Personal Injury Law – Accident Injury Attorneys
A personal injury claim is a demand for financial compensation from someone (or a company) that you alleged injured you personally. If the claim is not satisfied, a personal injury lawsuit may be filled. A personal injury lawsuit is a claim for money by an injured party against a party whose actions caused the injury.
Choosing a lawyer for a personal injury claim and/or a lawsuit is the one element of a personal injury case that is totally within the control of the injured party. The difference between a good decision and a poor decision when choosing an attorney can make the difference of a relatively pleasant experience and a nightmare. It can make the difference between being informed and making logical decisions or being treated like a baseball in a baseball game. It can also make an enormous difference in your final net compensation and your feeling of an appropriate resolution when the case is finalized.
This page is designed to provide guidance in the selection of the appropriate personal injury lawyer for you and your case. My intention is to provide you the tools to make a wise decision that will lead to an appropriate outcome with a minimum of stress.
Most people in need of an attorney for a personal injury matter know to seek out an attorney who practices personal injury law. However, an attorney who handles small auto accident cases is not likely to have the skill or resources to handle an auto accident case where the injuries are substantially exacerbated by a defect in the design of the automobile, the failure of safety systems or a highway defect. Most personal injury lawyers do not have the skill, experience or resources to pursue major cases, especially when complex issues are involved.
hat type of personal injury lawyer do you need?
Were you injured in an automobile accident, bitten by a vicious dog, experienced an on-the-job injury or victim of a defective product? How and where your injury occurred are important considerations in determining what type of lawyer you want. You want a lawyer who is very experienced with the type of accident that caused your injury.
What is the realistic value of your claim?
Most personal injury lawyers concentrate their efforts in a value range. For example, our firm will rarely ever take a case that has a realistic value under $50,000. Our operation is geared for larger cases. Some personal injury attorneys will not take a case over a certain value. Why? They do not have the time and resources to pursue large cases and may not have liability insurance to cover them. It may not be wise to retain a lawyer who has never been successful with a case of your size, from an experience point of view. You want a lawyer that regularly handles cases with a similar dollar value as yours.
Who will pay the costs of pursuing your claim through to the end?
Pursuing claims is expensive. The costs can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even a relatively simple auto accident trial can easily generate $25,000 in costs. Most of the better personal injury attorneys will advance the costs of pursuing your claim. The best attorneys will not ask you to repay them if the case is not successful. You want a lawyer that will advance the costs of the case and will not ask you to repay those costs if the case is not successful.
What does it cost to retain a personal injury lawyer?
Nearly every personal injury attorney works on a contingent fee basis. This means that the attorney’s fee is determined by a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. Usually, the fee percentage is higher in more complex, expensive or time-consuming cases. The percentage should be spelled out precisely in a written attorney-client fee agreement. Fee agreements and percentages are not set by law and are negotiable between the parties. You want a personal injury lawyer that will work on a contingent fee basis.
