When to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

There are various reasons to hire an attorney:
Accidents can be prevented, but once in a while an accident will occur. In the event that you or your loved one is harmed in an accident as a result of the fault of someone else, it is only fair that person or their insurance company should compensate you. Most people will not take responsibility for their wrongs and insurance companies would rather not sufficiently pay for claims. Insurance companies have attorneys who have a rich knowledge of the law and will ruthlessly exploit unknowing laymen to cheat them out of any compensation that they may deserve.

Having an experienced personal injury lawyer is invaluable. Such a lawyer is able to negotiate your case with the insurance company. If, for any reason, they don’t come to an out-of-court settlement, the personal injury attorney has the skills to be able to take the case to trial. While you may try to negotiate with the insurance company directly, the insurance company will do whatever they can to pay the least possible amount. In the event that you don’t agree with them, they will manipulate you into making statements that will favor them should the case go to trial. An attorney will be in a position to push for the best possible settlement for you.

What is the cost of a personal injury lawyer?
He will charge his fee once the compensation is awarded. The amount you will be left with will be much more than you could have obtained without the use of this professional. Most of them charge a contingency fee, meaning they take a percentage of the awarded amount and you will then not have to pay for the service from your pocket. Some of the damages awarded will pay for you. That is not to mean that you will not experience any costs though. Should the case not go to trial, it is possible that you will not have to pay any additional amounts. But in the event that it does, you may have to pay for expenses associated with filing a case.

The percentage of the amount awarded that the lawyer takes is normally about 33.3% of the total award, or a third of the total amount. This, however, varies from state to state. For cases involving workers, there is a ceiling on the amount that he can charge. For personal injuries, the client and the lawyer will have to come to an agreement. Typically, the best personal injury attorneys will not negotiate their fee. It is more often than not higher than average. This is because they are able to negotiate for high settlements and even after they deduct their fee, the client is left with a significantly higher amount than they would have had another lawyer taken the case.

Where do you find a personal accident lawyer?
There is no perfect formula for finding a professional in this field. The common ways are to check the yellow pages or do an online search. The most reliable method would be to ask for a referral from another lawyer that you trust. A referral can cost you a referral fee, which might be significant. There are organizations such as the American Association for Justice that offer referral services.

Are there specialized personal injury attorneys?
Just like medical doctors, there are specialized attorneys. Some handle certain types of injury cases, for example burns. Others will specialize in particular causes of action, for example car accidents.
Find out the lenght of time the practice has been in business, this gives you a clue of how successful they have been as attorneys.

Do I have to hire any injury attorney I meet?
Some will charge a fee for the initial consultation, even if they don’t get hired. You retain the right to hire.