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Why should you hire a personal injury attorney when you can do it yourself (pro se)?
Is it true that personal injury attorneys can negotiate for higher compensation than a party representing themselves?
It is true in a large majority of cases that parties that hired a personal injury attorney typically were awarded three times higher damages than parties that represented themselves. Why is that? Here are several reasons why this happens:
1. Insurance companies may take advantage of a layperson. Insurance representatives’ jobs are the protect their company’s money. They may act like they are on your side, but they are not. They deal with injured parties on a daily basis and know exactly what to say to delay or minimize settlements.
Additionally, if a party does want to fight their insurance agency. Say, the insurance obviously low-balled a settlement. The insurance companies have teams of highly skilled attorneys ready and willing to fight any party that wants to take them to court.
Experienced personal injury attorneys know how to deal with insurance companies. They know when to take them to court and when to settle. They can often get their client’s a much higher settlement than if their client tried their hand at working with the insurance representative themselves.
2. The average person does not understand the court system. They may have an extremely strong case against another party or the insurance company, but if they submit improper paperwork to the court system, their case may get thrown out. Simply knowing how to navigate the legal system can give a party a much better chance at succeeding. Consulting with a personal injury attorney is often free, and at a minimum, can help guide you on the right track with how to approach a personal injury case.
It can also be intimidating and stressful to have to fight against another party’s legal team. A party would be handicapping themselves by doing it on their own.
3. Finding a good personal injury attorney can make the case much simpler, more efficient, and less stressful. Good personal injury attorneys are likable and can get along with any other person. This is important because being able to work with the other party’s counsel is critical to successful negotiations and quick settlements. If an individuals attorney is aggressive, other attorneys may not want to work with them to settle the case. A good attorney will also be honest with their clients. They will tell their clients what the true chances of success their case has, what the challenges are, and if their client is a witness, how they think their client should act to be more successful.
4. Experienced attorneys know that an important part of success is intricate knowledge of their field. A party who is injured in a medical malpractice lawsuit may find more success with their case if they take it to a medical malpractice lawyer rather than represent themselves. This is because this attorney likely has years of knowledge in that particular healthcare field and the relevant laws that will help them win their case. Specialized knowledge is essential in personal injury law.
5. The attorney only gets money if their client gets money. The majority of personal injury attorneys work on contingency, meaning they must win their client money in order for them to get paid. If they lost their case, their client would not owe them any fees. Therefore, why not use a personal injury attorney?
For more information about personal injury attorney benefits, send us a message.
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