There’s a lot more to the role of personal injury attorney than you might think. Here are some of their top activities.
Your personal injury attorney will do a lot on your behalf. Whether you go on to win your case or otherwise, they are there and ready to do the horse’s share of the work. They file for you, they track down and listen to witnesses for you, and they turn out all your paperwork on time, to boot.
The work of a personal injury lawyer is hardly ever done. We thought it was time to review some of those activities and see what the top 10 things they do on our behalf might be.
The Top 10 things your Personal Injury Lawyer Does for You
Before your file that claim for personal injury read about all the things your lawyer will do on your behalf.
1 – They Analyze your Case
The first thing any potential personal injury lawyer will do for you is to give you a fair and frank assessment of your case. This means that they scrutinize it for any hint of being imperfect, and this gives them insight into whether or not they would accept your case. It also gives your insight into how strong that case is.
If your potential personal injury lawyer turns down your case after reading through your notes and meeting with you, then it might mean their firm is either too big or too small to handle it. Don’t lose heart and remember to get a second opinion. We like Portland based car accident and personal injury law firm Johnston Law Firm for a fair and frank assessment. They will even be able to tell you why a past lawyer turned it down.
2 – They Gather Evidence
A personal injury lawyer knows more about how to press a case than anyone else does. They do this day in, day out. If there is evidence to be found that will help improve your chances, then they will find it. They want you to win. A lot of the time, they won’t recover their expenses if they don’t win your case.
No win, no fee, means you don’t pay the fee, but that the costs incurred still have to be paired upfront by the law firm. If you don’t win, they don’t recuperate that loss. A bad loss can be enough to send a practice out of business entirely.
3 – They Interview Witnesses
Part of that evidence gathering process means revisiting the scene of your accident and replaying what happened. They do this to gather photographic or video evidence of the place where you were hurt. There might be tire tracks on the road, damage to shops or buildings, or a loose paving slab responsible for a fall. Whatever evidence they need, they will collect it.
This includes tracking down any witnesses that saw your incident occur. If you know who helped you, this is great, but most of us don’t know who saw our accident because we are in shock and pain. Returning to the scene and finding witnesses is one of the primary things your personal injury attorney will do for you. It’s something that many aren’t able to do themselves because they are hurt.
4 – They Liaise with your Insurance company
Not just with your own insurance company, but with that of the opposition, too. Everyone has to have a rough knowledge of what is going on, so that they can later agree a settlement. Most personal injury cases don’t go to court, but some do. Liaising with both insurance companies makes sure that everyone knows where they stand.
Make sure you DO NOT talk to your insurance company until you have a personal injury lawyer on your side.
5 – File your Forms
In order to present a personal injury claim, a mountain of paperwork needs to be completed. Your personal injury attorney will file everything to completion, at the right time for submission. If they fail to do this, your claim will be held back even more, and claiming for personal injury is already a lengthy process.
6 – Tell you When to Quit
Just as they might make a percentage of a winning case, a personal accident lawyer might be able to tell you when you have no case to begin with. This means refusing your case from the outset because they don’t feel able to prove it, or because their firm isn’t large enough to fund the upfront costs of your case in the hope that you win, and they get a payout.
7 – Help you with a Budget
When you suffer from a personal injury, you incur any number of finances. You eventually forget about things, lose track of your expenses, or have problems with receipts. A personal injury lawyer is able to advise you on what you need to keep track of. They can even sit and work out a budget of things you have spent money on to cover the costs incurred.
8 – Advise you on Settlements
Your lawyer can advise you on whether or not to take an offer as a settlement contribution. If you decide not to, they will keep pleading your case and help you to stand your ground until another offer is made. They can even advise you to go to court, although this is rare. Most cases are solved out of court, with the advice of a judge.
9 – Prepares your Case for the Judge
Your personal injury attorney will collate all of the information about your case into one document. They will then present this to the judge to review. The judge will often advise what they think would happen if the case went to court, and the parties involved are then invited to several hearings in which a settlement is ultimately reached. If not, then you go to court.
10 – Keeps you out of Court
Ultimately, nobody wants to go to trial. Going to court is costly and the fees will come out of your compensation. Ideally, we all want to settle before court and go home for tea. A personal injury attorney will try their level best to keep you out of court and that’s no bad thing.
