4 Things to Consider When Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
The field of personal injury law is vast. With statutes changing regularly, keeping up might be impossible. But there’s no point in putting something aside just because it is difficult. This previous statement applies specifically to accident victims.
Victims need all the help they can get in their quest for fair compensation. This is impossible without the right legal assistance. But hiring a personal injury lawyer isn’t as simple as taking a stroll in a park. There are numerous factors involved. If not careful, the victim may end up with the wrong lawyer, which will ultimately end up hurting their chances.
This article is written to make sure that victims don’t make these mistakes. It lists 4 factors that a victim must consider before choosing a personal injury lawyer to handle their case.
The 4 Factors
- Expertise and Experience
- Practice Area
- Location
- Fee Structure
We’ll discuss each of them in detail.
1. Expertise and Experience
This is the most important factor victims should consider when hiring a personal injury lawyer. A lawyer’s level of expertise and experience will obviously reflect on the cases they handle. So ignoring it might prove disastrous in the long run.
A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer can spot potential issues from a mile away and will already have a way to tackle them. They also know the specific statutes that apply, allowing them to plan strategies that work in the victim’s favor.
An experienced lawyer is an asset in any personal injury case. The lawyer’s experience in handling similar cases gives them the advantage of preparing compensation estimates and strategies with high success rates.
Court trials are another area where experience prevails. A personal injury lawyer who has trial experience will come in handy if out-of-court negotiations fail.
2. Practice Area
The importance of a personal injury lawyer’s practice area isn’t discussed enough. It’s easy to waste time searching for a lawyer who has zero expertise in the victim’s type of case.
Knowing about the lawyer’s practice area is important. Victims often make mistakes since multiple types of cases fall under personal injury law. For instance, all the cases listed below are handled under personal injury law.
- Car accidents
- Dog bites
- Construction site accidents
- Pedestrian accident
- Premises liability
- Truck accidents
When hiring a lawyer, victims should double-check to make sure that the potential lawyer’s area of expertise matches their case.
3. Location
The location where the lawyer is based and their current location are important aspects to consider. A local lawyer will have more knowledge about the laws of the state in which they practice. This means that they are updated with the change in laws and know about previous instances of similar types of cases and their results.
Their network is another benefit a local lawyer brings to the table. Contacts from around the city make it easy to hire expert witnesses, find specialists, and discuss potential challenges with experts from various fields.
4. Fee Structure
Seeking legal recourse is important, but that doesn’t mean that the victim should spend a lot of money to find justice.
The victim should consider the charges of the lawyer they decide to hire. Knowing whether the lawyer works for an hourly fee or a flat fee will help the victim plan a budget.
There are also lawyers who work on a contingency fee basis. They will not charge any money upfront, but instead will take a cut from the victim’s compensation. The percentage the lawyer charges is usually between 30% and 40%. It is important to note that though the lawyer won’t be paid, there will still be administrative costs that the victim will have to cover.
Conclusion
A personal injury lawyer will be advantageous when seeking compensation from the insurance company and if the case goes to court. Their expertise in the field of law and experience in handling similar cases give them the upper hand. The four factors mentioned in this article will come in handy for victims who are injured due to someone’s negligence.
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Pranab Bhandari is an Editor of the Financial Blog “Financebuzz”. Apart from writing informative financial articles for his blog, he is a regular contributor to many national and international publications namely Tweak Your Biz, Growth Rocks ETC.
