Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

As a Philadelphia car accident and catastrophic injury lawyer who has been representing catastrophically injured victims, and their families, for more then three decades, I worry that internet and television marketing by many lawyers has led to a high number of victims and their families receiving what many would consider to be improper and inadequate legal representation. Many lawyers just look for an “Easy A". Too many times attorneys hoping to earn a quick and easy referral fee will spend tens of thousands of dollars even hundreds of thousands of dollars a month designing websites or TV advertising that inaccurately portrays their abilities. It is the goal of these attorneys to make perspective clients believe they are hiring experienced attorneys, who have recovered multi-million dollar verdicts, and are amongst the top car accident lawyers, truck accident lawyers, S.U.V. van rollover lawyers, medical malpractice lawyers, and Products liability lawyers in the field.

Lately I have received an alarming number of phone calls from seriously injured car and truck accident victims who were mislead by what I call a “parasite lawyer". A “parasite lawyer" is a lawyer who oftentimes lacks experience but attempts to conceal this by purchasing “black hat" internet links and creating embellished website content to make prospective clients believe they are hiring an experienced lawyer or law firm to represent their legal interests when in reality they are hiring a lawyer who simply thereafter refers their case to another attorney for a fee. I call this the “Easy A" system whereby an inexperienced attorney, or an attorney who has no interest in representing you or your loved ones, tacks a fee onto your recovery for doing nothing more then referring your case to another attorney. Frequently many of these marketing attorneys operate their websites from out of state and have creative advertising joint and cooperative ventures with other lawyers and law firms creating the illusion that they are something more then they really are. Always pay attention to the disclaimers and small print at the bottom or end of the advertisement as it quickly passes you by.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, truck accident, tractor trailer accident, bus accident, boat accident, S.U.V roll over accident, 15 passenger van rollover accident, amusement park accidents, premise liability accident, slip and fall accident, burned in a fire, bitten or attacked by a dog, the victim of inadequate security, falsely imprisoned, sexually assaulted, injured on a cruise ship, injured on a plane, in a construction accident or injured as a result of a defective product or medical malpractice you may be eligible to recover for your injuries.

As an experienced and highly rated Pennsylvania Super Lawyer with decades of experience, whose law firm has handled and collected hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for catastrophically injured victims, and their families, as well as those who have sustained wrongful deaths, I strongly advise that you personally interview the attorney who will be handling your legal case. Do not be afraid to ask for references. Make sure that he or she is regularly available to meet and speak with you about your case as it develops. Make sure your case is not being handed over to a paralegal or newly graduated lawyer who might lack the required experience. Inquire whether or not the lawyer has ever had any disciplinary issues or is even licensed to practice law in your state. Inquire about independent and non biased reviews of your lawyer from third party ranking or rating organization. Check the attorney's ranking on Avvo or the Martindale-Hubble record of standing. Never be afraid to get a second opinion from another lawyer if you don't like what you are hearing or don't feel comfortable as the case develops.

After all you only get one bite at the apple, and the selection of your lawyer may be one of the most important lifetime decisions that you will ever make.
Chance will always favor the prepared mind.

Since 1979, I have represented many individuals who have been attacked or mauled by dogs in Pennsylvania. Sadly many of the dog bite victims represented by the experienced Pennsylvania dog bite lawyers of Reiff & Bily are children who are left with permanent reminders in the form of physical disfigurement and scars, as well as broken bones. Many times reconstructive surgery is required and the victim is left with lifetime impediment reminders of the dog bite accident.

I receive calls from other attorneys handling dog bite cases who believe that a dog gets one free bite before the owner can be held liable for a dog attack. This is simply not true. Recent legislative amendments and Superior Court findings enable a jury to consider whether the first attack is enough to establish liability regarding whether a dog has a violent propensity or tendency to attack a human being. The Courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have held that owners must take all necessary steps to secure dogs and keep them from harming others and further note that a landlord who knows of the presence of a dangerous animal may be held liable for injuries caused by the attack of a tenant’s dog.

In a case one of our experienced philadelphia dog bite lawyers is currently handling, renters had made numerous complaints to the landlord of a premise about the existence of a dangerous dog who had attacked others. The landlord repeatedly failed, refused, and neglected to take any action or have the dog removed and subsequent thereto our client, a beautiful young model, was attacked and left with permanent scars which will drastically affect her ability to earn a living, not to mention the psychological trauma and permanent scarring coupled with medical expenses for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Not all lawyers are equal when it comes to handling dog bite cases, and the experienced Pennsylvania dog bite lawyers of Reiff & Bily have over three decades of experience on their side handling some of the most challenging scar and dog bite cases. We always offer a free, no obligation consultation. Recently our skilled catastrophic scar injury and dog bite lawyers have joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm to create the Beasley Reiff Law Group. Together our attorneys have been awarded over $2 billion dollars since the mid-1950's. For more information contact us toll free at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.