If you’ve been a victim of an accident, then hiring a personal injury lawyer is a must! It’s not a question of ‘if’ you should hire, but ‘when.’ And the correct answer is as soon as possible after the accident. If the accident has caused you pain, suffering, trauma, and a whole lot of medical expenses, then it only makes sense that you are compensated appropriately for it. The problem is the insurance companies are not exactly on your side, at least not as much as they should be. At a time like this, having a law firm by your side could make all the difference in the world.
A personal injury lawyer can get you as much as 3x of what you’re owed
Yes, you read that right. According to Insurance Research Council 1999, parties with a personal injury lawyer get approximately 3.5x more money as compensation than those who do not have a lawyer. But no matter how good a lawyer is, they can get you what you deserve only if you don’t go through any part of the settlement process without counsel. Insurance companies have their own team of legal representatives to look after their best interest, so it’s only fair you have your own.
“Personal injury” is a rather large umbrella of practice. You can find lawyers who are experts in different areas, such as car accidents, medical malpractice/negligence, assault, battery, slip, and fall, etc. Some of these categories require more experienced lawyers, so you should hire someone only after ensuring they have enough experience handling your type of case.
“How much will I get if I win?”
This is something everyone wants to know, but it’s next to impossible to answer without having a consultation. Since every personal injury case is different, how much money a client stands a chance to get is also different. Moreover, lawsuits involving any type of personal injury are unpredictable, so a lawyer should not create unrealistic expectations in your mind.
A good attorney should be able to give you a rough estimation of the chances of your winning and the kind of compensation you can get out of it. The best way to get a fair estimation is by interviewing multiple attorneys in your area and keeping track of their answers to see if they’re in the same ballpark. A lawyer who promises you the moon is unlikely to live up to the claims, so it’s best to set your expectations straight from the get-go.
The good news is, if you hire a lawyer or firm on a contingency basis, they will be bound to give you a realistic view of how things might turn out. That’s because taking on a case they won’t be able to win doesn’t make much sense for them monetarily.
How do personal injury lawyers charge their clients?
When it comes to personal injury lawyers, most work under a contingency fee agreement– meaning the lawyer doesn’t get paid unless they can recover some amount for you. Depending on the area, personal injury lawyers may charge approximately one-third or 33% of the amount they manage to recover for you. So, let’s say you win the trial or settle the case for $100,000; the attorney will take 33% of that amount, which comes to $33,000.
Under a contingency agreement, an attorney cannot charge you anything if they cannot get a settlement.
“But what if I’m fully insured?”
There’s nothing wrong with being fully insured; for most people, the sum offered by the insurance company is good enough. However, you must remember that, like any business, insurance companies also need to make a profit. And sometimes, that profit comes at someone else’s expense. To make sure that ‘someone’ is not you, having a qualified personal injury attorney will help immensely.
Insurance companies–be it your own or the other party–will protect their interests first, no matter what they say. They might take advantage of your ignorance and offer a sum much lower than what you deserve. You may think $50,000 is good enough, but what if your future medical bills come to $100,000? What if you need ongoing chiropractic treatment for your injured spine for the rest of your life?
Since you don’t know what the future has in store, it’s best to let your legal representative do the negotiations. The right attorney will know about the personal injury laws in your state, can help you meet with qualified medical experts for an accurate assessment of the injuries, and serve as a witness if the case ever goes to trial. Having the best medical care to tend to your woes also means you recover quicker and get on with your life like before.
“What level of courtroom experience should my lawyer have?”
The good news is that contrary to what you see in film and television, most civil cases do not end up going to trial. This is a good thing because it saves both you and your personal injury attorney a lot of time and energy. Even if you’re looking to hire the best lawyer in your area, chances are that only a handful of cases ever went to trial and reached a verdict.
You also don’t want to hire someone with no experience going to trial because it’ll significantly diminish your chances of winning. Winning in court is as much about the experience as it is about skill. An inexperienced lawyer who is nervous or afraid of being in the courtroom will give away their status to the defendant. As a result, they might force you to accept a lower settlement amount.
In the worst-case scenario, your lawyer might work against you in the hope of avoiding the case going to trial. To ensure such things never happen, only hire after interviewing multiple lawyers or go to a reputed law firm that can set you up with the right person for the job. Either way, with the contingency contract in place, you stand everything to win and nothing to lose.
