If you were hurt and you’re deciding which lawyer to call, here’s the short answer. Find two or three lawyers who regularly handle cases like yours. Check each one’s license and discipline record with the state. Meet them, ask who will actually work on your case, and compare their written fee agreements before you sign anything. A big ad, a big firm or a big number on a website tells you much less than those checks do.
It’s normal to feel unsure. You may be hurting, missing work and getting calls from an insurance adjuster while every billboard promises results. You don’t have to become a legal expert to choose well. This guide takes the checks one at a time, using the ethics rules lawyers must follow and the tools state bars give the public. Rules vary by state, so the boxes marked “In Michigan” give Michigan’s.
Hurt and not sure where you stand? Get a free case review. Four quick questions, no cost, no obligation.
When should I hire a personal injury lawyer?
Talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you know the injury is serious or the claim is disputed, and well before your deadline to sue: a lawyer needs time to investigate, and some notices are due within months. If your injury was minor, you healed quickly and the insurer’s offer covers your bills and lost pay, you may not need one at all, and you may be able to handle the claim yourself (see how to sue on your own).
It’s usually worth talking to a lawyer when:
- the injury is serious or keeps you off work
- the other side blames you for the accident
- an insurer denies, delays or cuts off your benefits
- a company, a doctor or a government agency may be responsible
- someone died
Our guide to when you need a personal injury lawyer walks through that decision, and whether a lawsuit is worth it weighs the costs. For the basics, see our guide to personal injury claims.
When you call, ask whether the first meeting costs anything. Many lawyers offer a free or reduced-fee first consultation, according to the State Bar of Michigan. To see what a lawyer does from that first meeting to settlement or trial, read what a personal injury lawyer does.
How do I choose a lawyer for a personal injury case?
Compare two or three lawyers on four things: experience with cases like yours, trial experience, who will actually handle your case, and how the lawyer communicates. Then check each one’s license and discipline record, and compare their written fee agreements before you sign anything; both steps are covered below.
Experience with cases like yours
“Personal injury” covers very different claims, and each has its own rules, deadlines and experts. In Michigan, for example, a crash victim can sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering only if the injury meets a legal threshold (Michigan Compiled Laws, or MCL, 500.3135(1)). A medical malpractice complaint generally must come with an affidavit of merit, a sworn statement from a health professional expected to qualify as an expert witness (MCL 600.2912d(1)). Ask how many cases like yours the lawyer has handled in the past few years, and how they turned out. Our guides by type of case can help you know what to ask: crashes, falls, medical malpractice, work injuries, defective products, dog bites and wrongful death.
Firm size isn’t the test. A large firm may hand your file to a junior lawyer, and a small firm may bring in a trial lawyer when a case needs one. What counts is the experience of the people who will work on your case. Michigan’s ethics rule on competence looks at a lawyer’s training and experience in the field. A lawyer who isn’t competent to handle a case may take it only by teaming up with a lawyer who is (Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct, or MRPC, 1.1 and comment).
Trial experience, even though most cases settle
Most injury cases end without a trial. In a Bureau of Justice Statistics study of state courts, trials resolved about 4% of tort cases in 2005. (A tort is a claim that someone’s careless or intentional act caused harm.) Still, every settlement is negotiated against the chance of a trial. Ask how many cases like yours the lawyer has tried to a verdict, and whether they would try yours or send it to another lawyer.
Sending a case to another firm and sharing the fee is allowed, with conditions. In Michigan, you must be told about every lawyer involved and not object, and the total fee must be reasonable (MRPC 1.5(e)). The American Bar Association’s model rule, which most states’ rules are based on, also requires that you agree to each lawyer’s share, confirmed in writing (ABA Model Rule 1.5(e)).
Who will actually handle your case
The lawyer you meet first may not be the one who works on your case. Ask for the name of the lawyer responsible for it, who else will work on it, and who will answer your calls. If the firm might send your case to another firm, ask now, and ask to meet that lawyer.
How the lawyer communicates
Notice how the firm treats you before you sign. Are calls returned? Are things explained in plain language? A lawyer must keep you reasonably informed and answer reasonable requests for information promptly, and the decision whether to settle is yours (ABA Model Rules 1.2(a), 1.4). In Michigan, your lawyer must also tell you promptly about every settlement offer and every case evaluation (MRPC 1.4(a)). A case evaluation is a court step in which a three-person panel puts a value on the case (Michigan Court Rule, or MCR, 2.403).
What do “specialist” and “board certified” mean?
A law license isn’t limited to one field. A lawyer who says they “specialize in” injury cases is describing their practice. The ABA’s model rules generally allow that if it’s based on experience or training and isn’t false or misleading (ABA Model Rule 7.2, comment 9).
“Certified” is a stronger claim. Under the ABA’s model rule, a lawyer may claim to be a certified specialist only if a state-approved or ABA-accredited organization did the certifying. The claim must also name that organization (ABA Model Rule 7.2(c)). As of September 2026, ABA-accredited programs include the National Board of Trial Advocacy’s civil trial law program. Some states, such as Texas and Florida, certify lawyers themselves.
How do I find a good personal injury lawyer?
Get names from people you trust, a bar referral service or a lawyer directory, and narrow them to two or three lawyers who regularly handle cases like yours. Don’t build your list from whoever contacts you first: uninvited contact after an accident is a red flag. Good places to find them:
- People you trust. Friends, family and professionals who have worked with lawyers can suggest names. Lawyers you know, even in other fields, can be a good source of referrals.
- Bar referral services. Many state and local bar associations run them, and the American Bar Association keeps a directory of lawyer referral services.
- Our Michigan directory, where you can compare injury firms city by city, explained below.
- Our free case review. Tell us what happened in four quick questions, and a lawyer who handles cases like yours will contact you. There’s no obligation, and the checks in this guide apply to that lawyer too.
How to use the Million Dollar Lawyer directory
Our lawyer directory covers Michigan first. Here’s how the Michigan directory works; the full method is on how we list and rank lawyers.
- Who is listed. Personal injury firms with an office in Michigan, found in public business listings (Google Business Profiles). Firms don’t apply to be listed, and no firm pays for its position.
- How firms are ordered. Within each city, by Google rating, weighted for the number of reviews. Ratings reflect what reviewers chose to write, so read the lowest reviews yourself. A “Verified Google profile” tag is about the firm’s Google listing, not its results.
- Results. When a firm publishes verdicts or settlements of $1 million or more on its own website, the directory records the facts. That means the amount, whether it was a verdict or a settlement, the type of case, and the year and county when the firm gives them, with a link to the source page. Most results are labeled “reported by the firm”: not independently verified, and possibly from any of the firm’s offices, in any state. Results confirmed by a news report or a court record carry a ✓ and a link to that source.
- The leaderboard. The Michigan leaderboard ranks firms by the $1M+ results they report. Its badges follow fixed rules, and no firm can pay for one.
What the directory can’t tell you: a listing isn’t an endorsement or a referral. The results show what a firm chooses to publish, not how skilled it is. A firm that publishes more results ranks higher on the leaderboard, many strong firms publish none, and no firm lists the cases it lost. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How to read a reported verdict or settlement
A big number on a firm’s website is a reason to ask questions, not a prediction. A firm’s results page is a form of advertising, and Michigan’s rules bar lawyer ads likely to create “an unjustified expectation about results the lawyer can achieve” (MRPC 7.1(b)). Our guide to what a lawyer’s verdicts, settlements and reviews tell you goes further. Ask:
- Was it a verdict or a settlement? A verdict is a decision by a jury or judge after a trial, and it leaves a court record. Settlement terms usually aren’t in the public record (Bureau of Justice Statistics), so they’re harder to check.
- Who handled it, and where? This lawyer, a colleague or another office?
- Was it paid in full? A verdict can be reduced or overturned after trial. Michigan, for example, caps noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, in medical malpractice and product liability cases (MCL 600.1483, 600.2946a).
- How was that case like mine, and what did the client take home? Fees, case costs and liens (claims by others, such as a health plan, to be repaid) come out of the headline number. See how to evaluate a personal injury case.
A lawyer can’t share other clients’ confidential information, so some answers may be limited (State Bar of Michigan). Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
How do you check a lawyer’s license and discipline record?
Lawyers are licensed state by state, and there’s no national license. Each state’s highest court licenses and disciplines its lawyers, and each state has an agency that handles complaints (American Bar Association). For each lawyer on your list:
- Confirm the license in the state where your case would be filed, and check that it’s active.
- Look for public discipline, such as probation, a reprimand, a suspension or disbarment. Ask the lawyer about anything you find.
- Check the other lawyers who would work on your case, too.
A clean record means no public discipline, not that no one ever complained. To start, search for your state’s attorney lookup or lawyer-discipline agency.
What should you ask in a consultation?
Bring the crash or incident report, photos, medical records and bills, and insurance letters. Our guide to what to bring to your first meeting with an injury lawyer has the full list.
Before you go into detail, give the names of the people and companies involved. That lets the firm check for a conflict of interest, such as already representing the other side. The State Bar of Michigan suggests holding back case details until a lawyer confirms there’s no conflict. A lawyer generally can’t use or reveal what you share in a consultation, even if you don’t hire them (ABA Model Rule 1.18(b); MRPC 1.18(b)). Then ask:
- How many cases like mine have you handled, and how many went to trial?
- Who will handle my case day to day, and who would try it?
- What are the strengths and weak spots of my case, and which deadlines apply?
- What’s your fee, is it figured before or after case costs, and what would I owe if we lose?
- Have you ever been disciplined, and do you carry malpractice insurance? (The State Bar notes that Michigan doesn’t require it.)
A good lawyer will be honest with you, even if the news is that you don’t have a case. If a lawyer turns you down, read why a lawyer may reject a case before you give up. For a longer checklist, see questions to ask a personal injury attorney.
How do injury lawyers charge?
Injury lawyers often work on a contingency fee: a percentage of what’s recovered for you, set out in a written agreement. If nothing is recovered, you owe no fee. Case costs, such as court filing fees, medical records and expert witnesses, are separate. The lawyer may pay them as the case goes and be repaid from the recovery (ABA Model Rules 1.5(c), 1.8(e)). Before you sign, ask:
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Does the percentage change if the case goes to trial or appeal? | An agreement can set different rates for each stage (ABA Model Rule 1.5(c)) |
| Is the fee figured before or after case costs are repaid? | On a made-up $120,000 settlement with $12,000 in costs, a one-third fee is $40,000 on the gross but $36,000 on the net |
| If we lose, will I owe anything for costs? | It depends on your agreement and your state’s rules |
A lawyer generally can’t give you other financial help while a lawsuit is pending or planned, such as paying your rent or medical bills. The exceptions are narrow and cover free work for low-income clients (ABA Model Rule 1.8(e); MRPC 1.8(e)). When a contingency fee case ends, the lawyer must give you a written statement of the outcome. If there’s a recovery, it must show what you receive and how that was figured (ABA Model Rule 1.5(c); MRPC 1.5(c)). For the full math, see how personal injury lawyers get paid.
Ready to talk to a lawyer about your case? Get a free case review, or compare Michigan injury lawyers. No cost, no obligation.
What are the red flags?
Walk away, or at least slow down, if you see any of these:
- A guarantee. No lawyer can honestly promise an outcome or an amount, and ethics rules bar lawyer ads likely to create unjustified expectations about results (MRPC 7.1(b)).
- Pressure to sign now. An offer that “expires today,” or no chance to read the agreement at home first. Michigan’s solicitation rule warns that an injured person facing a lawyer who insists on being hired right away may find it hard to judge the choice clearly (MRPC 7.3, comment).
- Uninvited contact. A call, a visit at home or in the hospital, or a stranger pushing a particular lawyer. The ABA’s model rule bars lawyers from seeking clients in person or by live phone call when a significant motive is financial gain (ABA Model Rule 7.3(b) and comment).
- Offers of money. Cash, a loan or help with bills to get you to sign. Beyond advancing case costs, lawyers generally can’t give clients financial help (MRPC 1.8(e)).
- Vague answers about the fee, what you’d owe if you lose, or who will handle your case.
- A “certified specialist” claim that doesn’t say who did the certifying.
What if your lawyer isn’t working out?
Start by telling your lawyer what’s wrong and asking for a written update. Sometimes that fixes it: a lawyer must keep you reasonably informed and answer reasonable requests for information promptly (ABA Model Rule 1.4). If it doesn’t:
- Get a second opinion before you fire anyone. Ask the new lawyer how a switch would work, including what the first lawyer would be owed.
- Report ethics problems to the discipline agency in the state where the lawyer is licensed. It decides whether the lawyer broke the ethics rules, but it won’t handle your injury claim (American Bar Association).
- If a lawyer took your money, every state has a client protection fund that can repay clients who lost money to a lawyer’s dishonest conduct (American Bar Association).
- If a mistake cost you your claim, that may be legal malpractice, which has its own deadlines. See our guide to legal malpractice claims.
What to do next
- Get medical care and keep every record. Save bills, visit notes, pay stubs and photos. Any lawyer you talk to will want to see them.
- Find your deadline. Every state sets one, and some notices are due within months. For Michigan, see every injury deadline in one place.
- Build a shortlist of two or three lawyers from people you trust, a bar referral service, our Michigan directory or a free case review.
- Check each license and discipline record, then meet each lawyer. Bring your documents and your questions.
- Compare the written fee agreements, then decide. Take the agreement home if you need to, and keep your signed copy.
What waiting can cost
- Your right to sue. Deadlines keep running while you compare lawyers, and a lawsuit filed too late can be dismissed, however strong the case.
- Time to build the case. A lawyer needs time to investigate, and some decline cases when the deadline is close. See why a lawyer may turn down a case.
- Evidence. Video gets recorded over, vehicles get repaired, and witnesses move or forget.
What a good outcome looks like
You chose a lawyer whose license and record you checked, who has handled cases like yours and told you who would do the work. You understood the fee before you signed, and you have a copy of the agreement. Your calls get returned, you hear about every offer, and the decision to settle is yours. When the case ends, the closing statement matches your agreement, and you never had to guess what you’d take home. From wondering which lawyer to call to knowing how to build a shortlist, what to ask in a consultation and which red flags to watch for.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a lawyer for a personal injury case?
Compare two or three lawyers who regularly handle cases like yours: their experience and trial record, who will actually work on your case and how they communicate. Check each one's license and discipline record in the state where your case would be filed, and compare their written fee agreements before you sign. Walk away from guarantees, pressure to sign and uninvited contact.
How do I check whether a lawyer is licensed in Michigan?
Search the State Bar of Michigan's member directory by name or P number and look for an active status. Only active members may practice law in Michigan (Rules Concerning the State Bar of Michigan, Rule 3(A)). Then check the Attorney Discipline Board's Find by Name list, which shows lawyers who have been placed on probation, reprimanded, suspended or disbarred.
How much can a personal injury lawyer charge in Michigan?
In a personal injury, wrongful death or no-fault benefits case, a contingency fee can't be more than one-third of the amount recovered, figured after the costs of pursuing the claim are deducted (MCR 8.121(B), (C)). The agreement must be in writing, with a copy for you, and a lawyer may agree to charge less (MCR 8.121(D), (F)).
Can a lawyer call me after a car accident?
In Michigan, a lawyer generally may not solicit your case in person or by phone if you have no family or prior professional relationship and a significant motive is the lawyer's financial gain (MRPC 7.3(a)). For 30 days after a motor vehicle crash, it's also a misdemeanor for anyone to contact an injured person, or their spouse, parent, child or sibling, with an offer of a paid service unless they asked for it (MCL 750.410b).
Does 'board certified' mean a lawyer is better?
Not by itself. Under the ABA's model rule, a lawyer may claim to be a certified specialist only if a state-approved or ABA-accredited organization did the certifying and the claim names it (ABA Model Rule 7.2(c)). Michigan's rules have no certification provision, but no claim about a lawyer's services may be false or misleading (MRPC 7.1, 7.4). Ask who granted the certification and how the lawyer's experience fits your case.
Can I change lawyers in the middle of my case?
Yes. In Michigan, a lawyer you fire must withdraw and take reasonable steps to protect your interests, such as handing over the papers you're entitled to (MRPC 1.16(a)(3), (d)). Talk to a new lawyer first. Once a lawsuit is filed, the court usually has to approve the change, and the first lawyer is entitled to be paid for work done under your agreement (State Bar of Michigan).
Does Million Dollar Lawyer recommend the firms in its Michigan directory?
No. A listing isn't an endorsement or a referral. The directory lists Michigan personal injury firms found in public business listings and records the $1M+ verdicts and settlements each firm reports on its own website, with a link to the source. Most of those results are labeled 'reported by the firm' and haven't been independently verified; the few confirmed by a news report or court record are marked, and no firm pays for its position.
Sources
- MCR 8.121, Contingent fees in claims or actions for personal injury, wrongful death, and no-fault benefits · Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court Rules
- MCR 2.403, Case evaluation; MCR 8.126, Temporary admission to the bar · Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court Rules
- Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.16 and 1.18 (competence, client decisions, communication, ending a representation, prospective clients) · Michigan Supreme Court
- Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5, Fees · Michigan Supreme Court
- Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 1.8(e), Financial assistance to a client · Michigan Supreme Court
- Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 7.1, 7.3 and 7.4 (communications about a lawyer's services, solicitation, fields of practice) · Michigan Supreme Court
- Rules Concerning the State Bar of Michigan, Rule 3, Membership classes · Michigan Supreme Court
- MCL 750.410b, Soliciting a person injured in a motor vehicle accident within 30 days · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 500.3135, Tort liability for noneconomic loss; serious impairment of body function · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.2912b, Notice of intent to file a medical malpractice claim · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.2912d, Affidavit of merit · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 691.1404, Notice of injury and defect in a highway · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 691.1411, Claims against government agencies; limitation of actions · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.5805, Injuries to persons or property; period of limitations · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.5838, Malpractice claims; accrual and discovery · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.5838b, Action for legal malpractice; six-year limit · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 500.3145, Limitations on actions for PIP benefits; notice of injury · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.1483, Medical malpractice; limitation on noneconomic damages · Michigan Legislature
- MCL 600.2946a, Product liability; limitation on noneconomic damages · Michigan Legislature
- Member Directory · State Bar of Michigan
- A Practical Guide to Hiring a Lawyer · State Bar of Michigan
- Lawyer Referral Service · State Bar of Michigan
- Client Protection Fund · State Bar of Michigan
- Find by Name (attorneys with public discipline) · Michigan Attorney Discipline Board
- Frequently asked questions · Michigan Attorney Discipline Board
- Attorney Grievance Commission · Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.2, Scope of representation and allocation of authority · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4, Communications · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5, Fees · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.8, Current clients, specific rules · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.18, Duties to prospective client · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 7.2, Communications concerning a lawyer's services, specific rules · American Bar Association
- Comment on ABA Model Rule 7.2 (fields of practice and certification) · American Bar Association
- ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 7.3, Solicitation of clients · American Bar Association
- Comment on ABA Model Rule 7.3 (live person-to-person contact) · American Bar Association
- Consumer FAQs (lawyer licensing, discipline and client protection funds) · American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility
- Private organizations with ABA-accredited lawyer certification programs · American Bar Association Standing Committee on Specialization
- State sources of lawyer certification · American Bar Association Standing Committee on Specialization
- Lawyer Referral Directory · American Bar Association
- Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005 (NCJ 228129) · Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
- MCR 9.130, Cases; arbitration; discipline; filing complaint by administrator · Michigan Supreme Court, Michigan Court Rules
Updated September 29, 2026
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and laws change. For advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer licensed in your state. Reading this page or contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.