I have a unique perspective on this question. Not only am I a personal injury attorney who has recovered over $60 million for clients across Georgia, but I also founded Awad Academy, where I train personal injury attorneys from across the country in trial advocacy. I know what separates an excellent PI attorney from a mediocre one — because I teach the difference.

Here is what you should look for.

Ask About Trial Experience

This is the most important question you can ask, and it is the one most potential clients never think to ask. How many cases has this attorney actually tried to verdict?

The reality is that the vast majority of personal injury attorneys in Atlanta have never tried a case in front of a jury. They settle every case — not because settlement is always the best outcome, but because they do not have the skills or confidence to take a case to trial.

Insurance companies know which attorneys try cases and which ones do not. When a settlement-only attorney demands a large number, the insurance company’s response is simple: “Go ahead and file suit.” They know that attorney will eventually accept a lower offer rather than risk a trial they are not prepared for.

My background includes prosecuting over 100 felony cases as an Assistant District Attorney, including a murder trial and a dozen child molestation cases. When I transitioned to personal injury law, I brought those courtroom skills with me. Our $900,208 jury verdict in Cobb County happened because the insurance company knew I was prepared to try the case — and I did.

Look at Actual Case Results

Every attorney’s website lists impressive results. But look deeper. Are those results from cases that went to trial, or are they all settlements? Are the results recent, or are they from decades ago?

At the Awad Law Firm, our results speak for themselves: $2 million in a wrongful death settlement, $900,208 jury verdict in Cobb County, $754,000 for a rear-end collision with “minimal damage,” $625,000 for cognitive impairment after a wreck, $600,000 in a DUI wrongful death case, $550,000 for a client trampled outside a nightclub, and $440,000 in a T-bone collision with an 18-wheeler.

These results reflect a pattern: we consistently recover more than what the insurance company initially offers because we have the trial skills to back up our demands.

Evaluate Their Background

Where did this attorney work before opening a personal injury practice? What other legal experience do they bring to your case?

An attorney who went straight from law school into personal injury work has a very different skill set than one who spent years in the courtroom trying serious cases. My path — from the DA’s Office in Whitfield County to the DeKalb County Special Victims Unit to founding a personal injury firm — gave me experience that directly translates to better outcomes for my clients.

At Awad Academy, I train attorneys specifically because most PI lawyers lack courtroom experience. If you want an attorney who has the skills I teach, why not hire the one who teaches them?

Check Their Community Involvement

An attorney who is invested in their community is more likely to be invested in your case. Look for lawyers who give back — not just through advertising, but through genuine community engagement.

The Awad Law Firm’s community involvement includes being the official sponsor of MIST Atlanta for over a decade, partnering with City of Refuge in Dalton to feed 150 families, establishing a scholarship fund at Dalton State College, and conducting constitutional rights workshops at mosques across Georgia.

These are not marketing initiatives. They are reflections of the values that guide how we practice law.

Understand Their Fee Structure

Most personal injury attorneys in Georgia work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and the attorney takes a percentage of your recovery. This is standard practice, and it is how the Awad Law Firm operates.

But ask about the specific percentage, when it changes (many attorneys charge a higher percentage if the case goes to trial), and what costs you might be responsible for. A transparent attorney will explain all of this clearly during your free consultation.

Trust Your Instincts

During your consultation, pay attention to how the attorney treats you. Do they listen to your story, or do they rush through the meeting? Do they explain the legal process clearly, or do they use jargon to confuse you? Do they make promises about outcomes, or are they honest about the challenges your case may face?

A good attorney will be honest with you — even when the truth is not what you want to hear. If an attorney guarantees a specific result, that is a red flag. No honest lawyer can guarantee an outcome because every case is different.

My Promise

At the Awad Law Firm, we offer a free consultation where I will personally evaluate your case, explain your options, and give you an honest assessment of what you can expect. I will never pressure you to sign, and I will never make promises I cannot keep.

What I will promise is this: if you hire us, you will have a trial-ready attorney fighting for you — the same attorney who trains other lawyers across the country in the skills they need to win.

Call us at (706) 890-0000 or visit one of our offices in Atlanta, Marietta, or Dalton. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win.

Related Articles

• What Prosecuting 100 Felony Cases Taught Me About Fighting Insurance Companies
• Beautiful Patience: What My TEDx Talk Taught Me
• Georgia Personal Injury Laws: Your Complete 2026 Guide

That experience fundamentally changed how I practice personal injury law today. And it gives my clients an advantage that most personal injury attorneys simply cannot offer.

I Learned How to Read People in the Highest-Stakes Situations

When you are prosecuting a man accused of molesting a child, there is no room for error. You learn to read witnesses — their body language, their hesitations, the micro-expressions that reveal whether someone is telling the truth or constructing a lie. You learn how defense attorneys try to confuse juries, plant doubt, and redirect attention away from the evidence.

Insurance adjusters use the same playbook. They minimize injuries, question credibility, and try to wear victims down until they accept a fraction of what their case is worth. But I have seen every manipulation tactic there is — not from insurance training seminars, but from years of cross-examining witnesses and defending victims in criminal court.

When an insurance company sends their hired medical examiner to say my client’s injuries are not that serious, I know exactly how to dismantle that testimony. I have been doing it since my days at the DA’s office.

Criminal Trial Experience Means I Am Not Afraid of the Courtroom

Here is a reality most people do not know: the vast majority of personal injury attorneys have never tried a case to verdict. They settle everything because they are afraid of what happens when a jury is seated.

I am not one of those attorneys.

By the time I left the prosecutor’s office, I had tried cases in front of juries more times than most civil attorneys will in their entire careers. When I tell an insurance company that I am prepared to go to trial, they know I mean it — because my record proves it.

This is exactly what happened in our Cobb County case. The insurance company offered my client $100,000 and thought we would take it. They assumed we would not risk a trial. We took it to a jury and walked out with a $900,208 verdict. That does not happen unless you have a lawyer who has spent years inside courtrooms and knows how to command a jury’s attention.

The Prosecutor’s Mindset: Build an Unbreakable Case

In the DA’s office, I learned that winning is not about theatrics — it is about preparation. Every felony case I prosecuted required meticulous evidence gathering, witness preparation, and an airtight narrative that left no room for reasonable doubt. The standard of proof in criminal cases — beyond a reasonable doubt — is the highest standard in our legal system.

Personal injury cases require a lower standard: preponderance of the evidence. So when I bring a criminal prosecutor’s discipline to a civil case, I am over-preparing by design. I build cases that are stronger than they need to be, because that is the only way I know how to practice law.

This approach has helped us recover over $60 million for our clients. It is the reason we secured a $2 million wrongful death settlement, a $754,000 recovery for a rear-end collision that the insurance company called “minimal damage,” and a $625,000 settlement for a client with cognitive impairment after a wreck.

From the Special Victims Unit to Fighting for Injury Victims

Working in the DeKalb County Special Victims Unit was some of the most emotionally demanding work I have ever done. You are dealing with the most vulnerable people in our community — abuse survivors, children, families torn apart by violence.

That experience taught me something that shapes every client relationship I have today: people who have been victimized need someone who will believe them, fight for them, and never back down. Whether you have survived a violent crime or a catastrophic car accident, the feeling of helplessness is the same. The sense that powerful forces — whether a criminal defendant with expensive lawyers or an insurance company with unlimited resources — are working against you.

I became a personal injury attorney because I wanted to keep fighting for victims. The courtroom changed, but the mission never did.

Training the Next Generation Through Awad Academy

My prosecutorial background is also the foundation of Awad Academy, where I train personal injury attorneys from across the country. I teach them what the DA’s office taught me: how to build cases that can survive the toughest scrutiny, how to prepare witnesses for cross-examination, and how to present evidence in a way that moves a jury to action.

Most PI training programs focus on marketing and settlement negotiation. At Awad Academy, we focus on trial skills — because an attorney who can actually try a case will always get better results for their clients, whether the case settles or goes to verdict.

What This Means for You

If you have been injured in an accident in Atlanta or anywhere in Georgia, you deserve a lawyer whose courtroom experience goes far beyond personal injury. My background prosecuting felonies, trying cases in front of juries, and protecting the most vulnerable victims in our community is the reason the Awad Law Firm gets the results we do.

Insurance companies respect attorneys who are not afraid to fight. And after more than 100 felony trials, there is nothing an insurance defense lawyer can do in a courtroom that I have not already seen and overcome.

Call my office at (706) 890-0000 or visit us at one of our three Georgia locations — Atlanta, Marietta, or Dalton. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win your case.

Related Articles

• Why I Left the Prosecutor’s Office to Fight for Injury Victims
• How I Turned a $100K Offer Into a $900K Jury Verdict
• How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer in Atlanta