9 Facts Everyone Should Know About Injury Lawyers
We never expect the unexpected. This is always true when it comes to accidents, whether you have been involved in a car crash or any other accident that results in injury, you might be eligible for compensation. If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needing to file for an injury case and compensation lawsuit, you will need to know everything that revolves around injury lawyers. While there are many lawyers available, lawyers who deal with injury in specific, are the ones you will need to hire.
Before you enlist an attorney to aid you in your lawsuit, we’ve listed 9 facts to consider before hiring one.
1. Working with a Specialized Lawyer Matters
The victims of accidents that result in injuries can often find themselves facing costly medical expenses and the inability to resume their regular work due to pain or rehabilitation. In these cases, it is often wise for them to seek out the assistance of a qualified personal injury lawyer as he can provide victims with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that they receive just compensation for their injuries, including covering medical expenses and lost wages due to disability.
Getting a lawyer to represent you to get you fair compensation is important; what is crucial is having a specialized lawyer in injury cases. A personal injury attorney is someone who has the technical understanding of wrongful injury law and understands all the hardships that you go through, whether physical, mental, or financial. Justin Kimball from the Preszler Law Firm says that according to data pulled from Ontario accident reports, drivers on the phone are four times more likely to be involved in an automobile accident." Based on that fact, injury lawyers have enough technical expertise to deal with such statistics alone. Therefore, getting a lawyer who specializes in injury cases who understands these statistics can use them to win your case.
2. The Lawyer’s Experience Matters
Now that you understand why having a specialized injury lawyer is important, the next important fact is that not all injury lawyers are alike. The experience of each lawyer greatly affects the way your case will be handled. Lawyers have a track record of the cases they have handled over the years. Definitely, the years of practice are a factor, however, the more significant fact to look at is the percentage of cases won during their practice lifetime. An experienced and shrewd lawyer will expertly combine medical understanding, technical, legal knowledge, and good negotiation skills to be able to get their clients the compensation they deserve, resulting in a high percentage of cases being won with adequate compensation to the claimants.
3. Lawyer Fees
As you know, hiring an attorney is quite expensive. In fact, it is so expensive that it sometimes drains many individuals financially before they even begin to get anywhere with their cases. The high hourly rate of lawyers against their legal wisdom is sometimes applied to attorneys working in different fields of the law. However, most injury lawyers do not work based on an hourly fee, rather, they are based on a contingent fee. This means that you do not have to pay any down payment, deposit, or costs upfront. Rather, the injury lawyer gets paid only when you win the case. They are then compensated from the gross financial earnings that you receive. Based on where you live, that can be anywhere between 30% - 45% of the earnings.
4. Reputation, Trust and Confidence are Important
Before you hire an attorney, understand that you are looking for a strong lawyer with a good reputation, who is trustworthy, and confident. Along with their experience, a good reputation means that they will have a good network and a good reputation with everyone that will be involved in the case. This includes your insurance company, other lawyers, the court system, and even the judge, which could benefit your case. Someone who is known to be trustworthy puts you in a position for a better chance at a fair compensation and case outcome. One way to see if a lawyer’s reputation is good-standing, check their disciplinary record and check for any complaints that may have been filed against them.
5. They Might Refer Your Case
There are a few reasons why a lawyer might refer your case to another lawyer or firm when you call upon them. Either the attorney or firm in question does not have sufficient expertise or resources that are applicable to the required specialization for your case, such as medical malpractice or injury claims. In this case, they refer you to another firm. Another reason you might be referred, is that a firm usually engages in referral practices and doesn’t handle cases themselves. Many of the firms with a toll-free number engage in this practice. In their case, they are paid through a referral fee, that is paid to the firm you called upon by the firm that will take on your case. This does not mean any costs to you. The most important thing for you is to make sure you clearly know who is representing your case personally.
6. You Can Request Another Lawyer
If you hire an attorney in any firm and you are not completely comfortable or satisfied with them, it is within your legal right to request a change. You can terminate your personal injury lawyer and request to retain new representation. However, keep in mind that the original lawyer might still be entitled to claim some case expenses and a percentage of the legal fees. You are not stuck or forced to be with any lawyer who does not act in your best interest or that you don’t feel comfortable with.
7. They have Clients’ Reviews
Personal injury lawyers have clients’ reviews. Attorneys are no different than any other service provider out there, and you will find client feedback and reviews on them. You need to gather the information that will help you determine if the lawyer you are looking into can be a match to handle your case. Personal injury lawyers, especially, will have a lot of reviews on them as their cases typically change the livelihood of many people. There are sites dedicated to reviewing them. You can find information on client satisfaction, case details, compensation amounts, and feedback on how they feel their cases were handled.
8. They Already Know
Based on their experience and knowledge, most lawyers will already know how likely or unlikely you are to win your case, based on the details you bring forth. However, not all will let you know. So do your research and pick a trustworthy lawyer who will be upfront with you from the beginning.
9. They Don’t Know Case Value
While personal injury lawyers do have the experience to know whether you have a good case or not, no injury attorney will be able to determine the case value. Any lawyer who states otherwise is only trying to lure you to hire them with false claims.
While the above facts can be applied to most lawyers, they are more targeted to personal injury lawyers. Their cases, while not clear cut, result in a clear win or loss to their clients. So, keep these facts in mind when you are in a situation that requires you to hire one.