Did you know that unintentional injury is the third leading cause of death in the country, claiming 169,936 lives?
Accidents happen.
Whether it’s on-the-job or other circumstances, such an unfortunate occurrence can have an adverse impact. Therefore, you will need to hire a personal injury attorney to help you seek compensation for the damages.
Here is a guide to help you find the best compo lawyers and how they can serve you.
Table of Contents
- 1 Who Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
- 2 1. Gather Evidence
- 3 2. Sending a Demand Letter
- 4 3. Negotiating With the Insurance Provider
- 5 4. Prepare Pleadings
- 6 5. Representation in Trial
- 7 Tips to Help You Identity Reputable Compo Lawyers
- 8 1. Use Your Network
- 9 2. Experience
- 10 3. Financial Capacity
- 11 4. Reputation
- 12 5. Find out Who Will Handle Your Case
- 13 Get the Justice You Deserve
Who Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer offers legal representation to people who claim to have suffered an injury due to another party’s negligence. In defining the injury claim in question, it can be classified as physical, psychological, or both.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do for You?
So how exactly does a personal injury lawyer help you resolve a case in question, for you to receive due justice?
1. Gather Evidence
A personal injury lawyer is critical in helping gather the evidence necessary to support your claim as the plaintiff. When you hire the lawyer, they will look at the evidence the police have on the matter.
Additionally, your lawyer will also want to look for any witnesses and interview them for statements. If necessary, your attorney can also hire a photographer to take photos of the accident report.
Where there exists critical physical evidence such as damaged property or camera footage, for example, the attorney will retain it on your behalf.
2. Sending a Demand Letter
Once your personal injury lawyer thoroughly investigates your claim and finds it promising, they will write a demand letter to the insurance company.
In the letter, your attorney will state the facts of the negligence incident that led to the injury. Also, the letter will demand a certain amount for compensation in light of the injury you have sustained.
3. Negotiating With the Insurance Provider
Chances are that you do not negotiate for a living. As such, hiring a personal injury lawyer (who negotiates every day as part of their job) helps you get a fair settlement.
Your lawyer will review the policy details and consider the specifics of your case to come up with a maximum compensation level.
In addition to negotiating with the insurer for the best settlement, the attorney will also help you avoid hurting your case.
Being in the business, your lawyer knows the things a plaintiff can do that hurt their chances of great compensation for personal injury cases. As such, counsel you on what you should and shouldn’t do to prevent harming your chances of a great outcome with the compensation.
4. Prepare Pleadings
If, after your lawyer’s best efforts, the insurance provider refuses to agree to fair compensation, you will need to go a step further. Your personal injury attorney will draft a complaint against the defendant.
The purpose of this complaint is to lay out the legal argument showing why the defendant should be held responsible for the injury. Furthermore, the charge will state the amount the defendant ought to pay as compensation, and the defendant will have 30 days to respond.
5. Representation in Trial
If negotiations fail to yield an out of court settlement, a personal injury lawyer will represent you in jail. Since the lawyer is familiar with the court’s procedures and customs, they can help you get the settlement you deserve.
Tips to Help You Identity Reputable Compo Lawyers
A good outcome relies heavily on the level of expertise that your personal injury lawyer will have. As such, you need to know the traits that make for a reputable attorney who can handle your case successfully. Here are some things you should look for:
1. Use Your Network
Have you recently retained an attorney for a divorce or contract? If so, you can ask the lawyer you worked with to refer a reputable personal injury lawyer to you.
Alternatively, you can ask your friends and family for any recommendations they may have for a compo lawyer.
If your friends and family don’t know a personal injury lawyer they can recommend directly but have retained a lawyer for other cases, it can still be useful. Through that lawyer they hired, you can get a recommendation for a reputable personal injury attorney.
2. Experience
The more experienced a personal injury lawyer is, the better they can serve your needs. An experienced lawyer has deep industry relationships that can help them make the case investigation more fruitful. These relationships also extend to claim adjusters, which is critical in helping settle your claim out of court.
When you retain an experienced lawyer, they can also help you avoid inadvertently messing up your claim.
3. Financial Capacity
Reputable personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid when you get paid.
On the other hand, personal injury cases can be expensive as you need to hire medical experts to testify on your behalf. If your case touches on product liability, you may need to pay for specialized product testing, among other things.
A lawyer with adequate financial capacity will be able to pay for these costs upfront. They will also be in a position to manage the other expenses associated with running a case before the judgment comes in for them to make their revenue.
4. Reputation
A personal injury lawyer’s professional reputation is vital in establishing how well they can help you win a case.
Therefore, you should confirm that the compo lawyer you want to hire is a member of their state and local bar association, and is held in good standing.
You can also use online rating services to help you assess a lawyer’s reputation among past clients.
5. Find out Who Will Handle Your Case
Before signing a contract, you should ask the lawyer who will be handling your case. In some situations, a personal injury attorney may delegate your case without meeting with you.
If you find yourself talking to the paralegal or secretary without the lawyer taking a few minutes to meet you personally, it might indicate your case may not receive top priority.
Get the Justice You Deserve
Accidents happen in and out of work, and when they do, you need to seek compensation. A personal injury lawyer can help you put your case together for a successful outcome, but only if you hire the right one. Compo lawyers work on a contingency basis, and you, therefore, need to know the traits of an exceptional attorney to look out for, to hire a lawyer who can get you the justice due you.
Are you interested in learning more about taking care of your health? Check out the rest of our blog posts for tips and ideas to help you lead a healthier life.
