You have been hurt, and it wasn’t your fault. You ask yourself, your family, and your friends: “Is it worth hiring a personal injury attorney?” Almost always, the answer is yes.
Most personal injury or “PI” plaintiff lawyers work on what’s called a “contingency fee,” meaning you won’t have to pay for their representation unless they settle your case or you win at trial. Consulting with an attorney to assess your personal injury claim is free, too.
Filing a claim or lawsuit can be scary. The process is unique, and lawyers know the rules of the game. Here are the top five reasons you should hire one to help you.
1. Understanding the Personal Injury Claim Process
A personal injury claim or lawsuit involves a lot of work: understanding the process, bringing a claim, understanding the laws and rules that apply, gathering information from law enforcement, searching for witnesses, collecting medical bills and records, gathering and tracking health insurance liens, and negotiating fair offers. Most people suffering from an injury do not have the time or capacity to take care of handling all (if any) of these aspects of a claim.
At Garmey Law, we take special pride in our team’s know-how when it comes to the claims process. Our staff is expert in collecting the information you will need to resolve your claims and keeping insurance adjusters up-to-date as we work through the process.
2. Knowing the Value of Your Claim
All too often, people who are injured by the negligence of others decide to settle with insurance companies quickly, for less than their claim is worth. Personal injury attorneys specialize in resolving claims and lawsuits for people who have been injured by the negligence of others and can use their experience to evaluate your claim to determine its true potential value.
Because every claim is different, its value will depend on factors like the degree of injury, the conduct of the defendant, and whether or not there will be contested matters of law. You want a personal injury firm with years of experience settling claims and bringing cases to trial. That experience will allow your lawyer to know when the defendant’s offer is fair, and when it isn’t.
3. Get What You Need (and What You Deserve!)
After years of specializing in personal injury work, we see it again and again: clients who would give all the money in the world if only they could go back in time and undo whatever caused their injury. The truth is, most people don’t, and shouldn’t have to, think of their injuries in terms of dollars and cents. But because there are no magic time machines that can change the past, when harm results from the negligence of others, the law compensates people for their injuries, pain, and suffering by awarding money. After an injury, fair compensation allows you to look forward, providing for the economic and physical losses that you’ve suffered.
A good personal injury lawyer can speak the language of insurance adjusters and juries and will know how to translate your injury into a fair settlement or verdict. A good lawyer will work with a team of support staff to help you collect bills, records, and other evidence to help illustrate your injury and tell the story of how it has affected you. They will find and hire experts to make sure to tell your story right.
Finally, if you choose a law firm with a strong reputation for going to trial, an insurance company will know that you mean business. Defendants and insurers will never pay top dollar unless they believe that your attorneys can, and will, take them all the way to court. At Garmey Law, we take great pride in our reputation as lawyers who love to go to court, and we bring that reputation to bear in every negotiation.
4. Avoid Costly Mistakes and Be Ready for Trial
Lots of things can go wrong when navigating a personal injury claim, but a personal injury lawyer can help you avoid mistakes that could cost you your lawsuit. For example, each state sets its own time limits for when you can file suit – called “statutes of limitation” – and if you wait too long you could be shut out of court forever. Statutes of limitation vary depending on many factors, including the jurisdiction, the type of case, the kind of injury, and whether or not the victim was a minor. If you are considering a lawsuit, the law puts the responsibility on YOU to act diligently to investigate whether you have a claim and file the proper documents, forms, and pleadings, which could be impossible to navigate without first seeking expert legal advice.
Although many claims settle before a lawsuit is filed, many others do not. If you are not able to come to a fair settlement agreement, a trial lawyer will file a lawsuit and handle it in court. Lawyers know how to handle legal challenges, write briefs, argue in court, select juries, and try cases. They know how to get evidence from the other side and when you need to provide it. A good personal injury attorney will not only navigate the otherwise confusing, and sometimes intimidating, legal process – he or she should also make it easier on you by addressing your concerns, easing your fears, and standing beside you all the way to the courtroom.
5. Personal Injury Lawyers Work for You
Personal injury lawyers do not get paid unless they win your case. Your lawyers will put money and time into winning for you, even though you won’t have to pay them by the hour. In fact, your lawyer will hire experts and pay all the costs it might take to get you the right result, and will only make that money back if you win. If a lawyer takes on your claim, that means that he or she believes in your case, believes in you, and is willing to commit all the time and resources it will take to make sure you win.
To learn more about our personal injury firm or to request a free consultation with our attorneys at Garmey Law, please contact us today.