What Can A Personal Injury Attorney Do For Me?
Simply, a personal injury lawyer is there to get more money from the opposing party. Typically, things will be settled with an offer and litigation is completely avoided. The settlement amounts pay for all the medical bills, pain and suffering and work hours lost. A court case can be quite daunting for most people and especially for non-native speakers, so you have to take that into consideration before you ask yourself, do I need an injury lawyer.
The injury lawyer will work their hardest to increase the payout because the larger it is, the more they get paid. They will go to battle for you in court and outside of court. The insurance company may settle before trial if the injury lawyer is convincing. Again, you have to consider your own perseverance in the matter.
From a money perspective, it may seem like injury lawyers are just out there for the cash. But in many ways, they are looking out for your well-being. Insurance companies like to lowball initial settlements and you might not get what you deserve even if your injury demands it. Basically, you will not know what your injuries are worth. You may have future complications stemming from the accident, but because you settled too low, the insurance companies will be waived from those future claims. This is where the injury lawyer steps in and negotiates a better term with the insurance company. And if necessary, take it to the trial.
If the lawyer is reputable, they should provide you with their credentials and the number of cases that go to trial. At the very least these are the things they should provide you with.
- Injury lawyer credentials
- Number of cases going to trial
- Percentage of trials won
- Average of their settlement wins
- Estimate of your court costs
- Estimate of your potential settlement
Regardless of the size of the law firm, these are the minimum things you should be given and informed about. If an injury lawyer is unwilling to provide you with this information, find one that will. It is their loss, not yours.