Why Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
The word “accident” implies that something bad happened — but no one is to blame. And while it’s true that there are some genuine accidents in the world, many of them occur because someone was negligent.
If you’re injured in an accident that happened because of your own negligence, you would, of course, be responsible for your own medical bills. However, if you’re injured because someone else was negligent, the negligent party must be held accountable.
That’s where a personal injury lawyer comes in. Why hire a personal injury lawyer? Let’s take a closer look.
What Is the Importance of Legal Representation?
You’ve probably heard that legal representation is important in a lawsuit. However, not everyone realizes the scope of what an attorney can do for you over the course of your claim. Their tasks may include:
- Helping you understand your options
- Securing a higher settlement
- Gathering evidence to support your case
- Giving you time to focus on healing
- Helping you understand the process
What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Why hire a personal injury lawyer? A serious injury impacts nearly every area of your life. That burden can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to recover, but fortunately, the right personal injury attorney can help you lift that burden. Here’s how.
They Can Help You Understand the Situation
For many people, a personal injury lawsuit is their first time dealing with the legal system. It can be confusing and disorienting, but a personal injury attorney will be with you each step of the way to explain what’s going on.
The entire process might still be stressful, but you can take some comfort in the fact that you have some sense of the process and know what happens next.
You’ll Have More Time to Focus on Recovery
Recovering from an injury is physically and mentally draining. If you handle your case yourself, you will need to do the work of gathering evidence, drafting and filing documents, negotiating with insurance companies, and more. This can do more than just cause extra stress — it can actually prolong your recovery time.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer gives you peace of mind while protecting both your physical and mental health.
They Have the Right Investigative Tools
Personal injury law involves much more investigation than many people realize. And the more information your legal team has to back up your claims, the better. Because they handle cases like yours routinely, personal injury lawyers have the strategies and technologies needed to gather the right information.
They Can Negotiate a Higher Settlement Amount
You might be an incredible negotiator. But even if you are, there’s a general rule of thumb you should know — insurance companies award higher settlements to injured people with legal representation.
Why? If you retain an attorney, the insurance company knows you’re committed to getting a fair settlement and aren’t going away anytime soon.
They also know that if they can’t come to a settlement agreement with you, your attorney is ready to take the case to trial. That means the insurance company would have to spend more money, which is the last thing they want to do.
They Only Get Paid if You Do
Sadly, many injured people don’t seek out legal guidance because they believe they can’t afford it. What they don’t realize is that personal injury attorneys only get paid if you win your case. Their payment is a percentage of the total amount you receive, so you never have to pay anything out of pocket.
It’s free to consult with an attorney, so even if you aren’t sure if you have a case or not, it’s still worth having a discussion.
They Represent Your Best Interest
The insurance company isn’t on your side, but your personal injury lawyer is. Once an attorney takes you on as a client, they are obligated to do what’s right for you.
Determining Whether You Have a Claim
Because personal injury lawyers only get paid if you get paid, they have to be selective when it comes to what cases they take on. When you schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney, the attorney will look closely at the circumstances surrounding your injury.
Only a qualified personal injury attorney can tell you if you have a case or not. However, in general, an attorney is looking for cases where both of the following are true:
- Negligence was involved. Your injury was directly caused by someone else’s carelessness.
- There are damages to collect. As a result of your injury, you have sustained considerable losses.
For example, if a drunk driver hits your car and you suffer a serious spinal injury that requires ongoing and expensive care, you would likely have a claim.
However, if your car is clipped by a distracted driver and you have no injuries (or only very mild injuries), you likely would not have a claim. Even though the distracted driver was negligent, you wouldn’t have enough damages to collect to make pursuing a claim worthwhile.
Calculating Your Economic Losses
If a personal injury attorney agrees to take your case, one of the first steps they will take is calculating your economic losses. Economic losses are actual monetary expenses you have incurred as a result of your injuries.
When filing your claim, your lawyer will detail your losses and attempt to recover compensation to pay for them. Here are some examples of economic losses:
- The wages you lost as a result of being unable to work
- Medical expenses
- The cost of transportation to medical appointments
- Childcare costs
Make sure you keep all relevant receipts and bring them with you when you see your lawyer — that will make calculating economic losses significantly easier!
However, your claim does not have to be limited to economic losses only. Economic losses aren’t very difficult to calculate, but non-economic losses — like emotional pain and loss of quality of life — are.
Because personal injury attorneys regularly work with cases like yours, they will be able to come up with a realistic monetary value for the non-economic losses you suffered.
Once your attorney adds up the value of your economic and non-economic losses, they can give you a fairly accurate picture of what your claim might be worth.
How Can Hiring a Lawyer Increase Your Settlement?
If you have talked to friends and family about your situation, they may have told you that you can get a higher settlement with a personal injury lawyer than on your own. This is true, but many people don’t understand exactly how a personal injury lawyer can make such a difference in your settlement.
They Accurately Value Your Case
If an insurance company sees that you’re asking for a settlement that’s far below what your case is worth, they aren’t going to volunteer to give you more money.
However, because a personal injury lawyer can very accurately assess what your case is worth, you can be confident that they’re trying to obtain the highest possible settlement for you.
They Can Document Your Case’s Value
Just like a prosecutor must prove the guilt of an accused person, your attorney must prove that your injuries are as severe as you say. Personal injury lawyers know how to gather the right evidence to back up your claim.
They Know How to Negotiate
In most cases, your legal team and the opposing insurance company can agree on a settlement amount. That doesn’t mean negotiating that amount is easy, though. Insurance companies are reluctant to pay claims, but personal injury attorneys know how to come to an agreement while still getting you what your case is worth.
They Know How to Litigate
Occasionally, a personal injury case goes all the way to the courtroom. When this happens, a competent personal injury attorney isn’t concerned. Your attorney knows how to advocate for you in the courtroom and prove that you’re owed compensation for your injuries.
Can I Handle a Personal Injury Claim on My Own?
Technically, you can — but it’s not a good idea. Many people mistakenly think insurance companies are on their side, but the truth is that insurance companies are in the business of saving money.
Most of the time, an insurer has a good idea of what your case is worth, but they will offer you a much lower settlement in hopes that you will take it.
Many people accept that offer and never realize that had they worked with a personal injury attorney, they may have gotten thousands of dollars more.
You can try to negotiate with an insurance company alone, but insurers tend to take your claim more seriously if they know you have legal representation.
Insurers want to avoid the time and expenses associated with going to trial. And because they know your attorney will take the case to trial if you aren’t offered a fair settlement, insurers are more likely to offer more money than they would if you represented yourself.
Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq: Personal Injury Attorneys When You Need Us Most
At Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq, we’ve been fighting for justice for injured New Jersey residents since 1991. Our attorneys give you the time, attention, and care you need while tenaciously advocating for you through negotiation and litigation.
We are committed to your case, and we refuse to undersettle — we want our clients to receive every dollar of compensation they’re owed.
If you’ve been hurt because someone else acted negligently, we may be able to secure compensation for you. Please call us at 800-923-3456 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. If we take your case, you don’t pay us anything unless we win.
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