10 Ways a Personal Injury Lawyer Helps Win your Case
Injuries and accidents can happen to anyone, at any time and any place. Though some injuries occur on the job, and may be part of workers compensation that is available in all 50 states, sometimes injuries occur outside of the workplace, and can become part of a separate injury case that then involves the use of a personal injury lawyer. It’s important from the very beginning of your injury case to seek the help of a qualified attorney who can assist you in winning your injury case.
Seeking the help of a lawyer is essential to not only win your case, but get you the best compensation possible. In addition, other factors can make the use of a personal injury lawyer all the more essential. Severe injuries, accidents that happen where liability is unclear, and even disabling and long-term injuries are just some of the factors that can make the use of a personal injury lawyer a key component of your case.
Don’t feel doubts when it comes to hiring a personal injury lawyer. These 10 ways a personal injury lawyer can help you win your case should help you change your mind, and help you move forward towards winning your case.
1. Professional Advice and Experience
In 2019, there were approximately 1.35 million lawyers qualified and working in the United States. From workers compensation lawyers, to family lawyers, and our favorite, the personal injury attorney, lawyers have years of specialized practice working in their respective fields. In addition, these attorneys know exactly how legal counsel works, and can provide you with the best legal solutions to help win your unique case.
Though the stereotype of a cut-throat, serious lawyer is used in television and movies, it’s not true of most lawyers. A personal injury lawyer many times gets a percentage of your compensation, so he or she has your best interest in mind. In addition, lawyers have to be trained in critical thinking, problem-solving, and even have to have a reliable background record to be working as an attorney. This can assure you that lawyers, including a personal injury lawyer, are top-tier and will be able to give you the best advice when it comes to pursuing compensation.
2. Education on All Options
As mentioned earlier, accidents and injuries happen any time, and anywhere, and it’s important for you to understand what your options are for each case. For example, if your injury occurred at work, do you have to only consult with your human resources and workers compensation department? What if you can use other options besides workers compensation, and sue other parties?
In the U.S., statistics show that 33% of all motor-related fatalities were caused by reckless driving. Could you sue these careless drivers that injured you during work? What about contractors, manufacturers that cause you to get injured on a faulty machine, or negligent property managers? Consulting with a personal injury attorney can help you expand your options, and get you help in order to seek full compensation for your injury case. Don’t go without a personal injury attorney, and don’t feel doubts about getting low compensation. If you feel you’re entitled to more, contact a personal injury attorney right away.
3. Fight Against Insurance Companies
Besides workers compensation insurance, you might find yourself fighting against insurance companies and insurance claim lawyers just to get what you’re rightfully owed. Especially in cases where liability is questionable, and several parties were involved, insurance settlements can become very complicated. Even if there is some amount of liability on your part, it’s important to have a personal injury lawyer work with insurance companies to get secure you a fair settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurance company and continue negotiations.
In addition, bad faith insurance claims are also an unfortunate possibility. Bad faith insurance claims include cases that were not properly investigated, claims that were denied with no probable reason, and misrepresenting state laws or other policy language just to name a few. Your personal injury lawyer can help minimize the risks with insurance companies, and should fight tooth and nail to get you what you deserve.
4. Connections to Medical Professionals
As with all injury claims, you will have to be assessed by a non-biased medical professional in order to determine the extent of your injuries. Known as an IME, the independent medical exam can help give accurate and non-biased results to help you in your injury case. Luckily, most lawyers working in the field have connections to reputable, trustworthy, and reliable medical examiners that can help strengthen your case. In addition, talking to a personal injury lawyer can help you get the help of other professionals. For example, do you need just a family physician, or a neurologist if you experience insomnia after an accident? What about psychotherapy in order to cope with stress about the injury? There’s a list of medical professionals that your personal injury lawyer can help you find and connect with in order to make your case stronger.
5. Intimate Knowledge of Judges
A certain old saying says “A good lawyer knows the law, but a great lawyer knows the judge.” It is humorous, but extremely true. Though a judge will remain neutral when making his or her decision on your injury case, having a personal injury attorney from a personal injury law firm that has been around to see their fair share of injury cases can help you remain confident when confronting the bench. A good personal injury attorney can easily read the judge, know how to present his or her case using the proper lingo and evidence, and increase your chances of getting a bigger settlement.
Judges are human just like everyone else, and are subject to the same arguments that could convince others. Judges were also at one point lawyers, and so they are keen on listening in to your personal injury attorney and their argument to notice any flaws. Having an experienced personal injury attorney that can provide a certain prose that the judge likes can help convince the judge that much more to give you a bigger settlement. Sometimes, colleagues of a lawyer and other legal advocates can also argue on your behalf to give a powerful picture of what your injury has cost you, and use all the elements of egos, pathos, and logos to stir a certain judge in favor of your injury case.
6. Filing All Paperwork on Time
Lawyers have to deal with reams and reams of paperwork while working on your case. From examining medical paperwork, to examining the specifics of an accident report, and filing paperwork with insurance companies, paperwork makes a strong case while your lawyers are in court. In fact, lawyers spend much more time filing paperwork than appearing in actual court. Without strong paperwork, embarrassing outcomes can occur during court that your lawyer can help avoid.
Though it’s important to have a savvy, well-versed personal injury lawyer, it’s even more important to seek their services in order to file all paperwork on time. This can include pleadings that need to be filed, reports gathered by paralegals and reviewed by lawyers, depositions that have to be arranged, and written discovery exchanged just to name a few. Save yourself the headache, and get a personal injury lawyer to file the appropriate paperwork for your case.
7. Extra Resources
It takes a lot to be a great lawyer, and not just the paperwork mentioned above. The stress of dealing with hard-headed and unfair insurance companies, juggling meetings, keeping in touch with you, the client, and so on can be hard to deal with. This is why a personal injury law firm not only has attorneys working for them, but also legal advocates, secretaries, paralegals to do research, and other staff on hand. Without these added resources, it would be almost impossible to represent yourself in court with a strong injury case (though some people might still try).
Seeking the help of a fully staffed and proven personal injury lawyer and their law firm can ease your mind. It helps knowing knowing that your legal counsel is running everything for your case like clockwork. Having a big team that communicates every part of your case with you and can provide extra resources wherever possible can help win your case as well.
8. Crunching the Numbers
Behind the scenes, your personal injury lawyer is working hard to maximize your settlement. It’s essential for your injury case to have a lawyer that is willing to overturn rocks in order to look at all the possibilities of increasing your pay-out. For instance, immediate and long-term medical needs need to be addressed, and calculating your long-term medical needs can sometimes be a little complicated. For example, if you have surgery, and now have limited mobility, what is the exact percentage of that limited mobility? How will it affect your daily life and wages later on? In addition, will your injury cause you to have more surgeries or need medication in the future? These numbers can quickly add-up, and without a personal injury lawyer can slip through the cracks.
In addition, adding up out of pocket costs, including medication and hospital bills, and calculating pain, suffering, and emotional distress should all be done with professional legal counsel. Unfortunately, in some cases, the loss of companionship, emotional support, and feelings of hopelessness also need to be accounted for by a personal injury lawyer.
9. Collecting Evidence and Witnesses
To strengthen your case, a personal injury lawyer needs to act almost like a detective in order to find all evidence to support your injury case. Lawyers also need to file all appropriate evidence that will be presented in court, which if not properly done could jeopardize a case. A personal injury lawyer can find evidence in the form of video from CCTV footage, interview witnesses that saw how your injury occurred, and go over police reports to find any discrepancies. Calling in witnesses, experts that can verify evidence was taken properly, and a myriad of other forms of evidence can be used by a personal injury lawyer to convince the court that your settlement is what you deserve.
10. Saving you Stress
While a personal injury lawyer is diligently working your case, you can focus on recuperating and healing from your injuries while staying home and spending time with your loved ones. Why is a being stress-free and having a positive mentality so important? For starters, a psychological study published in 2012 showed that psychology impacts wound repair, and in particular show that social support from family and friends can help lessen the effects of stress. Having a positive mind, and knowing that a personal injury lawyer is working hard to win your case and maximize your settlement is essential not just to avoid stress and anxiety, but to recover quicker and get back on your feet sooner.
Win Your Case Today
It’s easy to get discouraged after having experienced an injury. Stress about your job, your recovery, your finances, and whether your injury case will stand up in court can all weigh heavily. Having a personal injury lawyer that is an expert in dealing with negative insurance companies, filing paperwork, and maximizing your settlement can help give you ease of mind during this difficult time.
But it’s not just ease of mind that a great personal injury attorney can get you. A win is what you’re after. Using proper legal counsel can help you navigate the legal system, face judges confidently, and get proper experts, medical and otherwise, to help make your case all the more stronger. Don’t hesitate to get the help of a personal injury lawyer, and research accredited personal injury law firms in your area right away.