Getting in an accident can be a life-changing event. If you choose to press charges, you might consider hiring a personal injury lawyer to help you get the most compensation to pay for medical bills and lifestyle changes. But what does a personal injury lawyer do?
In order to find the best personal injury lawyer, it’s necessary to know what a personal injury lawyer does and what you should expect from a good one. A good attorney will support you from first contact until the day you win the case.
Here is a guide to what personal injury lawyers do and what your personal injury lawyer will do once you hire one. Navigating a personal injury case on your own is extremely challenging, so it’s crucial to hire a good lawyer.
Initial Consultation
The first time you meet with your personal injury lawyer, it will likely only be a consultation. Most personal injury attorneys offer free initial consultations and won’t charge you until you’ve won the case. This way, you can spend time getting to know your lawyer and explaining your case without having to worry about fees.
Once you’ve completed the initial consultation, a personal injury attorney will decide whether to take your case or not. The firm will choose cases based on availability, scheduling, and the probability of winning. Since most firms don’t charge unless they win the case, they are more likely to take cases with a high chance of winning.
Evidence and Insurance
When you’ve hired a lawyer, you can sit back and relax. You will need to provide information and let the lawyer find the evidence. The next step in a personal injury case is to amass evidence that the injury has lasting effects and was caused by someone else’s negligence.
In order to prove these two things, your lawyer will talk to your medical team, licensed medical professionals, and your insurance. This might take a while because insurance companies usually have red tape and require multiple forms and wait times. However, once your lawyer has that evidence, they will be ready to file a claim.
Filing evidence with insurance means that your current medical bills might be covered better by your insurance. However, this isn’t always the case. Personal injury law attempts to make life after an accident easier for the victims, but insurance companies and the court system can slow things down.
Filing a Claim
Once all the evidence is amassed, your lawyer will have another meeting with you to discuss the terms of your claim, how much compensation you are requesting, and who you are blaming for the accident. Once all the details are set, they will file the personal injury lawsuit and start the official process.
Hopefully, filing a claim is the last step. If your opponent decides to settle out of court, you won’t have to move on to court representation. Instead, you can collect your earnings, pay your law team, and continue living your life. However, that isn’t always the case.
Court Representation
You will receive a court date if your opponent decides to go to court. Your lawyer will handle all the prep, calling of witnesses, and gathering of evidence. This can be a very stressful time, but all you have to do is follow your attorney’s instructions in and outside of court.
Your lawyer will represent your case in court, no matter how long it takes. Some personal injury cases get wrapped up quickly, but others can go on for years. Either way, you won’t have to pay until you win.
Final Thoughts
With a good lawyer, you can trust the process to a professional and focus on healing from the long-term effects of your accident. A personal injury attorney will support you from the initial consultation to the court date and will be able to help you with any questions along the way.
