Can I Hire a Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyer If I Live in Another State?

Were you visiting Mississippi for business or leisure when you were hurt in an accident that was not your fault? Now that you are back home and thinking of taking legal action with a personal injury claim, you are probably wondering if you have to hire a Mississippi attorney even though you don’t live there. The answer lies in your case’s jurisdiction and the certifications of your choice of attorneys.

Where is Your Case’s Jurisdiction?

A case’s jurisdiction determines what court will handle it and, therefore, what state’s rules apply to it. For most personal injury claims, jurisdiction will make you file your claim in the state where you were injured or the state that the liable party or defendant calls home. With this said, if you were hurt in Mississippi while you were only visiting the state, then your case will probably be managed in Mississippi, meaning you would benefit from hiring a Mississippi personal injury attorney while being an out-of-state client.

Representation For This Occasion Only

Although, an out-of-state attorney might be able to represent you in a Mississippi case if they are already bar-certified there or if they can get “pro hac vice” approval by the court handling the case. “Pro hac vice” is Latin that means “for this occasion only,” and it gives an attorney to work on a singular case in the state despite not being bar certified to practice there. Courts rarely approve “pro hac vice” requests, and each state has additional requirements to meet before it can even be considered, though. For example, an out-of-state attorney might be required to handle the claim while partnering with an in-state attorney.

Also, local state-level and local courts have their own expectations and litigation procedures to follow. For this reason and the complications of “pro hac vice” representation, it is usually recommended that you hire a Mississippi bar-certified attorney for your personal injury claim that is being handled in Mississippi.

Happy to Help Friends from Other States

‘MAGGIO LAW is headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, but we are capable of assisting clients and law firms from other states. If you need to hire a trusted Mississippi personal injury attorney because you were hurt while visiting Mississippi or the person who hurt you is from here, then we think our experience and impressive history of winning case results should make us your first choice. If you are an attorney from another state who needs a partner for a claim in Mississippi, then we would also be happy to hear from you and see how we can help.