How do you find a personal injury attorney to help you if you’ve been injured in an accident? Use these six tips:
- All or Most of Practice Dedicated to Personal Injury Cases
- History of Favorable Verdicts with High Settlements
- Membership in Attorney Organizations and Trial Groups
- Honest Reviews and Testimonials from Actual Clients
- Ability for Clients to Pay by Contingency
- Friendly Internet Presence with Consistent Updates
Let’s see how Patrick Naylor measures up to these criteria:
1. All or Most of Practice Dedicated to Personal Injury Cases
When visiting the firm’s website, the following three practice areas are highlighted:
- Personal Injury
- Civil Law
- Wills and Estates
The personal injury page has quite a bit of information about the firm’s experience with personal injury cases. They basically handle any type of injury including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls and more. They even handle serious, potentially lifelong injuries such as spinal cord injuries and brain injuries.
Patrick’s certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in the area of personal injury law. He’s been handling personal injury cases since 1975.
Patrick Naylor is definitely an expert in this field of law. Even though the firm offers legal services in three different areas, they’re definitely dedicated to personal injury cases.
2. History of Favorable Verdicts with High Settlements
Despite a thorough search, we couldn’t find any information about settlements and verdicts. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative.
The Naylor law firm does practice a few different areas of law. Many clients might not want their personal case outcomes posted online. So Patrick might not post settlement information for that reason.
When you meet with Patrick, you’ll want to ask him about any cases he’s handled which are similar to yours.
Let’s put tip two on hold for now and move on to tip three:
3. Membership in Attorney Organizations and Trial Groups
The site’s About page details Patrick’s experience and professional connections. Aside from certification in both personal injury law and civil trial law, Patrick has an extensive education including
- D., SMU Dedman College of Law, Dallas (1975)
- B.A., University of North Texas, Denton, Texas (1972)
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any mention of trial groups or other associations he might be a member of. This doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t belong to any such groups. Instead, he might simply not have listed them on his website.
Let’s move on to the next tip:
4. Honest Reviews and Testimonials from Actual Clients
Despite searching through his website and social media pages, we were unable to find any reviews and testimonials. The review section on his Facebook page is completely blank.
This might be due to a lack of regular updates on his site rather than a lack of satisfied clients. In fact, we doubt the practice would’ve lasted for over 27 years if most of his clients were dissatisfied. We think he probably does have a substantial number of happy clients but he just chooses not to publish testimonials.
Tip number four has to be left unverified. So let’s move on to number five:
5. Ability for Clients to Pay by Contingency
No doubt about this one. Contingency is not only available — it’s a major tenet of the firm. Featured right on the front page is information about the firm’s contingency fee structure.
No recovery, no fee. If Patrick and his team don’t win your case, you won’t see a bill. Plus, the website says Patrick will visit you at home or in the hospital if you can’t make it to his office. Consultations for a personal injury case are completely free.
We’re able to check this box off decisively. Patrick Naylor offers contingency pricing with no money down for personal injury cases.
What about the final tip?
6. Friendly Internet Presence with Consistent Updates
Patrick’s internet presence definitely needs some help. The blog section on his site has never been used. In fact, it still has the default WordPress text welcoming new users. His Facebook page is also completely blank except for a profile photo posted in 2015. Finally, his Twitter hasn’t been used since 2014.
In our opinion, Patrick doesn’t seem to care about his web presence. Even his firm’s website is lacking in information.
However, his credentials are solid. He’s a well-educated attorney with plenty of experience handling personal injury cases. Plus, he’s dedicated to contingency based, no money down pricing. Unfortunately, his web presence is short on pretty much all other specifics.
If you’re looking for a personal injury attorney in Irving, Texas, Patrick Naylor might be a good choice. But you’ll want to ask him questions about previous cases, settlements and clients.
