If an accident inflicts you with injuries, what does a personal injury lawyer do to make your situation better? No matter the type of accident, some experts play a vital role in assisting injury victims legally.
Whether an injury is a result of negligence or misconduct, personal injury lawyers are vital for settlement cases. Moreover, they have the expertise to get you the best possible compensation from the party at fault.
In other words, they represent injury victims seeking justice in a civil court. This article is necessary to get their job description right.
Who is a personal injury lawyer?
After accidents occur, victims may try to seek justice in a civil court which means they need to work with experts. It is common to waste time searching for the wrong lawyers if you’re not familiar with those who deal with injury cases.
That said, what does a personal injury lawyer do to advance your cause as a victim of mental or physical injury? As experts in tort cases, they will represent victims to get justice or compensation.
This means they help you make the most of a bad situation another person’s intentional or unintentional negligence has put you in. Usually, they work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they receive payment only for cases they win.
Types of Personal Injury Lawyers
- Slip and fall injury lawyer
- Wrongful death lawyer
- Motor vehicle accident lawyer
- Workers’ compensation injury lawyer
What does a personal injury lawyer do?
Depending on their area of expertise, what does a personal injury lawyer do for you? While some cover all tort-related areas, others have unique specialties like in construction or automotive accidents.
Therefore, it’s essential to find a lawyer with experience relevant to your specific situation. Generally, all personal injury lawyers must go through these steps to build a strong case for clients
Investigations
Since they fund cases, personal injury lawyers are always careful to take on cases they can win. After all, they can only recover their fees through the compensation they win for their clients.
To ensure a claim is valid, they assess and ask questions beforehand so they don’t bark up the wrong tree. If your claim is convincing enough, they proceed to the next step.
Gathering evidence
What does a personal injury lawyer do after investigations? First, they gather supporting documents and evidence that validate a claim.
For documentation, they need signed copies of reports from both police and hospitals. Also, photos of crime scenes or video footage serve as evidence.
Other times, they include one or two witnesses to nail the at-fault party to their crime.
Calculate the value of a claim
The next move for personal injury lawyers is to weigh the value of a claim. Calculating this is easy after measuring the severity of damages or losses from an accident. They may interview doctors to know the exact cost of treatment
After determining their monetary value, they communicate their conclusion and get approval from clients. The essence is to recover the best compensation to measure the value of losses.
In case of economic losses, they expect payment to cover all expenses. However, if it were a non-economic loss like death, they try to recover enough to support the burial.
Negotiating with insurers
Personal injury lawyers work as middlemen between injury victims and insurance companies. This is to prevent clients from talking carelessly and ruining their claims.
From their wealth of experience, they can secure the best deals with insurers. However, they also negotiate an adequate amount as a settlement using tactics peculiar to insurance companies.
File complaints
In case attorneys fail to reach an agreement out of court, injury experts can file a lawsuit in court. They refer to this as a complaint where they state how the defendant is responsible for the injuries the plaintiff sustained.
Their document also states the amount they require as compensation. Finally, they file pleadings along with the necessary documents in court.
Throughout this period, attorneys stay in touch with clients to get important information for pleadings
Entering discovery
Right before the trial is the discovery process, which is crucial for any legal case. During this time, lawyers reveal evidence and request evidence from the defendant’s legal team.
Meanwhile, personal injury lawyers must prepare clients for deposition. They also meet with witnesses and other lawyers to tackle important issues that may delay the actual trial.
Attorneys not only prepare clients, but they also appear with them at depositions. They fight to get the best results at pre-trial meetings.
Represent clients in trials
What does a personal injury lawyer do when a case is not settled during litigation? Often the at-fault party agrees to the victim’s demands during the pre-trial.
However, if they don’t settle pre-trial, injury attorneys may decide to try the case before a jury. It is always better to stick with a lawyer who has experience dealing with your type of injury.
How to become a personal injury lawyer
Developing a successful career as a personal injury lawyer starts with a four-year bachelor’s degree program at an accredited university. While you can major in similar fields to support your degree, it is not a prerequisite for this field.
Later, you can proceed to get a Juris Doctor degree from a valid law school. Once you pass the bar exam in the location you want to practice in, you can work under law firms specializing in personal injury.
While in school you can use your breaks to intern with experts in personal injury law. This is the best way to gain practical knowledge of the field. Another way to develop your skills is to interact with the legal community.
Young lawyers try to niche down to a particular area in injury law and improve their skills and education through seminars or extra courses. Finally, you can obtain certifications in personal injury law from credible organizations such as the National Board of Trial Advocacy
Conclusion
Overall, injury victims may not get close to achieving justice without getting legal assistance. Finding a capable personal injury lawyer will help you get the best outcome from your case.
