There are many personal injury attorneys out there. The trick is finding the right one for you explains William D King.
Here are ten things to look for when hiring a personal injury attorney.
1. Insurance Adjusters No Longer Have the Advantage –
The days when insurance adjusters would just walk into court, wave to the judge and proceed to talk until closing arguments are very rare. Courts have recently cracked down on these types of attorneys by taking away their advantage of having an in with the judge without proving their case.
2. The Plaintiff Must Prove His or Her Case –
As mentioned above, the days of “the other guy” paying for your injuries are long gone. In order to receive a fair settlement you must prove fault on the part of the defendant and show how your injuries have been impacted as a result of those actions. A good personal injury attorney will help guide you through the process of proving your case.
3. You Can’t Always Believe What You Read –
There is a lot of information out there about all sorts of legal matters, especially on internet message boards and blogs. Although attorneys can provide you with some general information without violating any rules or laws, they cannot give specific advice on any one person’s situation even if it seems straight forward from what someone has written online. This is because every case is different and just because something worked for someone else does not mean it will work for you.
4. There is No Such Thing as a “Small Case” –
Personal injury cases can vary from a few hundred dollars to millions of dollars depending on the injuries suffered by the plaintiff. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you have a case if your injury settlement is five digits or less. You should consider hiring an attorney to represent you whether your claim exceeds five digits or not, this way they may spot errors in your claims documents, which could result in additional compensation for you later on down the road says William D King.
5. Not All Attorneys Are Created Equal-
All attorneys are now held to very high standards when dealing with their clients and they are required to provide their clients with a written fee agreement before the attorney can collect any money from that client. This protects you from those unscrupulous attorneys who may be tempt to file claims on your behalf. And then disappear after pocketing some of your settlement for them.
6. You May Have Rights You Don’t Know About –
This is one of the biggest problems we see in our practice, people who come to us after they have given away significant rights only because they did not know what those rights were or that they had even signed such an agreement. It is extremely important that you speak with an experienced personal injury attorney before signing any type of contract related to your injuries as this could save you thousands of dollars later on down the road.
7. You May Have Existing Legal Issues –
Many people who suffer injuries never consider that they may already have an existing legal issue, like a divorce or traffic ticket for which the defendant is now responsible explains William D King. If you hire someone to handle your injury claim and that person misses something with your existing case you could be in trouble if it goes unresolved. Make sure that the attorney you choose knows what all of your legal issues are and can deal with them accordingly. It may also be a good idea to hire a different attorney to handle any problems outside of personal injury law if no one can explain how their firm would handle these other situations.
8. There Are Many Great Personal Injury Attorneys Out There –
No matter how many people you ask in your area, within minutes you can find an attorney. With a good reputation and plenty of experience with the type of case in which you are involve. This is how it should be, personal injury attorneys are like doctors when it comes to saving lives (literally) so there should only be one or two law firms in your city that specialize exclusively in this type of law.
9. Negotiating Your Own Settlement Can Save You Money –
If you decide that hiring an attorney is not for you then make sure that when negotiating with the insurance company (or whoever is representing the defendant) that you do not say anything about your injuries being “permanent” or “ongoing”. These types of statements can severely limit any pre-judgment settlement offers as insurance companies, as a policy will try to limit any future claim from you. Also make sure that you hire an experienced medical examiner that can provide you with a report as well as testify on your behalf in court if needed.
10. There is no timetable for when your case should settle-
Many people believe that there is some kind of time frame within which they must settle their personal injury claims or risk losing the opportunity to do so forever, this is not true. A good attorney can keep your case active until it settles, this alone could make the difference between receiving less money than you deserve and getting everything that you need to move forward with your life without any more obstacles preventing you from doing so.
Conclusion:
Do not make the mistake of believing everything that you hear. When it comes to settling your own personal injury claims says William D King. It is important to be open, honest and most importantly secure in knowing that any attorney or law firm that you work with will provide you with the representation that they promised when you hired them. There are plenty of good attorneys out there who can help get maximum compensation for whatever injuries they are working on, find one today!