
Some of the questions that come to mind when we hear about cases with personal injury lawyers are what does a personal injury lawyer handle? In what cases will I need a personal injury attorney? Since it is not commonplace to hear about cases with personal injury lawyers, it is not surprising that most people ask these questions.The goal of this article will be to shed more light on what personal injury lawyers do, what it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer, why it is important to hire a personal injury lawyer and where to find the top personal injury lawyers in the United States.Who is a personal injury lawyer and what do they do? A personal injury lawyer is an expert who handles legal cases related to injuries and accidents.
In a situation of an accident or an occurrence of injury either physical or psychological caused by the negligence or actions of another person, business or organization, you need the legal advice and services of a personal injury attorney to get you the justice you deserve which may come in form of large amounts of compensation.Unlike insurance claims, personal injury claims are not subscribed for beforehand and you won’t need to pay monthly premiums to get these, in fact, in most occasions, you don’t need to pay your attorney in advance to take up a legal battle that will yield you a claim, many times the lawyer only gets paid when the case is won.Some personal injury attorneys specialize in personal injury cases alone and as a result, they build an arsenal of knowledge and experience in the field which leads to increased success rates in cases that concern their field of specialty.
Some of the cases personal injury lawyers handle include Product liability caseConstruction accidentsDog bitesNursing home neglectMedical malpracticeSlip and fall casePedestrian and cyclist accidentsMotor vehicle accidentsAssaultBatteryFraudConversion (theft)The cases that personal injury lawyers handle are not limited to these but these are the core ones that make up the bulk of cases that personal injury lawyers have to handle every year. What percentage does a personal injury lawyer take in a claim? It is important to note that the costs and fees of hiring a personal injury lawyer may affect the final payout as legal practitioners in this field deduct their fees against the payout amount.Cost of legal services like copy costs, court filing fees, cost of hiring expert witnesses, deposition expenses, travel expenses also accumulates in the course of fighting a personal injury case which will also be accounted for and setoff against the payout amount.
In most personal injury cases where negligence is involved, the party at fault may choose to settle out of court.This will greatly reduce the expenses associated with hiring a legal practitioner who specializes in personal injury cases and therefore reduces the fees on the payout sum.But in cases like medical malpractice, assault, battery and conversion which almost always end up in trials the legal expenses are always higher, the good thing is, these cases always attract larger payout sums too.
It is advisable to know how your personal injury lawyer will like to be compensated beforehand.Most times, lawyers in this field charge a percentage of the payout sum and only stand to receive this sum if they win the case as against lawyers who handle other cases and charge an hourly fee.This is called a contingency fee agreement.
With this agreement, personal injury advocates are not paid unless they win your case.This is a No Win No Pay agreement that allows clients to hire the best lawyers to fight their court cases against corporate giants, oppressive individuals or ruthless, corrupt insurance companies as the case may be.Expenses accumulated in the course of carrying out the case also get paid for at payout sometimes.
This is one way it is done, other than this, the lawyer may request the expenses be paid for by the client as the case unfolds or will request a little advance fee in the beginning of the case to cover bills while the rest will be paid later.One of the important things you need to pay close attention to is the payout clause.By law, the lawyer is obligated to pay off all medical bills before payout to the client, this might either be to the hospital that provides medical services to the client or the medical insurance cover like Medicare or Medicaid.
After this, the attorney is to deduct the costs of the legal services and his fees which may range between 25 – 50 percent, many lawyers charge a 33% as fees for personal injury cases on the gross payout amount.The net payout is then given to the client.Is it worth it to hire a personal injury lawyer? Given the cost of hiring a personal injury lawyer, you may be tempted if it is worth it.
Experience shows that it is.Getting a personal injury lawyer increases your chances of getting the compensation you deserve, which you may not get as much of if you go without a legal practitioner if you get anything at all.With the advice and expertise of a personal injury lawyer who will wholly take up your case, you will make little or no mistake in the course of the proceedings and no stone will be unturned to ensure that you get compensated.
Due to the fact that the payment model ensures that the lawyer has a skin in the game as he stands to lose if your case is not won, he will give his all to see to it that you get something which in turn means he also gets something.In most cases, the party at fault are individuals or firms that viciously want to take advantage of the weakness of the victim and would rather have them go empty-handed as they walk scot-free from their wrongdoings, the only insurance the victim has is the legal expert who fights his case and it is, therefore, important that you have them on board.Conclusion Personal injury law firms may be your point of last resort when you seek justice for an injury which may lead to a disability either physical or psychological and insurance companies or parties involved refuse to make a settlement.
When this happens an experienced personal injury lawyer will be willing to step into the trenches with you and tussle it out.Follow this list to find the top personal injury law firms in the US and their contact.
Publisher: Top Insurance