A Great Personal Injury Lawyer Will Stand Up to Corporate Law Teams

After a personal injury incident, you must fulfill several obligations such as file an insurance claim and if appropriate, build a persuasive case before filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Hiring a personal injury lawyer helps you receive the legal support required to move through the insurance claim and civil lawsuit processes. In addition, a great personal injury lawyer will stand up to corporate law teams.

Facing a corporate law team presents different types of obstacles to hurdle than the obstacles presented by small law firms and individual attorneys. First, corporate law teams possess many more legal resources to pull from when the time comes to litigate your case. Second, corporate law firms assign attorneys to cases that match their legal specialization. You can count on facing an experienced team of litigators that specialize in litigating personal injury cases, Third, corporate law teams consist of experienced attorneys who have established professional relationships with the participants in a case such as the judge.

Let’s see how a personal injury attorney stands up to corporate law teams.

Interacts with the Insurance Company

Insurance companies often take advantage of policyholders who file claims without the legal support provided by a personal injury attorney. Following the advice of the corporate law team, an insurance company might delay processing your claim and/or undervalue the amount of compensation. Your personal injury lawyer interacts with every employee representing the insurance company who is involved with your claim, which includes the lawyers who are part of the corporate law team.

Meet Deadlines

A corporate law team advises its clients not to make you aware of filing deadlines. Although you do not have to meet a deadline to file an auto insurance claim, you should act with a sense of urgency to receive compensation in a timely manner. However, you do have to meet a deadline if you file an appeal on a denied insurance claim or for an insurance claim that is undervalued. For a civil lawsuit, you must file the proper documents before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Each state has established a deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Negotiate a Settlement

Most civil lawsuits that concern personal injury law never reach the trial phase of the litigation process. Instead, both parties try to negotiate a settlement to avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial. Corporate law teams assign the most skilled negotiators to go back and forth with personal injury attorneys. This means you should counter that expertise by hiring a personal injury lawyer who has a proven record of success negotiating settlements for personal injury cases. Your personal injury lawyer submits an offer, which the other party accepts or rejects. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both parties reach a settlement.

Hire the Most Skilled Personal Injury Lawyer

What defines a skilled personal injury attorney? It starts with years of experience. You want to work with an accomplished litigator who has compiled many years of experience getting the clients the compensation that they deserve. Your personal injury lawyer should understand complex medical terms to help you receive just compensation for medical expenses. As previously mentioned, your personal injury attorney should possess effective negotiating skills to counter the skill level of a corporate team of litigators. Finally, a personal injury lawyer should be a responsive communicator to help you navigate the many obstacles that can block the progress of your case.

To confirm the skill level of every personal injury attorney on your shortlist of candidates, read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google. You also should access every attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.

Is It True That I Should Contact a Car Accident Attorney From the Accident Scene?

Getting involved in a car accident unleashes a flurry of thoughts that can lead to the making of one or more poor decisions. The key after a car accident is to take a couple of deep breaths, and then calmly secure the accident scene by moving your vehicle to a safe place to avoid additional damage. You want to make sure you and the passengers of your vehicle have not sustained any serious injuries, as well as check on the drivers and passengers of the other motor vehicles involved in the collision. One question might pop into your mind that requires a quick, accurate answer.

Is it true that I should contact a car accident attorney from the accident scene?

The short answer is contacting a car accident lawyer from the accident scene is a good idea, but it is not a requirement to help you build a persuasive insurance claim and civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. A car accident attorney is going to need certain information to handle your case, such as a copy of the police report and all of your auto insurance information. You hand over this type of confirmation to a car accident lawyer during a free case evaluation, which means you can wait until you get home after an auto crash to contact a car accident attorney.

However, if you have a car accident lawyer on retainer, then contacting the attorney is a good idea from the accident scene just to let the lawyer know that you plan to file an insurance claim and that you might have gathered enough physical evidence to file a successful civil lawsuit. You also can contact a car accident lawyer from the accident scene if you have one listed on your phone’s contact list.

Let’s quickly review what you should do after a motor vehicle crash.

Call 911

Even if you sustained minor injuries and your car appears to be in good shape, calling 911 is important in two ways. First, a law enforcement agency responds to the 911 call to take control of the accident scene by ensuring the safety of everyone and organizing the flow of traffic. Second, the responding law enforcement personnel conduct a detailed investigation that leads to the submission of a report that your car accident attorney refers to while working on your case.

Receive Medical Care

When you receive medical care depends on the severity of your injuries. If you sustained one or more serious injuries like a bone fracture, you should go immediately to the nearest emergency room for medical care. On the other hand, less serious injuries such as minor bleeding can be treated at the scene of the vehicle collision. The importance of seeking medical care cannot be overstated. It is the key for you to get an insurance claim improved and you must justify any compensation awarded during a civil trial.

Collect Physical Evidence

Although the official police report contains referrals to physical evidence such as traffic camera footage, you give your car accident lawyer a head start by collecting and submitting physical evidence. Using your phone, take photographs of the accident scene that includes tire marks and road conditions. You also should shoot photos of your vehicle to help your car accident attorney assess the extent of any damage.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney

Once again, you can complete this step at the accident scene or wait until you get home. Before you meet with a car accident lawyer, organize the appropriate paperwork into smaller files to help your attorney manage the case. You can contact your insurance company before or after speaking with a car accident lawyer. However, do not file an auto insurance claim until after you receive legal support from an experienced car accident attorney.

6 Things to Look for in a Personal Injury Lawyer

A personal injury lawyer who specializes in car accident cases provides several types of legal support. First, an attorney helps you file an insurance claim by interacting with the adjuster processing your case. Second, your personal injury lawyer conducts an extensive investigation that involves collecting physical evidence and interviewing witnesses. Personal injury lawyers also negotiate settlements and calculate fair values for compensation. Finally, if your car accident attorney can prove another party committed one or more acts of negligence, you receive legal support during the entire litigation process.

The question is not whether you should hire a personal injury lawyer. Instead, the question is what criteria should you look for when hiring a car accident attorney?

Let’s review the six things to look for in a personal injury lawyer.

Experience

Experience is much more than accumulating years of service as a personal injury lawyer. Although years of service give you an idea about an attorney’s skill level, you should be more focused on the results a lawyer got during the years of service. What percentage of cases has a personal injury lawyer helped a client receive just compensation, whether it was in the form of an approved insurance claim or a favorable decision issued during a civil trial?

Handles Your Case From Start to Finish

Do not take for granted that the personal injury lawyer who meets with you during a free consultation will provide legal support throughout the entire litigation and insurance claim process. Some attorneys meet with clients for a free consultation, only to delegate the responsibilities for the remainder of a case to paralegals and less experienced personal injury lawyers. Make sure the attorney that you hire provides support during every phase of the legal process.

Works on a Contingency Fee Basis

A contingency fee payment is a type of compensation in which an attorney receives a percentage of the money approved for an insurance claim, as well as a percentage of the money awarded during a civil trial. Personal injury lawyers who operate on a contingency fee basis as opposed to receiving an hourly fee are much more motivated to get their clients just compensation. Contingency fees for personal injury cases range from 25 percent up to 40 percent.

Open to Negotiations

Negotiating a settlement during a civil trial saves you both time and money. Your personal injury lawyer submits an initial offer that the other party accepts or rejects. If the other party rejects the initial offer, several rounds of counter offers can follow until both sides agree to a settlement or decide to move to the next step of the litigation process. Unfortunately, some attorneys refuse to negotiate settlements. You want your personal injury lawyer to be open to negotiations.

Responsive Communicator

You already have enough stress in your life to deal with an attorney who is a poor communicator. A responsive personal injury lawyer promptly returns text, phone, and email messages. You should be able to determine the responsiveness of an attorney before you decide to hire one. Your personal injury lawyer also should be effective at explaining complex legal topics, as well as spot on when it comes to notifying you about important upcoming events.

Online Reviews

Attorneys typically post client testimonials on their websites. Although client testimonials give you insight into a lawyer’s reputation, you also should read the reviews left by clients on sites such as Yelp and Google to determine the skill level of every personal injury lawyer on your shortlist. Look for common positive attributes mentioned by numerous clients. We also recommend that you check out every attorney’s Better Business Bureau (BBB) page.

How to Expedite Claims With a Car Accident Attorney

The moment of truth has arrived.

You have just gotten involved in a car accident, and how you react determines whether you receive compensation for the medical bills and property damage associated with your case. Calling 911, obtaining witness contact information, and taking photos of the accident scene are a few of the important steps to take after a motor vehicle collision. The most important step is the step that sets the wheels in motion for you to receive just compensation.

The step involves contacting a state-licensed car accident attorney.

A car accident attorney provides you with several types of legal support, from interviewing witnesses to reviewing a copy of the official police report. One of the most important types of legal support is to help you file an insurance claim that gets you compensated for financial losses.

Let’s see how an experienced car accident lawyer can help you expedite a car insurance claim.

Interacts with the Insurance Adjuster

Auto insurance companies prefer to deal with policyholders who file claims without the legal support of a car accident attorney. Without the legal support of an experienced vehicle collision lawyer, your insurance company might try to take advantage of you by proposing a lowball claim offer. Another tactic used by car insurance companies is for adjusters to delay processing claims. By interacting with the insurance adjuster processing your claim, the car accident attorney working your case applies the right amount of pressure to ensure your claim moves through the processing system in a timely manner.

Submits Persuasive Evidence

The most common reason why insurance adjusters deny claims concerns the submission of underwhelming physical evidence. By hiring an accomplished lawyer, you submit the types of persuasive physical evidence that get your claim approved without you having to wait months to receive compensation. Your car accident lawyer refers to the official police report to acquire physical evidence, as well as the photos that you took at the scene of the accident such as photos of tire marks and the damage done to your motor vehicle. One of the most convincing pieces of physical evidence is the footage captured by a traffic and/or security camera.

Submitting convincing physical evidence should expedite your car insurance claim.

Assists With Completing the Claim Form

Did you know that just one mistake found on a car insurance claim form can send your claim to the end of the line for review? Even if you fail to include your middle initial in the right space, the insurance adjuster processing your claim can send it back denied. Enlisting the help of a car accident attorney to file your claim ensures that you do not make any mistakes, as well as leaving any of the mandatory spaces blank. Your lawyer also explains what each section means to help you gain a much better understanding of what your insurance company expects from a valid claim.

Calculates a Reasonable Value for Compensation

Another frequent reason why insurance adjusters deny claims concerns the filing of an unreasonable value for compensation. A car accident lawyer calculates a fair value for compensation by first adding up all the tangible costs, such as the cost of medical care and the value of repairing property damage. You have the right to receive compensation for the costs associated with diagnostic tests, treatment programs, and physical therapy sessions. Your car accident attorney also calculates a value for noneconomic damages, like the symptoms that develop because of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD).

Negotiate a Settlement

If your insurance company denies a claim, you have the right to file an appeal. However, filing an appeal prolongs the claim review process. Your car accident attorney can propose at any time that both parties meet to negotiate a settlement. Negotiations start when your lawyer presents an initial offer that includes a reasonable value for compensation. The insurance adjuster processing your claim can either accept or deny the initial offer. Several rounds of counter offers can follow until both parties reach a settlement or decide to move on to the appeals process.

Who Is Liable If I Was Injured At A Neighbor's House?

You sustained one or more injuries at a neighbor’s house. Whether you slipped and fell or tumbled down a few stairs, the injuries that you sustained have caused you to rack up a substantial medical bill. In addition, you expect to pay for future medical services such as the use of an assistive device and/or undergoing comprehensive physical therapy sessions. Even if you do not incur additional medical costs, you are still on the financial hook. This prompts one important question: Who is liable if you were injured at a neighbor’s house?

The short answer is your neighbor is the most likely party held responsible for you sustaining one or more injuries. Your case probably falls under a type of law practice called premises liability. However, other circumstances can place a legal burden on another party. To determine the answer to the question, “Who is liable if I was injured at a neighbor’s house,” you should contact an experienced and state-licensed personal injury lawyer.

What is Premises Liability?

Premises liability represents a type of personal injury law that follows many of the same principles followed for other personal injury cases such as car accidents and medical malpractice. This type of personal injury law involved demonstrating that a property owner failed to prevent an accident that caused a visitor to sustain one or more injuries. To win a premises liability lawsuit, your personal injury lawyer must prove the existence of four legal elements.

First, your personal injury lawyer must show the plaintiff had a duty of care to protect you against harm. Second, you must prove your neighbor violated the duty of care doctrine by committing one or more acts of negligence. Third, the incident must have directly caused you to sustain one or more injuries. Finally, your injuries must have generated financial losses in the form of medical bills.

How Does My Personal Injury Lawyer Build a Persuasive Case?

Several factors play a role in helping your personal injury lawyer build a strong premises liability case. Physical evidence is the heart of a strong premises liability case. Your attorney submits photographs of the accident scene, which can be taken by you, as well as any witnesses who saw the accident. If your neighbor installed a security camera system, you might be able to extract video sequences that prove your neighbor committed one or more acts of negligence. Witness accounts of the accident bolster the strength of the physical evidence gathered by your personal injury lawyer.

To receive just compensation for your injuries, you must submit copies of all medical bills. This includes the results of diagnostic tests, as well as copies of treatment and rehabilitation bills. Copies of your financial records verify the amount of money you have paid to different healthcare facilities. Notarized statements by doctors and surgeons demonstrate what you can expect to spend for future medical care. Your employer also can help by showing that you lost wages due to the seriousness of your injuries.

Take Action Today

Hiring a personal injury lawyer who specializes in handling premises liability cases is crucial if you expect to receive just compensation for your injuries. Your attorney conducts a detailed investigation and then calculates a reasonable value for compensation that you use when filing an insurance claim and a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Instead of dealing with an insurance adjuster, your personal injury lawyer handles the claim during every step of the review process. Your attorney can negotiate a settlement with the insurance adjuster, as well as the attorney representing the other party. One of the most important responsibilities of your personal injury lawyer is to file a civil lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations.

6 Steps You Should Take Immediately After an Accident

Accidents happen.

The average American driver can expect to get involved in some form of car accident one time every six years. Although many car accidents turn out to be minor fender benders, some vehicle collisions result in substantial property damage and significant injuries to one or more drivers and passengers. The best mindset for how to react after a car accident is to already know what to do. For a serious auto crash, leaning on the legal expertise of a car accident attorney makes the difference between receiving just compensation and walking away empty-handed.

Here are the six steps you should take immediately after a car accident.

Think Safety

You can expect a flurry of thoughts to rush through your brain right after a motor vehicle collision. Slow the thoughts down by thinking about safety first. You should find a safe place to move your car if it is capable of moving to another location nearby. Pulling over on a shoulder is a good choice, but if you can find a parking spot on a lot nearby, you enhance your safety by staying away from traffic. Once you get to a safe place, check on all the other drivers and passengers.

Call 911

Calling 911 immediately after a vehicle collision accomplishes two important things. First, a 911 call activates the emergency response system, which includes medical personnel that can treat victims who sustained serious injuries such as fractures and lacerations. Second, the responding law enforcement agency clears the scene of vehicles to prevent another accident from occurring. Law enforcement personnel also conduct a thorough investigation of the accident scene.

Receive Medical Care

Receiving a diagnosis and getting treated for any injuries is critical for you to file a successful insurance claim, as well as a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages if you have a strong enough case. If you wait too long to receive medical care, the insurance adjuster reviewing your claim might deny it on the grounds that you did not sustain serious enough injuries to warrant receiving compensation. You might be able to receive initial treatment at the scene of the car accident.

Gather Evidence

Although the law enforcement agency responding to the vehicle collision collects evidence, you also should collect evidence to give your car accident attorney a head start on conducting a separate investigation. Simply taking photographs of the accident scene by using a Smartphone can help your car accident attorney put the pieces of the investigative puzzle together. Obtain the names and contact information of every witness for your car accident attorney to interview as soon as possible.

Contact a Car Accident Attorney

If you have a car accident attorney on retainer or know of a lawyer who specializes in handling personal injury cases, the first call you make should be to your legal counsel. Schedule a free case evaluation to determine the best course of action. Your car accident attorney reviews the official police report and all the physical evidence, as well as interviews witnesses. If you do not have access to a car accident attorney, conduct a little online research to find one practicing in your area and then schedule a free case evaluation.

Work on Receiving Just Compensation

Meeting with a lawyer is the key to starting the process of receiving just compensation for your financial losses. Do not contact your insurance company until after you meet with a car accident attorney. Your lawyer helps you submit the proper documents, as well as helps you develop a persuasive claim. If the other party committed one or more acts of negligence that caused the auto crash, you might have a strong enough case to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.

What Information Do I Need to Give My Personal Injury Lawyer?

After getting involved in a motor vehicle collision, you should take several steps to help build a case to receive compensation. First, you call 911 to alert the appropriate law enforcement agency about the crash. Second, you should seek medical care to diagnose and treat every injury that results from the accident. Then, obtain the contact information from witnesses and take photographs of the accident scene by using your cell phone. The most important step involves contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer to schedule a free consultation.

Personal injury cases extend well beyond motor vehicle collisions. If you are a victim of a slip and fall, medical negligence, or a defective product, a personal injury attorney can help you recover your financial losses. The key is to come prepared for the free consultation by knowing what information to give to your personal injury lawyer.

Accident Report

An accident report is a crucial document that provides your attorney with information such as the date and time of the personal injury incident, as well as where the incident took place. If you cannot obtain a copy of the accident report, your personal injury lawyer contacts the appropriate source to obtain it. An accident report should help your personal injury lawyer determine the cause of the incident and whether another party committed one or more acts of negligence.

Photographs of the Incident Scene

Photographs can reveal plenty of useful information, such as where a personal injury incident took place. For car accident cases, law enforcement officials typically include photographic evidence in the official police report. For other types of personal injury cases, you should be proactive and take photos of the incident scene. You also should request video camera tape that might help your attorney determine the cause.

Witness Contact Information

Witness statements provide support for the physical evidence collected at the scene of the personal injury incident. You do not have to interview witnesses after a personal injury incident. Just write down the names and contact information for your attorney to reference. Your personal injury lawyer should interview witnesses as close to the date of the incident as possible to receive the most accurate accounts of what transpired before, during, and after the personal injury incident.

Medical Records

Medical bills by far represent the costliest expense associated with a personal injury incident. The costs associated with diagnostic tests, treatment programs, and physical therapy sessions can soar into the tens of thousands of dollars. Your personal injury lawyer needs copies of medical records to convince an insurance adjuster to approve a compensation claim. Copies of medical records also play a role in a judge determining the value of the compensation awarded during a civil trial.

Insurance Information

When you meet with a personal injury lawyer for a free consultation, the lawyer needs to review your insurance information to determine the extent of your coverage. You also should provide a personal injury lawyer with the insurance information of the other party or parties. Although you should not contact your insurance company until you speak with an attorney, make sure to tell your lawyer if you did reach out to your insurance company.

Before you meet for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer, ask the attorney what information you need to bring to the first meeting.