How to Find an Ethical Personal Injury Lawyer in Memphis
Personal injury lawyers don’t always have the best reputation. The Far Side used to make entire calendars out of lawyer jokes. And while the jokes might be funny, the reality of unethical legal work never is.
Here’s how to find an ethical personal injury lawyer in Memphis for your case—and why you should avoid the danger of unethical practices.
Breaking the Law to Get Your Injury Case
Recently, news broke that some Memphis health care workers violated HIPAA when they sold patients’ confidential information to a middle man. This middle man then resold their info to local personal injury attorneys.
This practice happens far more often than it should. Unethical attorneys use “cutouts,” which means they put a middle person between them and the patient so they don’t get caught.
Some people might wonder what’s the problem? If an attorney finds out about a car accident victim through some nefarious means and offers to help them, who really gets hurt?
In fact, there are a lot of problems with violating HIPAA and other ethical regulations.
First, patient confidentiality is sacred in this country. It protects people from being harassed and bombarded with offers and services when they’re trying to get better. And it prevents employers and others from discriminating against people based on their medical history.
Second, if a lawyer is willing to break one ethical principle, what is to say they’ll stop there?
The Guiding Principles Every Injury Attorney Should Follow
For attorneys, ethics aren’t a gray area. We all know the rules. They’re written into the Tennessee Code—the law that governs our state.
In that law book, the section called Rules of Professional Conduct lists all the ways attorneys must run their practices. It covers everything imaginable in a legal career. We all learn these rules before we ever pass the bar and get sworn in as attorneys, and we can reference them any time if we have questions.
Violating HIPAA is a clear ethical violation because it breaks federal law. It should probably go without saying that lawyers are expected to abide by the law, whether state or federal.
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility oversees the ethical conduct of attorneys and offers education to help lawyers make the right ethical choices. They offer education about these issues and can help people who have complaints.
All of that is to say, Memphis has a lot of great attorneys who follow the code of ethics. We all have access to the same information and rules, and as a group, we value our colleagues who take the time and effort to do their job well.
What to Look for in an Injury Attorney
So how do you know if the attorney you’re considering runs an ethical practice that will protect you and your case? There are key things to look for from any attorney before hiring them:
Do they have a great reputation in town? Look for good reviews and word of mouth.
What kind of awards and honors have they received? There are respected organizations out there that award attorneys ratings and honors to help the public make wise choices. At the very least, look at their rating with the Better Business Bureau, which also keeps track of complaints against the firm.
What kind of resources and support do they offer their clients?
How did they get your case? Did they pursue you at the hospital by getting your information through a third party? Or did they do a great job for other people, so they showed up in search results and by word of mouth from trusted friends around town?
How I Strive to Be an Ethical Personal Injury Lawyer in Memphis
It’s easy to say lawyers should be ethical. But this is a hard business and very competitive. Are you willing to stand by your ethics even if you’d starve? What if you could get rich with just a simple unethical shortcut?
I’ve spent my career building a firm the ethical way. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished.
We are thrilled to be an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau, holding their highest possible rating of A+. We’ve received multiple Martindale-Hubbell awards for client satisfaction. And our reviews and testimonials speak for themselves.
In addition, we’ve built up a library of free reports to help our clients every step of the way.
Most importantly, every day we work hard for our clients, knowing that their success is our own.
As a result, we have a business we can be very proud of, with a loyal community of clients, staff, and friends.
If you have questions about personal injury, bankruptcy, Social Security Disability, or workers’ comp, we can help. Contact us today to get started with a free conversation and let us show you what sets us apart.