearly, that’s not the way Carole prefers to interact with potential clients. The Contact Page does allow visitors to specify a means of contact whether by phone or email which is always a positive feature.
After reviewing the firm’s website and doing some research, we found that that the Law Office of Carole Cross meets two of the six criteria for a personal injury attorney. She is active in professional associations and has received excellent reviews. However, as the website states, only 5 percent of her practice involves family law.
The state of Texas has 15 military bases, with the majority near Corpus Christi and San Antonio. It’s fitting that the firm is located where it is to serve these clients near the Hurst, TX area. However, the website states it will take cases from anywhere in the state.