Legal counsel often gets a bad rap. Lawyer jokes are more prevalent today than they have ever been, and the general consensus is that practitioners are money hungry, uncaring, and unscrupulous people who will stop at nothing to make a buck. While this can be true for many providers, it is far from the norm. Furthermore, every industry has its share of charlatans. That shouldn't condemn a whole profession. If you want to avoid the stereotypes for your whiplash compensation claims, then you need to take the following factors into consideration before moving ahead:Years in business. Many legal practitioners are upstarts, who haven't had a real chance to prove themselves. Others are ancient institutions, who are devoted to one set of clients and not interested in taking on smaller more personal claims for a reasonable price. Ideally, you want a company that has been around long enough to feel broken in and comfortable with the legal process, but you also want to make sure they have time to attend to your every need concerning your claim.Experience dealing with whiplash compensation claims. Step one may be important from a basic business practices standpoint, but don't rule out specialty experience in dealing with whiplash injury claims. Some companies may not have been practicing law as long as others, but they may have a wealth more ability when it comes to dealing with the area in which you need help. These are the companies you keep.Average payout of each past claim. It doesn't hurt to ask what the average payout of each past claim is. Companies with nothing to hide will be glad to share the information with you, because that breeds peace of mind, and peace of mind is what gets them new clients. Protect yourself, and know what to expect.Reputation within the community. Word gets around, especially in smaller communities. The more people who do business with the company you are thinking about hiring, the greater probability that you will be able to round up authentic first hand accounts, void of bias, that will show you how that company works and operates.Dealing only with people who make time for you face to face. If your legal counsel is constantly incommunicado, then you should think about hiring someone else. Attorneys have been known to routinely cancel appointments with certain clients, and these are not the type of people you want working on your case.Affordability. The "no fee unless you win" option is always nice to have in your corner. This keeps you from being out more money after the claim than you were going in. It also means that you get harder working counsel in your corner.