Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Meghann Cuniff
Meghann Cuniff is a legal affairs journalist who is a veteran of daily newspapers and has deep experience reporting on complex civil litigation, including mass torts and class actions, securities cases, patent disputes and high-stakes litigation involving major tech companies. She's based in Southern California.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Reviewed
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Atlanta is the eighth-largest metro area in the United States and a regional entertainment hot spot. It’s also the center of Georgia’s legal community, and there are plenty of lawyers experienced in representing injured people.
From motor vehicle accidents to injuries caused by product defects or lackluster building maintenance, Atlanta has many lawyers willing to take your case. But not all have the same qualifications. This list is to help you identify the best choice for your case.
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Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Atlanta
Compare Top Personal Injury Attorneys
Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Georgia
Knowing some basics about injury-related laws will help if you want to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia. Here are a few.
Georgia Statute of Limitations
Georgia has a two-year statute of limitations for injury lawsuits, meaning you have two years from the time of the injury to bring your case. Lawsuits over injuries involving loss of consortium must be brought within four.
Georgia Laws for Motorists
- Helmets. Anyone who’s riding a motorcycle in Georgia must wear a helmet or face a fine of up to $1,000 and/or a year in jail. Motorcyclists also must wear eye-protective devices if their motorcycle doesn’t have a windshield.
- Speed limits. Georgia allows for speeds up to 70 mph on rural interstates and 70 mph on urban interstates or multi-lane divided highways with 65 mph the limit everywhere else. The state adds $200 in fees for any driver convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on any two-lane road or 85 mph or higher on multiple lane roads.
- Insurance. All motorists in Georgia are required to have at least $25,000 in insurance per injured person and $50,000 per accident. The minimum insurance coverage for property damage is $25,000.
Finding Fault and Defining Negligence
Georgia has a modified comparative negligence law that allows for judges or juries to consider how much a party is at fault for an injury and award damages in accordance with that finding. Anyone who is found to be 51% or more responsible for an accident isn’t legally entitled to damages. This underscores the importance of documenting all aspects of your injury and the situation surrounding it.
What to Do If You Are Injured
First, make sure you and everyone else is safe and see if anyone needs medical attention. Call 911 and request an ambulance if anyone is hurt. Then document the scene by taking photographs and writing down descriptions or recording statements with your phone. You’ll want to make sure you have as much evidence about what caused your injury as possible, and you’ll want to get contact information for who you think should be held liable.
How Can an Attorney Help You?
An experienced personal injury lawyer in Atlanta can assess your situation and advise you on specific liability claims you can bring and what amount of recovery you may see. Attorneys know how to initiate settlement negotiations and how to proceed with litigation if a lawsuit is filed. They may have insight into specific issues within the local court system or attorneys the other side may hire.
How to Find the Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia
A lot of lawyers claim to be the best, but not everyone may be well positioned to take your personal injury case. Here are a few things to consider when selecting a personal injury lawyer in Atlanta.
- Their court time: You want to find a personal injury lawyer who has enough experience in litigation to ensure their effectiveness if your case moves to trial. Most cases settle out of court, but an attorney can often draw from their trial experience to negotiate a larger recovery for you.
- Their cost: Most attorneys take personal injury cases on contingency, meaning they are paid by taking a percent (usually between 33% and 40%) of whatever amount of money they obtain for you.
- Their speciality: Some personal injury lawyers practice in specific areas such as truck and car accidents. You’ll want to find an attorney who is experienced in the type of injury you’ve suffered.
- Their references: Attorneys often refer cases to other attorneys. If you know an attorney who practices another area of law, they may be able to refer you to a good personal injury lawyer in Atlanta.
Methodology
To come up with the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Atlanta in 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Forbes Advisor’s mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.
Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
- Legal experience
- Special licenses & certifications
- Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
- Legal thought leadership
- Education & employment background
- Scholarly lectures & writings
- Awards & honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much are most personal injury settlements?
Attorneys advertise their multimillion dollar recoveries, but many have also secured more modest settlements. Sometimes personal injury lawsuits may settle for less than $100,000, but the recovery amount depends on the specifics of your injury and the situation surrounding it. An experienced personal injury attorney can assess your case and give you an idea of what you might be able to get.
How long do personal injury lawsuits take?
Sometimes you may get a settlement offer in only a few weeks, but the offer may be lower than what your case is worth. Litigating in court can take much longer, and it also can depend on how busy the judge is. Most cases are generally wrapped up within two or three years at the most.
What is a good settlement offer for a personal injury?
You want a settlement that covers at least your medical costs and the cost of any future care you may need. Depending on the nature of your injury, you may also want damages for pain and suffering. A lawyer can help you figure out the possible differences between what you want and what you might get.
