Personal injury lawyers sometimes get a bad rap in the news and from politicians. This is because they are often on the side of weaker parties, workers, disabled people, minorities, the poor, and other victims who otherwise likely would not have anyone to stand up for them. Personal injury lawyers fight against businesses like product manufacturers, property owners, and large insurance companies. Insurers and businesses do not like to be responsible for injuries they cause and pay money to accident victims. As a result of this, they do not like personal injury lawyers. Here are more facts to know about personal injury lawyers.
Help Accident Victims
The main job of personal injury lawyers is using the legal system to help victims recover money for injuries and accidents caused by others. A company’s dangerous product, a restaurant’s contaminated food, a building’s defective staircase or a company’s overworked driver can cause serious injuries. Often businesses do not want to be responsible and pay for the damage they caused. The personal injury lawyer is there to represent you, and help you recover all you are entitled to receive for your injuries and losses.
Contingent Fee
Usually the personal injury lawyer is willing to help you on a contingent fee basis. This is one of the best payment arrangements ever devised for accident victims. It means a lawyer who is willing to help you really believes in your claim, because the lawyer does not get paid unless you receive money for your injuries. Then, the lawyer receives only an agreed percentage of the amount. The contingent fee system has let millions of people receive money for serious injuries but if they had to pay large hourly fees, they could not have afforded a lawyer and would have received nothing.
Free Consultation
Accident victims can usually get a free, no obligation consultation with a personal injury lawyer to find out various things about their accident, including the strength of their case and the amount of damages they may receive. This free consultation is a great benefit for accident victims. Without it, many accident victims would be hesitant to seek a lawyer’s assistance, and as a result would lose out on obtaining compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages they are legally entitled to receive.
Despite the criticism often levied by big businesses and insurance companies, personal injury lawyers are professionals, like other lawyers, and are governed by the same rules of law, ethics and court procedures that apply to all lawyers.
Personal injury lawyers must litigate against strong, highly paid lawyers hired by big businesses, product manufacturers and large insurance companies. Personal injury trials are decided by juries that hear both sides of the case. Big businesses and insurance companies that complain about large court awards ignore that the trial was fair and that an impartial jury decided the company should pay for its wrongdoing.
Another important fact about personal injury lawyers is that while they are here to help you, they cannot do their job alone. They need your help to get you the best possible result. You can help by providing all the facts and other evidence about your case, by being available when called to answer additional questions, and to attend settlement meetings and trial if necessary. You should also feel welcome to ask your lawyer about the status of your case, and any other questions. Because the most important thing about a personal injury lawyer is that he or she is truly on your side and is there to help you.
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