Are you considering hiring a personal injury lawyer?
If you’ve been in an accident, you might have heard people throw this term around. You may have even had people suggest you should hire one to help you gain compensation for an injury you suffered.
But what exactly does a personal injury attorney do?
Before hiring a lawyer, you should know the answer to this question so you’re able to get the correct form of representation. Below, we’ve compiled a guide on the job description of a personal injury lawyer.
Keep reading to learn more about this profession!
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
Personal injury lawyers specialize in standing by people who have experienced an injury at the hands of someone else. They’re hired by people who believe they have been injured due to the negligence of another person.
These cases are known as personal injury cases.
It’s important to note that personal injury cases fall under the civil lawsuit category of American law. This means they aren’t criminal cases. As a result, a personal injury case won’t focus on convicting someone of a crime related to their client’s injury. Rather, they’ll collect evidence in an attempt to prove the other party had a responsibility to keep someone safe and failed to do so.
In personal injury law, responsibility can refer to a wide variety of situations. For instance, an employer has a responsibility to keep their employees safe and must perform regular safety checks to make sure everything is in working order. Likewise, drivers have a responsibility to pay attention to the road and obey the laws, which keeps other people safe.
During the Case
Once a client comes to a personal injury lawyer to talk about a case, the lawyer decides whether or not to take it. If they decide to take the person on as a client, they’ll collect information on their injuries and the nature of the accident. Then, they’ll make a demand of the other party’s insurance company.
If this results in a settlement offer, the attorney will review it with the client and give them a recommendation on how to respond. The process could end here, but if a settlement can’t be reached, they’ll move on to the litigation phase.
Litigation
If you go to litigation, your lawyer file a complaint. A complaint is a list of legal accusations against the party or parties you believe responsible for the injury.
Once the other party learns of the lawsuit, they’ll file a response, known as the answer.
Then, both sides will start collecting more evidence. This is known as the “discovery” phase of a case, and the parties will disclose pieces of evidence to each other so each side has a fair chance in the upcoming hearing. The discovery phase can take months to complete and often involves acquiring documents and questioning key people.
Next, a date will be set for a trial, and you and your lawyer will go to court.
Most personal injury cases settle, though, and never go to trial.
Want to hire a personal injury lawyer? Find a local option at this link.
Want More Legal Advice?
So, now that you know what a personal injury lawyer does, you’re ready to move forward with your case.
Personal injury attorneys serve as great assets to people who have been injured in accidents that resulted because of the negligence of someone else. They advocate for their clients in front of insurance companies, collect evidence, and sometimes even go to court for their clients. This helps people ensure they’ll get paid for the damages they’ve incurred.
If you want more legal advice, check out the rest of our articles today!