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You never have to deal directly with the insurance company or the at-fault party’s lawyer when you’re represented by counsel. Some injury attorneys limit their practice areas to specialize in malpractice, product liability, defective medical devices, and other types of high-dollar injury claims.
Most minor personal injury claims are straightforward. Often, a claim can be settled with a few telephone calls and letters. Claims adjusters aren’t lawyers, so your discussions won’t include many complex legal terms or concepts.
Most personal injury attorneys offer a free case evaluation. You can meet with as many attorneys as you like to find the right attorney to fight for you.
I was involved in a motor vehicle accident over two years ago. A car did not stop at very busy intersection while the lights were…
Contact friends or coworkers who have been represented by a lawyer in their own personal injury claims. If they say good things about the experience, put that lawyer on your list of candidates. But don't make any decision about a lawyer solely on the basis of someone else's recommendation. Different people will have different responses to a lawyer's style and personality. Also, at any particular time a lawyer may have more or less energy or interest to devote to a new case. So don't make up your mind about hiring a lawyer until you've met with them, discussed your case, and decided you're comfortable entering a working relationship.
After you have discussed with the lawyer the facts of your case and the history of your negotiations with the insurance company, the lawyer may give you a general opinion of how much your case is worth and how difficult it may be to get the insurance company to pay something in that range. This is when you should discuss with the lawyer the different ways your case could be approached, and whether the lawyer would be willing to handle it in the way you prefer. These approaches include:
Finally, a lawyer might refuse to take your perfectly good case for the same reason that you might not want to hire a perfectly good lawyer. That is, the two of you just might not feel comfortable with each other. If your personality and the lawyer's clash right away, the lawyer may simply decide that handling your claim is just not worth it.
Bring copies of all the documents you have concerning your claim: police report, medical bills, income loss information, and all correspondence with the insurance company, including your demand letter if you have reached that stage. Most personal injury lawyers don't charge for an initial consultation.
This may be because you were largely responsible for the accident, because it is too difficult to prove that someone else was at fault, or because the person responsible for the accident has little or no insurance coverage.
A lawyer's willingness to listen and ability to understand you may affect how much you can help the lawyer and whether you can control somewhat how the lawyer does the job. A lawyer's willingness and ability to explain what is happening in your case will likewise affect your ability to make good decisions .
And a lawyer could have several reasons for rejecting you as a client. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. (See " Managing Lawyer Costs & Expenses in a Personal Injury Case ".) This arrangement means that the lawyer's fee is a percentage of what you ultimately receive in compensation.
Personal injury attorneys typically listen to their clients and ask detailed, pertinent questions. It’s important to tell your lawyer the truth and completely answer all requests for information. Your attorney needs to review the facts of your case before moving ahead with your claims.
After an accident, you typically are asked to discuss your claim with an insurance adjuster. We cannot emphasize enough that you need an attorney to represent you. Otherwise, you may receive a lower financial recovery or no recovery at all.
At the Dailey Law Firm, P.C., our team of skilled lawyers and professionals provide sound and current legal representation that you need. Call us at 844-342-5353 to set up a free consultation or use the Contact Form on our website. There’s no fee for personal injury cases unless we win.
State laws vary, but your personal injury attorney can review any applicable rights with you. One important thing to remember is that you have the right to seek compensation if a person or company has injured you.
Many people think of automobile accidents when they think of personal injury claims. However, any time another person or company injures you, you may have a claim. Your personal injury lawyer may handle cases involving:
In addition to listening, your personal injury attorney also may conduct an investigation. For example, he or she might need to know more about the people or companies that harmed you before moving forward with your claim.
That’s only natural. However, you need a personal injury lawyer to stand up for you every step of the way.
You can learn how to become a personal injury lawyer in Illinois HERE.
Before a personal injury attorney accepts a new accident or injury case, the injury lawyer will talk to the prospective client to understand the facts of the claim and evaluate the persons strengths and / or weaknesses of the case to understand the chances of success.
In Illinois, most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee. This means that the lawyer will receive a percentage of the client’s recovery as a fee. Typically fees range from 33% to 40% of the recovery – due to the high cost of litigation, personal injury lawyers are rarely retained to work based on an hourly fee.
Often times in America people perceive lawyers and law firms that practice in personal injury, accident and medical malpractice law as ambulance chasers. However, personal injury lawyers are needed to fight the real culprits – the insurance companies.
As mentioned above, accident and injury lawyers work on a wide variety of legal cases, please see a couple of examples below.
To do so, you will require the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney. While you may initially think any attorney can handle your case, you will soon find out a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases has the knowledge and experience needed to help you gain substantial compensation for your injuries.
Depending upon the type of accident you suffered, there may be multiple parties who can be held liable for your injuries. By having an experienced attorney on the case, they can examine the accident and make sure all negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.
Since an insurance company will want to do anything but pay you compensation for your injuries, your attorney can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf to reach an out-of-court settlement that will not only save you from enduring a trial, but also get you the compensation you deserve.