How Do Personal Injury Lawyers Work / What Do They Do?

Personal injuries can result in significant medical bills, income loss, and both physical and emotional trauma that cannot easily be valued. You do not have to go through your personal injury and the subsequent struggles alone. Personal injury attorneys are here to help you after an unfortunate incident.

When addressing legal matters, it is important to have a professional legal expert to ensure your best interests are served. They can act as your representative. While the process can be confusing, we’ve gathered some information to help you proceed with legal action in the case of a personal injury and to understand what a personal injury lawyer can do for you.

What May Be Recovered in a Personal Injury Suit?

Personal injuries have a toll far beyond monetary fees. Emotional, physical, and lifestyle factors are recognized in personal injury cases. Your personal injury lawyer can assist you with receiving compensation for any of the following reasons:

  • Past and future medical bills
  • Lost income and loss of future earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering due to the incident

Because a personal injury case can be complicated, there are a number of reasons why people turn to a personal injury lawyer.

Why Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?

There are several key benefits to working with a personal injury lawyer. These include:

Collecting Accurate Compensation

If legal counsel is not consulted, you may not receive your due compensation. Without a knowledgeable legal expert that specializes in personal injury cases, you may receive much less compensation than you deserve. The attorneys also work to ensure the compensation that you are granted is legally and fully paid.

Understanding the Process

Legal dealings are difficult to understand for the average American. Hiring a personal injury lawyer can ensure you have an ally that can translate the complicated legal language into terms that you can understand. This allows you to stay updated and informed regarding your case without needing to decipher tricky legalese.

Knowledgeable Communication with Law Enforcement

In personal injury cases, there may be witnesses who saw what happened. Hiring a personal injury lawyer allows you to focus on recovery and feel at ease knowing that a professional is procuring police reports and gaining access to any witness statements and surveillance footage on your behalf.

Knowledgeable Communication with Insurance Companies

Insurance policies and procedures can be frustrating to navigate. Your personal injury lawyer will have the expertise to ensure that you remain in good standing with your insurance company while filing claims. They can also pursue communication with the opposing party’s insurance company, if applicable.

What Can I Expect from a Personal Injury Lawyer?

How do personal injury lawyers work? Take a look to find out.

Initial Meeting and Report

Many personal injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation. In this type of meeting, you will sit down with the personal injury lawyer to discuss your complaint and identify the intended recipient of your suit. 

Should the lawyer find your case to be viable, a personal injury lawsuit can be filed. The respondent will receive the complaint and decide on a response. This can include defending themselves in court, counter-suing, or offering an out-of-court settlement.

Recipient Answers and Discovery Initiates

Next, the recipient will answer to the claim and both parties will be offered the opportunity to investigate the incident and present a case. This investigation will focus on documentation regarding the extent of your injuries and a determination of the party that was at fault for the incident. 

Do not be surprised if this is a long and tedious process. Requests for documents and questioning witnesses or experts can easily draw out for months, if not years.

Trial

Most personal injury cases do not reach the trial phase; instead, they are settled out of court. A settlement means that you agree to receive a payment from the person you are filing a claim against in exchange for discontinuing further legal action by either party. However, if your case does need to proceed to trial because a settlement cannot be reached, a personal injury lawyer is essential to ensuring that your best interests are protected.

Receiving Compensation

Your personal injury lawyer’s work does not end after a judgement or settlement is done. It is their responsibility to ensure that you are paid the compensation due to you.

How Do I Afford a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Every personal injury firm has different policies and you should select a firm that offers the options that work best for you. Listed below are some of the common practices for paying for a personal injury lawyer.

Free Initial Meetings

Most personal injury firms offer a free initial meeting for the client. This allows the attorney to get foundational information for the case and to advise the client on their options for filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Contingency Contract

It is a common practice for personal injury attorneys to work on contingency contracts. In the event that the court does not rule in your favor and no settlement is received, the lawyer’s services are void. Basically, if they don’t win your case, they don’t get paid. This type of arrangement requires a contract, so be sure to look over documents thoroughly.

Deductions From Settlement

As is agreed upon in the contingency contract, personal injury lawyers will deduct the costs for their labor from your awarded compensation. This is why it is very important to carefully read the contingency contract to ensure that your lawyer is doing all they can for you and that the deductions from your compensation are fair. 

Since 1992, our personal injury attorneys at the Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. have been fighting for the people. Now, when those injured in automobile accidents need financial help, or for the families that need to know that the loss of a loved one could have been prevented, there is a personal injury law firm in San Diego that is on their side.

If you or a family member has been injured, call the lawyers at Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. There’s never been a better time than right now to speak to a personal injury attorney—FREE of charge. Call us at 858-551-2090 or request a free consultation online today!