Plaintiff’s law firms or personal injury firms typically handle all types of injury related cases including auto accidents, 18-wheeler or trucking accidents, non-auto personal injury, nursing home abuse and neglect, child-related injuries, railroad accident, etc. Many law firms have a laundry list of practice areas, however, it is extremely important when hiring an FELA attorney to choose one that has:

1) A union designation and,

2) Represented and tried railroad cases before a jury.

Many attorneys “advertise” that they represent employees injured on the railroad, you may want to confirm that they have resolved, litigated and tried railroad cases.

FELA and railroad-related accidents are unlike any other area of the law. FELA cases are extremely complex and require an intricate knowledge of not only the railroad and rail yard but how the legal system impacts railroad workers.

When choosing an attorney to represent you in your FELA claim, consider the following:

• Ask whether the initial consultation is free. Most personal injury attorneys offer free legal consultations.
• Ask whether the attorney has experience handling FELA claims and if the attorney is union-designated. If they do not have experience representing injured railroad employees with FELA cases, you may wish to seek counsel elsewhere.
• Beware of anyone who tells you what your case is worth until all medical records are obtained, lost wages and future lost wages are accounted for, and future medical prognosis is made.  Otherwise valuing your case will be difficult now an experienced attorney may be able to estimate what you case is worth by comparing similar circumstances and injuries to previous cases, but no two cases are alike.
• After you decide to hire a FELA Attorney make sure you understand the contract with which you are signing.