The Things to Consider before Choosing an Injury Attorney

If you have been hurt in an accident, then you are perhaps thinking whether or not to hire an attorney. If your condition is complex or serious, an experienced injury attorney can help you protect your legal rights against large insurers, their team of lawyers and claims adjusters.

A good lawyer will understand the applicable court rules, laws, and every legal procedure so that he or she can competently advocate for you. He or she will keep you away from the stressful claims procedure to help you focus on recovery, while making sure that you receive a reasonable settlement amount.

Although the option of seeking legal representation is enticing enough, you must think about the following matters to decide whether you require an attorney.

Do I Really Have an Injury Case?

First, you should find out if your accident is one that gives you the right to claim for compensation. The following factors will help determine whether you were involved in one such accident.

1. It occurred due to someone else’s negligence; and,
2. You sustained a real injury, and have the documents to prove it.

If you have suffered injuries and have a case, then proceed to the subsequent question.

Are Your Injuries Severe?

Most people involved in an injury-causing accident will regard their injuries as severe. Of course, this is how you should also see it. After all, accidents are quite traumatic and you should not take these lightly.

Legally, injuries are deemed “serious” when these need immediate treatment and affect you longer than the 7 or 14 days after your accident. However, whether or not to hire a lawyer is solely your call.

You have to consider the nature of your injuries because this will affect how much you would get as compensation. For minor injuries, you would not get as much as you would for more severe injuries. So it would be prudent to hire one to represent you in your severe injury case. This way, you will have money to pay for your lawyer’s services and for your use.

How Complex Is Your Injury Case?

If responsibility is clear, then this is another factor that will make your case not all that likely to require an attorney. However, if many parties are involved in your accident and your consequent injuries are severe, having an attorney will be critical to your case’s success.

When many others are involved in it, how available funds are divided and insurance coverage matters can get tricky. In that case, you would need an experienced lawyer’s help to deal with these situations.

When Did the Accident Happen?

If it just happened, then you have some days to decide whether to seek the services of an attorney. The more days that pass, the less feasible your injury case will usually be, and the trickier it will become to find a lawyer who will accept it.

Do You Possess the Skill and Mental Capacity To Deal With Your Case?

Dealing with an injury claim could just be as simple as sending some emails and making a few telephone calls. If that is the case, and if you have what it takes to handle it, going at it all alone might be a good idea.

Or, your claim can take long months of email communication, filing legal papers and encouraging the insurer to pay a fair compensation. So where do you stand as far as the expertise and bandwidth are concerned? If you feel that a professional lawyer is better equipped to handle it, then a more sensible option might just be to have him or her on your side.

The beauty of being a strong attorney is that they are ethically right to fight for someone who is on the wrong end of the law when the latter pleads innocent in court. In that case, that attorney is just following ethics from a legal standpoint. Likewise, fighting for an innocent person like you will be a matter of pride for them, and something they have trained for all life. So think whether you need to spend your time and energy or the lawyer’s on the case. If you have decided to go for the latter option, then you will have to consider the most important thing in this context.

Are Attorneys Worth It At All?

When you win the case, you will take a cut from the amount to pay the professional. It could be a third of that amount or perhaps even more than that. Only the best in the business will be able to secure you the kind of amount that will leave you with something extra after paying out them or their law office.

So check whether such attorneys are easily available to you or whether you have to pay more for relatively lesser quality talent.