No one wants to consider hiring an attorney until they have to.
If you suffered severe injuries in an accident, you might struggle with what to do next.
The severity of your injuries is exacerbated when you discover that your losses were due to someone else’s negligent conduct.
It’s important to remember that you have the right to recover financial compensation from the party that put you in your difficult position.
Read on to learn more about personal injury law and how a personal injury lawyer can help you.
What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
First of all, what is a personal injury lawyer? A personal injury lawyer specializes in tort law and provides legal services to individuals who suffer injuries and other damages in accidents or other circumstances.
These attorneys are retained to assist injured victims in recovering financial compensation from the person responsible for their losses.
Common examples of personal injury practice areas include car accidents, slip and fall accidents, product liability, workplace injuries, and medical malpractice.
How to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
When hiring a personal injury lawyer, there are a few tips to ensure you choose the right attorney.
Here are some tips for how to hire a personal injury lawyer:
- Area of focus. Choose an attorney who focuses on their practice in the field of personal injury law. Personal injury laws change regularly, and you need an attorney who is fully informed on the law and cases that may impact your case. Personal injury lawyer also has numerous resources at their fingertips to strengthen a lawsuit against the responsible party.
- Financial resources. Ensure your attorney has the financial resources to represent you on a contingency basis.
- Reputation. Retain an attorney with a favorable community reputation and a successful track record. It’s also vital that your attorney listens to your needs and drives your case in a manner that suits your best interests.
Hiring a personal injury attorney can often require multiple interviews with different attorneys.
Do your research to ensure you hire an attorney who gives you peace of mind so you can focus on getting your life moving in a positive direction.
When to Call a Personal Injury Lawyer?
You may be wondering when to call a personal injury lawyer. Most personal injury lawsuits in California are litigated around the theory of negligence.
Suffering an injury does not automatically entitle you to financial compensation.
In most cases, to prevail on your personal injury claim, you must establish that the liable party was negligent and their conduct caused your injuries.
A negligence claim consists of the existence of the following elements:
- Duty. Negligence requires the existence of a legal duty owed to the plaintiff by the defendant. This duty requires acting as a reasonable person would in the same circumstances. An example of a duty is a responsibility for all drivers to operate their vehicles reasonably and obey all traffic laws.
- Breach. The defendant must breach this duty. For example, a breach of duty would be someone driving drunk, a violation of traffic laws, and behavior that is unreasonable.
- Causation. The breach by the defendant caused the plaintiff harm. In our example, by driving drunk, the defendant crashed into the plaintiff and caused them to suffer serious injuries.
- Damages. The plaintiff must suffer actual damages.
Proving negligence and successfully establishing the required elements is difficult without a qualified personal injury attorney.
How Much Does a Personal Injury Attorney Charge?
So, how much does a personal injury attorney charge? Most personal injury attorneys represent you on a contingency fee basis, the details of which are outlined in your contingency fee agreement.
An attorney’s fee depends on the attorney prevailing in your case, either through a judgment or a favorable settlement.
Depending on the complexity and perceived length of time your case may take to settle or advance through trial, the contingency fee may be a more significant percentage of your overall settlement.
Most contingency fees range between 33% to 40% of the entire judgment or settlement.
Your attorney gets nothing if they are unsuccessful in recovering a settlement or obtaining a judgment at trial.
As a result, many clients like contingency fee agreements as they feel that an attorney is incentivized to win financial compensation on their behalf.
These arrangements are also attractive for injured victims who may feel financially stressed due to their medical expenses and inability to work.
Is It Worth Getting a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Is it worth getting a personal injury lawyer? You deserve to recover financial compensation if you suffered severe injuries due to someone else’s conduct.
You may think you can handle your own personal injury case without the assistance of a personal injury lawyer.
However, an attorney can be the answer to your needs as you attempt to recover from your injuries and get a grip on your stressful financial outlook.
A personal injury lawyer assists clients in numerous ways so you can focus on what’s important—your recovery.
Assess Your Rights
At your initial meeting, your personal injury attorney outlines your rights in your particular case.
Through every stage in your lawsuit process, your attorney ensures you stay informed regarding your rights and how to protect your interests.
Investigate Your Claim
Building a solid personal injury case requires extensive investigation.
Your attorney gathers the evidence needed to make a strong case on your behalf by obtaining police reports, witness statements, insurance information, and other helpful information.
Work With Expert Witnesses
Expert witnesses and their testimony strengthen your case at trial and in settlement negotiations.
These individuals are accepted through their education, experience, and skills to be experts in their field and can assist in arguing for higher compensation values due to your injuries.
Draft Documents
From your initial complaint to complex settlement agreements, an attorney prepares all required documents at every stage of your case.
Handle Negotiations
Most personal injury cases settle out of court. Having a personal injury attorney representing your interests with their skilled negotiating tactics is vital to get you the settlement you need to move forward with your life.
Litigation Experience
If settlement negotiations fail, your attorney is fully prepared to litigate your case at trial.
Your attorney prepares witnesses, court documents, and discovery requests while ensuring deadlines are met. Furthermore, your attorney prepares you for all stages of a trial.
Obtaining a judgment is your last chance for compensation when settlement negotiations fall through. Don’t miss out on your opportunity for compensation by representing yourself at trial.
Contact Us
At the Weinberg Law Offices, we work tirelessly to ensure you are compensated for the financial relief to which you are entitled.
This financial relief includes, but is not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Our legal team communicates with you at every stage of your lawsuit so you are always informed.
Regarding personal injury, we are skilled negotiators but never hesitate to litigate your case at trial if necessary.
Contact the Weinberg Law Offices today for a free consultation and learn how we can help you.