subject: Personal Injury Lawyers: Overview [print this page] Personal injury lawsuits, which involve reckless individuals whose action injured another person, are the most commonly handled cases by majority of US federal courts.
Cost of Legal Service
One of the most common concerns of people who want to file a lawsuit is that they do not have enough money to pay the attorneys fee. However, this problem has several easy solutions.
First, a person can shop for a lawyer who demands the lowest service fee. In doing this, he should tell the legal representative beforehand about his financial limit.
The second possible way for clients to reduce their legal costs is to help their lawyers such as making telephone calls and obtaining documents to speed up the litigation. However, clients should first ask their attorneys if doing these will not interfere their work.
And lastly, people can ask their lawyers if contingency fee is possible in their case. This kind of arrangement, which only applies to civil cases such as personal injury lawsuits, requires clients to pay their lawyers only after winning their case of receiving settlement from the defendants.
However, contingency fee, which is also called as No Win, No Pay arrangement, does not apply to criminal cases, divorce, and other family matters (where there is no way a person can receive settlement).
The amount of contingency fee will depend on the agreement between a client and his attorney. But usually, this is 25 percent if the case is settled out of court, or 30 percent if the case proceeds to litigation.
Characters to Look for in a Lawyer
Consulting with personal injury lawyers will be easier if clients are comfortable with them. In this sense, people should look for a legal representative whom they can be completely honest with.
And with a sense of trust, it would be easier for individuals to divulge everything to their lawyers, even those which may be embarrassing for most people. Remember, every information or detail should be shared with lawyers so they can know what legal actions are the most appropriate.
When looking for lawyers, another important consideration is their legal expertise. There are 18 states that have specialization programs that give lawyers a certification to prove they are specialists in a certain legal proceeding such as personal injury.
These states are Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Indiana, Minnesota, Georgia, Louisiana, California, Alabama, Florida, Connecticut, Arizona, New Mexico, Maine, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Where to Find a Personal Injury Lawyer
One of the best ways to find a reliable and competent lawyer is through recommendations from a trusted friend, business associate, or relative. However, a person should remember that a lawyer who is right for someone else may not be suitable for him.
Meanwhile, people can also look for advertisements to find the right lawyer. However, always be careful when choosing a legal representative through ads and make sure to hire the one who specializes in personal injury law.
