If you’re on the fence about what the best personal injury lawyer can do for you, well the answer is – A lot. When most people are injured resulting from an accident, the thought of hiring an injury lawyer never crosses their mind.
Those that do think of them have the misguided notion that hiring one is expensive. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. As a result, many individuals attempt to handle these claims themselves.
They fail to realize that top attorneys base their legal fees on a contingent structure. This means that they get a percentage of the settlement amount when they win the case. This not only makes it affordable for the average American during the litigation process, but it also incentivizes them to get you the best possible results in your case.
Handling a claim yourself means that the settlement you’ll eventually receive from your insurance provider will be the minimal amount. Here’s a list of the top things the best personal injury lawyers in California can do for you.
1. Determine the Available Insurance
At the risk of stating the obvious, before filing a claim against the adverse party, it’s important to first ascertain what the value of their insurance coverage is. The worst-case scenario is you end up incurring thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills only to later discover the amount of insurance available on the liable party’s coverage is insufficient to cover the costs.
Without a competent Los Angeles injury attorney to help, you have no way of getting to know what the full value of their cover is. Furthermore, is virtually impossible for the average person with no legal background in personal injury law to know all the different types of insurance coverage they are entitled to.
Some of these include health insurance, liability coverage, medical payments coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, etc. The best California personal injury attorneys are well-versed in these types of cases.
They know how to exploit the gaps in the system and get information about the available policy limits. That way, you can be certain that you’ll receive the best possible settlement amount than you otherwise would have, had you pursued the matter yourself.
2. Determine the Compensation You Are Entitled To
Without an experienced attorney on your side, it is often quite difficult to determine the different types of compensation that you are entitled to. What’s more, depending on the type of injuries you sustained in the accident, the nature of the compensation you deserve to receive may change with time in the course of undergoing medical treatment.
Wage loss is one such example of compensation you can go after. Proving this is an entirely different affair altogether. Say, for instance, you were involved in a car accident. Proving loss of wages as a result generally involves documentary evidence of what your total earnings were before the accident, and how they changed after.
It may involve compiling all your pay stubs and subpoenaing your employer’s payroll records. Your employer might even need to write a letter detailing what your job was, the roles you used to perform, and how that has changed since the accident.
Doctor’s notes for every hospital visit during official working hours will also be required to build a strong case against the adverse party. That way, you’ll be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you have suffered a substantial loss of wages and to justify the amount you’re claiming. Only the best California car accident lawyer can do this for you.
3. Insurance Law Knowledge
There’s a reason why the best personal injury lawyers spend so many years in school perfecting their craft. All those sleepless nights spent mastering insurance law to pass the bar exam gives them a much better handle on these types of claims than a layperson with no legal background.
This makes it quite difficult for the average person to understand and interpret the various provisions of an insurance policy document. This is quite important in knowing what coverage limitations and exclusions apply, and the circumstances in which they come into force.
If you are not familiar with this language, it becomes hard to know which underlying California insurance laws apply to your case and which ones don’t. That’s partly the reason why accident victims need to involve the best Los Angeles personal injury lawyer right from the start.
4. Negotiation Skills
The secret weapon a San Francisco personal injury lawyer carries is that they can file a suit that will trigger the insurance companies to invest time and resources defending it. They know what’s at stake if they were to lose the suit.
This makes them more likely to sit up, pay attention and put a respectable settlement offer on the table to avoid lengthy court battles. If you were to attempt to go head-to-head with the big bad insurance attorneys, they’ll likely stomp on you to get you to accept the measly settlement amount they offer you.
This is usually nowhere near what you would get if you had an experienced personal injury lawyer San Diego CA mounting pressure on them. The reality is, you don’t wield nearly as much negotiating power to get a fair settlement from an insurer.
Insurance companies do not want personal injury cases to go to trial, that is where legal advice from specialized lawyers will help you in this negotiation.
5. Court Representation
Litigation is overwhelming, to say the least. Unrepresented injury victims who go to court to represent themselves often struggle with the court rules and procedures they are expected to conform to.
It’s not uncommon for cases to be dismissed for failure to comply with these rules. Why risk losing out on a legitimate personal injury claim when you could simply hire a competent attorney who knows the ins and outs of the justice system to represent you? If your motivation is to save money by representing yourself, you’ll end up losing a lot more than you bargained for.
Prioritize Your Interests Above Anything Else
The bottom line is, anyone who has suffered injuries resulting from the negligent actions of another party needs the help of the best California personal injury attorney. It’s the only way to get a fair settlement.
Remember, an insurance company only looks out for its interests above your own. Get someone who cares for yours just as much.
If you have more legal questions, you can also chat online with a Laws101.com attorney where you’ll be instantly connected to a lawyer who can give you legal guidance on your specific case or question.