Why Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

Why Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

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People are seriously injured every day in your community and beyond. In some cases, the injuries do not cause long-term problems. For others, however, a serious injury leads to missed time at work, high medical bills and other costs. Personal injury cases are one way to secure compensation to pay for these costs so the expenses don’t come from your pocket. While you can file and pursue a case on your own, working with a personal injury attorney is far more likely to yield more positive results.

Many situations in Louisiana can lead to injury. Injuries can happen due to:

  • Sports
  • Falls
  • Workplace accidents
  • Violence or assault
  • Car accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Medical malpractice
  • Pedestrian accidents

These types of injuries lead to some of the most common personal injury cases. While not every injury leads to a claim, if you have been injured you will want to seriously think about your legal options and whether you should seek representation from an attorney.

The Next Step After Injury

In many cases, if your injuries were caused by someone’s recklessness, wrongful act or negligence, you may be able to launch a personal injury lawsuit. Whether you are covered by insurance or not, a personal injury lawsuit allows you to pursue liable parties or their insurance companies for the injuries their actions caused. You may be able to seek damages for medical bills, lost wages and more.

Since these costs can add up to thousands of dollars or even more than a million if your injuries are permanent, it is important to consider a personal injury claim. If you do not receive a full amount for your damages from a settlement, you may end up having to pay these costs out of pocket.

You could launch the claim yourself by filing the paperwork at court, gathering the evidence and pursuing the case. However, you can also choose to work with a personal injury attorney who focuses on these types of claims. Working with an attorney can yield many advantages, including a better result and a fairer settlement.

Benefits of Having an Attorney

The benefits of working with an attorney are considerable. When you have an attorney, you enjoy:

1) More time.

A legal claim can take months or even years to settle and can require many months of preparation and work. Attorneys are dedicated to working on your case around the clock and often have teams to commit to your case. Trying to get all of the work done yourself can be daunting.

2) Legal knowledge.

Attorneys have trained and worked with the court system for years. They understand how to file claims, how to prepare convincing arguments and how to effectively use the laws that could affect each case. They don’t allow the statute of limitations to run out or deadlines to pass by because they understand exactly how personal injury claims work.

3) A powerful team.

When you work with an attorney, you don’t just work with an attorney. You’re also working with their entire law firm. Most attorneys have access to medical consultants, investigators and professionals who can help you build a strong case. They have paralegals and other professionals to work on your case, and they can help you every step of the way.

4) Regular updates.

Attorneys understand personal injury claims can be very difficult, and they take care to update you about the status of your case. With an attorney, you don’t have to wonder what is going on with your case because your attorney lets you know in plain English how your case is proceeding.

5) Legal advice and support.

Attorneys provide you with advice on making your case stronger as well as advice about pursuing the best case possible. You might not even know about some of these steps without extensive legal research, while with an attorney, you have access to this information quickly.

6) A better settlement.

While there are no guarantees, plaintiffs who work with personal injury attorneys generally receive higher settlements. When attorneys are involved, defendants know they are working with professionals. Attorneys can help you understand how much your claim may be worth and how much your injuries may cost you, ensuring you can evaluate insurance offers. An attorney can also help you evaluate whether you should accept an early settlement or wait for a better offer, letting you potentially secure more money.

7) Stronger negotiating power.

Insurance carriers and their attorneys are skilled negotiators. They can debate cases, make counter-offers and drive home a point. Unless you have years of training, it is very challenging to gain an advantage when arguing for a better settlement. An attorney is a skilled professional with years of experience arguing before a court and before hearings. He or she offers you the strong negotiating power you need in your case.

8) Deferred legal costs.

If you decide to represent yourself in a personal injury claim, you will need to pay for all court costs, process service fees, medical report expenses and all the other costs associated with filing a claim. Before you even get to trial, you may end up spending thousands of dollars.

Personal injury attorneys do take on some clients on a contingency fee basis. This means an attorney pays for the legal costs upfront and then takes their fee from your settlement once it has been paid. If you are filing a personal injury case because of the high costs associated with your injury, not having to pay for court costs can be significant.

9) Free consultations.

Personal injury attorneys offer free consultations so you can talk to an attorney before you make any decision about hiring one. This is a powerful advantage, since it allows you to ask questions about the merits of your case and get your legal advice and answers with no obligation and no cost. You can also use your free consultation to learn more about what an attorney can do for your case specifically.

If you’re wondering “why hire a personal injury attorney?” or are considering representing yourself, consider these benefits to working with an attorney. The professional experience and training of a legal professional can mean a big difference in your case and free your time so you can focus on recovering from your injury.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney?

You may think you do not need a personal injury attorney because you have insurance. After a car accident, for example, you may expect your insurance company to take care of you. Even if you have paid insurance for years or are very confident of your ability to negotiate a fair settlement yourself, however, there are many good reasons you need an attorney:

  • You will be facing defendants and insurance companies who have attorneys themselves, and you need the same representation to compete at the same level
  • Personal injury cases are legal matters and most people, even professionals in other fields, just do not get the legal training they need to tackle these cases on their own
  • An attorney is obligated to act in the best interests of their client and case, so you are absolutely assured of having someone on your side
  • Most people have not gone through multiple personal injury claims, and it can be comforting to have a more experienced person to lean on and learn from

Hiring a personal injury attorney is especially important if you have suffered a serious injury, have lost significant time at work or face high medical bills. When larger expenses and costs are involved, defendants are more likely to aggressively defend the case.

In these situations, the plaintiff is also more likely to need a better settlement to pay for all the medical bills and costs related to their injury. Working with an attorney means working with a professional who has a better chance of securing better compensation for you. You are not obligated to work with an attorney, but in most cases working with an attorney can improve the chance you have of securing a fairer settlement.

Why Choose Irpino, Avin & Hawkins Law Firm?

Irpino, Avin & Hawkins Law Firm is an award-winning and independent law firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. We believe there are several things that make us different. One of the most important things is our independence. Because we don’t have shareholders or investors, we only answer to you, the client. We’re able to dedicate more time to you because we are not meeting with shareholders or others.

Our team works together seamlessly and works hard around the clock on our clients’ cases. We do everything we can to support you when we take on your case, providing you with regular updates and providing you with the best representation we can possibly offer. If you’d like to find out more about Irpino, Avin & Hawkins Law Firm and how we can make a difference to your case, contact us today for a consultation.

4 Comments:

  1. I wouldn’t have really thought to look for a lawyer that specifically keeps me updated on the case. I just figured most lawyers would do that. But, apparently that isn’t the case! I want to make sure I hire someone that keeps me informed so that I am not in the dark.

    1. Great point, Kendall! It’s important to be informed throughout the duration of your case, and to look for a lawyer who can provide you with the updates you need! Thanks for commenting!

  2. I would agree that the time required for big cases is daunting. It’s reassuring to know that a lawyer, as well as a team, is working on a case. My sister would be comforted to know she’ll have a lot of help.

    1. Thanks for the response, Skylar! Absolutely – having a strong team behind your case is a great way to feel confident and assured.

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