Q: How important is it to hire and attorney who specializes in personal injury to handle my accident/injury/car accident case?

A: There are many attorneys who represent personal jury clients in addition to other practice areas, like divorce, criminal defense, commercial litigation, or real estate.  You should work with an attorney whose practice is devoted 100% to personal injury.  The field of personal injury law is to complex for a “generalist” or “part-time” lawyer to master.  A specialist in personal injury will usually keep current on changes in that area of the law.  The specialist will typically subscribe to various legal publications in his field of practice that address issues germane to personal injury. 

The specialist will also likely devote time to perfecting and mastering his or her courtroom skills with respect to trying personal injury cases in court.  It is usually not sufficient that the attorney has tried other types of cases in court because presenting and arguing evidence in a personal injury case is different.  There are definitely subtleties and nuances that can be utilized in the personal injury trial that will probably not work for other types of cases.  Again, would you hire a “general” surgeon to perform your heart surgery?  Most people would choose a heart specialist.  The same is true when hiring an attorney.  Get a specialist.