When you are injured in an accident, you will incur several expenses. Often, the next best step is to hire a personal injury lawyer. Read on for some tips.
It may seem like a better and less expensive option to represent yourself. However, there are many benefits to hiring legal representation.
Even if you were not the party at fault, lawyers have enough expertise to negotiate a higher compensation. However, getting to that compensation is challenging, since it requires investing time and money to make a good case. To find out the benefits of hiring an accident lawyer, continue reading the sections below.
1. A Personal Injury Lawyer Has Experience
A personal injury lawyer will have experience managing issues in bodily injury cases overall. For instance, they understand insurance company tactics. When requesting a settlement from an insurance company, the company will often try to offer a lower number. Lawyers will also know how much compensation you can obtain and will negotiate for that.
They also understand the law and will study previous cases like your case to become prepared. These attorneys will have access to materials they can use to improve your case. Thus, allowing a lawyer to handle this heavy research will save you plenty of time.
2. No Fees If You Lose
The best personal injury lawyer will typically have a no-win, no-fee policy. All lawyers have their own unique payment method and personal injury attorneys commonly adhere to contingency fees. A contingency fee is when your attorney wins your case and charges you for their service. If you lose, then they will not charge you.
This does not mean, however, that you will not pay other costs. Even if you lose your case, there are still fees unrelated to your attorney. These extra fees can include the cost of filing a lawsuit or cost of filing required paperwork.
3. Saves You Time on Research
Gathering information on a legal case is a time-consuming task. For instance, acquiring medical records can take up to 30 days. After obtaining the records, the lawyer must review them to make a good case against the opposing party. Moreover, they may have to review police records and keep in contact with the insurance adjuster. One of the tips for hiring a personal injury lawyer is to make sure they will gather this information. You must also ask if the attorney charges fees for gathering this information.
4. Objectivity
Having a personal injury lawyer handling your accident case means you will have someone managing the case professionally. When you have a personal stake in the case, it can be difficult to make the best decisions. Thus, lawyers have an unbiased point of view that becomes useful when negotiating compensation.
Lawyers are trained to be objective in every case they take. Remaining objective while mediating and researching can be crucial to representing your personal injury case in a great light. Furthermore, you may also be feeling emotional from the accident, which can cloud your judgement.
5. Experience Working with Other Lawyers
It is possible to have more than one legal issue in a personal injury case. Bankruptcy, divorce, and criminal charges can all influence this kind of case. The best personal injury lawyer will know how to work with other lawyers from other practices. Gathering information from different practices is a crucial part of the fact-finding phase of the litigation. This phase is when each side must obtain information from the opposing party.
Furthermore, communicating with different lawyers can facilitate your case to help reach a solution for your best interest. Aside from seeking advice, a personal injury attorney must know how to negotiate with lawyers from insurance companies.
6. Higher Settlements
Most personal injury cases are resolved with settlements instead of trials. When a case is resolved with a settlement, this means the plaintiff has given up the right to sue in exchange for payment. The payment will then be provided by the defendant or an insurance company.
The goal of the personal injury lawyer is to settle the case as soon as possible. It is also statistically proven that clients with lawyers receive a higher settlement than those without an attorney. Even after paying the lawyer fees, clients will leave court with more money in their pockets than those who represented themselves.
7. The Lawyers Can Handle Alternative Resolutions
One of the best tips for hiring a personal injury lawyer is making sure the lawyer knows how to find alternative solutions. A settlement is not always reached, and it is up to the lawyer to find a better solution than trial. One common method is mediation. This is when opposing parties sit in different rooms and a mediator facilitates settlement negotiations. Mediation occurs out of court and is a non-binding process, but disagreements can result in appeals.
Another alternative is arbitration, which is legally binding and typically does not result in appeals. This process replaces a trial and involves multiple people chosen as judges for the case. Decisions are made through a majority vote between the arbitrators. You can also find additional legal aid here and you can search for a lawyer here.