You have just had someone sue you for a specified amount of money. If you are willing to pay them, then you can do so and settle the lawsuit without the services of a lawyer. In another scenario, you have a minor traffic charge like a speeding ticket. You can simply go in front of a judge, be given a fine amount and agree to pay the fine after pleading no contest to the speeding charges.
In a different scenario, you have been stopped by a police officer, and after a field sobriety test you have been charged with and booked for a DUI. First of all, you will need a lawyer to organize bail for you. After that, you will have to appear before a judge, and there are several pleas that you can make after being charged with a DUI. You might not be able to understand the legal implications of each of these charges, and so a lawyer will come in handy. If you have to go to trial, then you will need legal representation by a lawyer.
1. Save Time
Legal issues are complex and involve a lot such as filing legal documents and contacting not just private detectives but expert witnesses to collaborate with. Lawyers are well-connected and have witnesses on call to give their testimony in court if the need arises. If you are doing this on your own, you will waste valuable time trying to find the right witness or private detective to carry out investigations and come up with evidence for your case. Save time by getting a lawyer on your side. Just think about how much time you will take trying to learn the various pleas you can make and research about them in detail. That alone will take you days. Then you will have to file legal documents. First, you will have to research the necessary documentation and then file them. All this is simply too much for someone who has other commitments to handle.
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2. Insight
Lawyers are experienced not just in legal matters, but in different cases. This means that they have a broader legal insight into your case. For instance, if you want to sue for medical malpractice and there is no case, then a lawyer will have the insight and let you know in advance so that you don’t waste time pursuing a case that has no merits. They can also provide insight on whether your case is valid in a particular state and give you detailed information on the laws of a particular state. These are things that a regular individual who knows nothing about the law will not be able to grasp on their own. This kind of insight is invaluable to a case.
3. Organization
Legal cases require a lot of organization. Once an individual is charged, they have to go through a series of processes. A DUI, for example, involves a person being booked into jail. From there, they are either denied or given bail. Once bail has been posted, they are arraigned in court. This is followed by a preliminary hearing, a plea bargain, pretrial motions and finally, the person will go to trial. Lawyers are aware of all these processes and the different details of every step. They know what is required and can organize for each of these requirements.
4. Negotiating
One of the main skills that lawyers must possess is the skill of negotiation. Lawyers should be able to negotiate the best terms. The better your lawyer is at negotiation, the better terms you will get, and the better the outcome of your case. If you are negotiating settlement terms, then you will need a lawyer with excellent negotiation skills. Some people can be skilled enough at negotiation to be able to do this on their own, but why risk it when one of the benefits of hiring a lawyer is better negotiation. Again, dealing with insurance adjusters can be intimidating.
5. Improve Your Chances of Winning
If you really think about it, the bottom line, in any case, is winning. You want to win against charges against you. Winning does not always mean that you get off cost-free when you are charged with something. Someone who has been charged with murder will consider manslaughter charges and a reduced prison sentence as a win. This is what a good lawyer does. They increase your chances of winning by making sure you are either declared innocent, or you get the least penalty possible.