10 Questions to ask a personal injury lawyer

10 Questions to ask a personal injury lawyer



1. What cost will I have to pay for your services?

Its important to know what you are going to have to pay. While most lawyers have a contingency fee, it is a good idea to know exactly what it is if they do. A contingency fee agreement states that there will be no legal fees if a case is lost. If you win the lawyer will get around 30% which will vary depending on the case.

2. Will I have to pay anything if we lose?

This should be explained to you when you ask about the cost for services, but if its not be sure to bring it up during the initial meeting with the lawyer. While contingency fee agreements are mostly done, it is not a good idea to just assume that it will be. So find out ahead of time, and save yourself a headache.

3. Have you handled a case like this? (If yes, what was the outcome?)

You should take time to find someone who has already handled a case like yours. It is important to make sure they have a full understanding of what is going to be put into your case. If they have dealt with a case like this, it is a good idea to see how they did. You want to make sure you do not use someone who constantly loses cases like this.

4. How often will we be in contact during this case?

Finding out how long your lawyer will be spending dealing with your case is a good thing to know. You should get a lawyer that doesn't have a lot of cases, that way you can get the directed attention your case needs.

5. How long will this process take?

Finding out a time frame can let you know how quickly the case could be handled. It will also let you know how long it will take you to be able to get compensated for your injuries.

6. Do cases like this ever go to trial?

It is also important to see how often cases like yours go to trial. If you don't have to go to trial, and you can settle outside of court, it is a easier process. So knowing this fact can tell you if you are most likely going to wind up in a court room.

7. Can I get references from past clients?

Getting references for anything helps make decisions much easier. Dealing with issues like this can make all the difference. Hearing from people who have already used this lawyer, should help you understand how they work, and if its in your best interest to use them.

8. Do you have specific areas of law you deal with?

Finding out what a lawyers specific areas of law are, will help you eliminate lawyers who don't deal with your situation. There is a lot of competition out there to get clients, some lawyers will try to pressure you into going with them. Be sure you know what you are going to be getting from them, and that you are hiring them to work for you. You are the boss.

9. How much can I get from this case?

You should find out if it will be worth it to pursue compensation for your injuries or not. If your lawyers believe that the case isn't even worth fighting, then maybe you should consider whether this is the option you want to go with.

10. What will I have to do in the case?

Find out what you are going to have to do to help this case along. You will need to know what records or information you will need to help your case. You will also need to know how often you should contact the lawyers, and anything else that you have to do from your side.


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Personal Injury Lawyer Reviews

Another way you can learn about the lawyers you are choosing is by checking out their reviews. Nowadays, everything gets reviewed including people. Lawyers now have a lot of competition, so it is a good idea to make sure you get the information you need about them before you talk to them.

You don't want to get caught off guard, finding out that the lawyer you choose is all hype, and no experience.

While there are many websites that offer reviews on personal injury lawyers I would recommend Avvo.com. Avvo.com give you..

50 states
120 areas of law
Detailed profiles including client reviews
I highly recommend it.

Personal Injury Calculator

A good personal injury calculator should take into consideration your pain, your medical cost, and your lose of income. A good example of this is given by http://www.after-car-accidents.com they have a good calculator dealing with car accidents.

has an excellent personal injury calculator. There calculator goes through almost anything you can think of dealing with expenses and pain you are most likely to deal with. So it would be a good idea to get an estimate of how much you can get, before stepping into a lawyers office. Try it here

A good personal injury lawyer brings a lot to the table

A good personal injury lawyer brings a lot to the table
 to help you with standing up for your rights. They have knowledge of legal procedure, and a staff that will be a part of gathering the necessary documents.

The personal injury lawyer can easily evaluate your injury case and let you know about all of the options available to you. While you are concentrating on getting better, the lawyer will be handling the legal proceedings, documents and stress with the insurance companies.

If you have injuries that are not very serious or severe you would be able to handle your claims without a lawyer on your own. The insurance companies are very willing to provide a quick settlement amount to close your claim. However, if you have both physically or psychologically injuries that are more severe than a personal injury lawyer would be needed. The personal injury lawyer who has great communication skills will also help to get you a settlement payment quickly from the insurance company. The lawyer will present your claim by letter and or by phone providing all of the evidence.
Conclusion

Lawyers are not popular in our society. But, having one on your side can be a life changing experience. If you have suffered an injury because of someone else, you will quickly find you never get to deal with the person who hurt you; you have to deal with their insurance company. They have people who spend their careers dealing with cases like yours. Don’t you deserve someone on your side? Your insurance company is not on your side; they don’t want to pay out any more money than they have to. Hiring a lawyer is the only way to make sure you are maximizing your recovery, limiting the emotional toll, protecting your rights, freeing up your time, and buying yourself peace of mind.



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Accidents and Personal Injury Attorneys
Updated on March 11, 2014
Consider Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer if;

- You or your relative has sustained serious injuries that potentially have long term effect on life. Minor injuries such as a bruised knee cap or abrasions on the arm will not justify the legal costs.

- You and the other driver are in dispute over who was at fault, in case of a motor accident.

- You are feeling pressured by the other party to accept a quick settlement.

- You feel you are not being fully compensated for your current and future medical costs resulting from the accident

Accidents can happen to anyone at any time in any place by many different causes. They can range from a slip, a fall, motor accident, being hit by falling debris from a construction site and many others. Accidents can be Fatal or non-fatal, causing minor to sever injuries depending on the nature of incident. A report from the World Health organization (WHO) shows that approximately 3,400 people worldwide die on the roads every day, while tens of millions of people are injured or disabled from accidents on the road every year. These include people of all ages who are pedestrians, cyclists drivers and other road users.

Whereas this data accounts for accidents occurring on the road, millions of people suffer serious injuries from places other than the road such as places of work, schools, parks and recreational places. According to Aurenda, a company that specializes in reducing the financial and human cost of injury in the work place, work place injuries can be placed into five types and that these are by far the commonest and are all caused by human error. They include: ‘Slips, trips, and trips’, motor vehicle crashes, accidents resulting from manual labor, overuse injuries like low back pain, and burns.

If you have been involved in any form of accident and sustained serious injury, you might be entitled to compensation, through legal claim. And yet there is no guarantee that your medical bills will be effectively covered by the party at fault, or that you will be justly compensated. It is possible to negotiate a personal injury settlement without the help of a lawyer, but most insurance companies through their legal advisors have mastered techniques of minimizing settlement claims in injury cases. You will thus be at a disadvantage engaging in this negotiation on your own, and may end up settling for much less than you actually deserve. Hiring a personal injury attorney can help you get the most from your claim.


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Insurance Companies

A life-threatening accident is able to turn your daily life inside-out immediately. Because of the injuries from the accident on its own, you will be left struggling with a tremendous amount of discomfort, hospital and medical bills, inability to work, and other difficulties.

Using the services of an excellent personal injury lawyer will keep insurance companies from trying to intimidate you into agreeing to a smaller sized payout than you are entitled to. Be mindful that the insurance company also has costly lawyers, private investigators and adjusters that are doing work for them.

Demand Letters: What They Are & How To Use Them


You Are Entitled To Be Make Whole

A great personal injury lawyer can get reimbursement for standard damages or injuries which include pain and suffering. They also can prosecute for reckless endangerment, wrongful death or a variety of actions to help keep harmful people off of the streets.

Normally, personal injury lawyer's fee is according to a contingency. A contingency usually means that you won't need to pay anything at all in advance, however, your lawyer will require a percentage when you win your case. Should you not win, your lawyer will not collect any fee. This percentage is often in between 25-40%. Charges can vary based upon whether you reside in a city or small town, in addition to the difficulty of the case. Be sure you ask in advance how your lawyer will charge.

You are entitled to be made whole, This is an expression which means recovering damages and the cost of all the expenses connected with the accident. Most lawyer consultation services are 100% free of charge.

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Do I need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Updated on February 13, 2016
Personal Injury Lawyer

Wikipedia:

"A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal representation to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency, or other entity."

"Lawyers are legally permitted to file legal complaints, argue cases in state court, draft legal documents, and offer legal advice to victims of personal injury."

These lawyers are highly trained to do with all types of injury cases, including but no limited to: Slip and Fall, Work Injury, Medical Malpractice, and Defective Products. Along with knowing all the newest laws, they also understand your needs including medical and emotional cost you will be faced with during this case.

Do I need a personal injury lawyer?

While it is not necessary for you to have legal council present during this process, having one can significantly increase your chances of getting what you are owed. The legal processes can be daunting, and some things may not be very apparent to you about your own case.

The personal injury lawyers will be able to tell you what you need to get around, including the medical paperwork and records. They will also be the ones to negotiate for you against the insurance companies and anyone else involved.

They also have the experience and knowledge it takes to get you where you want to be fast. If you want to understand the processes they take, then it is a good idea to ask questions. I have made a list of 10 questions that you should ask to help you get the answers you need to make a solid decision.

It is highly recommended that you get a Personal Injury Attorney / Lawyer.
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When you have been in a car accident

When you have been in a car accident

 or suffered an injury because of someone else’s negligence you often have to deal with an insurance company to try to get compensated for your injuries and pain and suffering. Some people are hesitant to hire a lawyer because they feel a lawyer will just take a part of their money. However, there are at least five reasons to hire lawyer instead of dealing with the insurance adjustors yourself.

ONE: Increase Amount of Recovery

While a personal injury lawyer typically takes one-third of any damages you receive, you often still make more money hiring a lawyer than you do by negotiating yourself. This is for several reasons. Lawyers have often been through dozens, or even hundreds, of cases like yours. They have a better idea than you do what your case is worth. A lawyer can get more money in your pocket, even with his or her fee, than you can by yourself.

Insurance companies often set aside a specific amount to pay a claim and try to settle a case for as little as possible. A lawyer will have a better idea what the maximum number the insurance company is willing to pay and keep pushing until the amount is meant. A lawyer threatening to file a lawsuit is more credible than you telling the insurance company you are going to go to court.

Get the Payment You Are Entitled To

Make Sure You Get Compensated Properly For Your Injury
Make Sure You Get Compensated Properly For Your Injury | Source
Getting Better is Hard Enough

Let a Lawyer Help You With the Emotional Ordeal of Talking to Insurance Companies
Let a Lawyer Help You With the Emotional Ordeal of Talking to Insurance Companies | Source
TWO: Emotional Toll


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THREE: Protect Your Rights

Many states have very short time periods for you to pursue your claims for compensation resulting from someone else’s negligence. Hiring a lawyer helps ensure your rights are protected and all the time limits are carefully watched. You often have many rights from your own insurance policies that your insurance company may not want you to know about. A lawyer is there to watch your back and make sure you get what you deserve from the one who injured you as well as form your own insurance company.

Did You Know?

In the United States more than 85% of cases settle before going to trial.

FOUR: Free Up Your Time

Pursing a personal injury claim is time consuming. If you really want to maximize your recovery you have to order your medical records, write detailed demand letters, and argue with insurance adjustors who spend all day trying to get people to settle for less than they deserve. Sometimes you may have multiple phone calls from the insurance company in just one day. In the case of auto accident related injuries you not only have to deal with the bad driver’s insurance com-any, but you also have to deal with your insurance company.

If you are trying to get back to your regular life and your job, you don’t have time to properly deal with all the paperwork and phone calls that a personal injury claim entails.

Time is Precious

Don't Spend Valuable Work Time Dealing With, or Thinking About, Insurance Companies
Don't Spend Valuable Work Time Dealing With, or Thinking About, Insurance Companies | Source
FIVE: Peace of Mind

Having someone else be responsible for the day-to-day details of your case gives you peace of mind. You do not have to worry about saying something wrong, or forgetting some detail. You can relax and know that you have someone on your side. Because your lawyer is getting a percentage of your recovery, it is in his or her interest to get as big of a recovery as possible.

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Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have a legal issue that is related to personal physical or psychological injuries, you and your loved ones are entitled to a knowledgeable, experienced, capable legal professional who can plainly make clear your legal rights and work directly with you as well as families who have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another party. The Personal injury lawyer will help to arrive at the end result that is ideal for your situation.

You will need a personal injury lawyer due to the complicated legal regulations that are associated with a personal injury claim. Also, the degree of your injuries may cause an enormous fluctuation in your reimbursement from what is considered a standard reimbursement amounts. Sometimes you may have an insurance company that will decline to negotiate with you in good faith.

Hiring an aggressive, experienced personal injury lawyer will make sure you receive what you will need to put your life back in order. They will research your damages and injuries, together with all earnings that were lost. Any lost foreseeable future income, health-related charges, long-term health-related treatment, pain and bodily suffering, also any suffering due to mental or grief, a decline of quality of daily life and any other possible injury claims.


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A Personal Injury Lawyer

Hiring an aggressive, experienced personal injury lawyer will make sure you receive what you will need to put your life back in order. They will research your damages and injuries, together with all earnings that were lost. Any lost foreseeable future income, health-related charges, long-term health-related treatment, pain and bodily suffering, also any suffering due to mental or grief, a decline of quality of daily life and any other possible injury claims.

A personal injury lawyer will file legal claims, work on the legal paperwork, provide you with legal counsel, and present your case in the courtroom. The lawyer would make sure that your rights and also a fair monetary settlement are provided to the injured party. The personal injury lawyer will start by negotiating a settlement without going into the courtroom. If a settlement cannot be achieved between the injured party and the defendant then the situation will have to be resolved in the courtroom.

Automobile Accident