This is perhaps one of the most frequently-asked questions when it comes to personal injury law, and there is surely a great deal of misleading information out there about when you should decide to hire a lawyer for your bodily injury claim.
For starters, it’s important for accident victims to understand that it is not a requirement to hire a lawyer in order to pursue a personal injury claim after a car accident or other type of injury that was caused by another person or entity. Most attorneys don’t want you to know that you are perfectly capable of handling your own personal injury case, particularly if your injuries are minor and you will not require long-term care.
It is also important to understand that all personal injury cases are different and unique in some way or another, and the details of your case will determine whether or not hiring a lawyer will benefit you.
So When Does It Make Sense To Hire A Lawyer?
Hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you is typically more beneficial in cases where liability is being disputed, if the insurance company is not cooperating fairly, or when injuries and damages are significant. A qualified and experienced lawyer is more likely to provide a greater deal of service and value to clients in these scenarios because of their expertise and the average person’s general lack of knowledge about the legal process.
In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that accident victims who do hire a lawyer to represent them benefit greatly from that decision. A study conducted by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) found that car accident victims who hire a lawyer to handle their personal injury case typically received compensation that was 3.5 times higher than those involved in similar accidents who decided not to hire a lawyer.
Even after deducting the payment of attorney’s fees from those settlements, the accident victims who decided to hire a lawyer ended up with significantly more money in their pockets than those who chose to handle the claim on their own, without the assistance of an attorney.
The bottom line here is that the decision to hire a personal injury attorney is one that should not be taken lightly. First, the nature of your case has a significant impact on whether you will benefit from hiring a lawyer to represent you. Second, finding the right attorney with experience in handling cases that are similar to yours can make all the difference in the level of compensation that you and your family receive.
