An injury lawyer is a legal professional who helps individuals injured in an accident to pursue compensation from the parties responsible for their injuries. An injury attorney can guide victims through complicated legal procedures and interpret medical and insurance jargon. He or she may interview witnesses, review photos and videos of the accident scene, hire accident recreation experts and perform a thorough liability analysis.
Whether you have been injured in an auto accident or suffered from the malpractice of a medical provider, the goal is to get full compensation for your losses. This includes any expenses related to the incident as well as your pain and suffering. In order to prove that you have incurred these costs, you need to provide evidence such as medical bills, repair bills for damaged property, lost income and more. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know how to gather and present this evidence in a compelling manner.
When a client suffers from a severe or catastrophic injury, the case may require extensive legal resources to investigate and prosecute. This can include hiring expert witness in a particular specialty, such as accident reconstruction engineers and trucking safety experts, to testify about the facts of the case. For serious injury cases involving permanent impairments, a lawyer must also obtain narrative medical reports from the client’s treating physicians that detail the injuries and their effects on the victim’s life.
In the course of pursuing a claim, an injury attorney will be required to negotiate with the liable party’s insurance company. The insurer may try to deny responsibility for the accident, or may offer a low settlement amount that doesn’t match the victim’s total damages. An experienced injury lawyer can assist in negotiating a fair and adequate settlement or, if necessary, take the case to trial.
Many people have no idea what it takes to be an injury attorney until they need one for themselves or a family member. Choosing the right attorney for your case is critical to ensure that you get maximum compensation for your injuries and losses. When evaluating attorneys, ask about their level of experience handling personal injury claims and how many jury trials they have tried. Also, be sure to understand the fee structure, including how much of the case “expenses” a lawyer charges (such as filing fees, court reporter fees, expert witness fees and the like). You should not pay any attorney fees unless you win your case. Otherwise, you will owe the lawyer nothing for his or her services. This arrangement is called a contingent fee.