Handing Over The Burden: Understanding The Role Of Your Personal Injury Attorney

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When dealing with the effects of a car wreck where you were injured at the hands of another driver, you are just naturally worried about getting your life back to normal. While you are longing for your injuries to get better so that you can get back to living and working, you are also likely stressing out about your financial situation. These burdens can seem enormous, but you need to focus on healing from your injuries. Read on to learn more about the ways that having a personal injury attorney can relieve you of a great deal of your burden and allow you to get your life back.

Your first meeting and knowing the value of your claim

You will not only feel a burden lifted from you after speaking to a personal injury attorney, but you will also find out pretty quickly whether or not you have a good claim for compensation. If you are hesitating about speaking to an attorney, you should not let your financial concerns stop you. Most, if not all, personal injury attorneys work on what is called a contingency fee basis.

What this means for you is that you need not provide a single dime upfront to your attorney; if the attorney decides to take your case the fee for their services will come from your winnings. This fee is usually a set percentage of whatever you get as either a settlement from the at-fault driver or from a court case judgment. For example, if you and your attorney agree on a fee of 20% and your winnings are $500,000, your attorney will get $100,000 and you will receive $400,000.

This means that you can proceed with your claim and your attorney will work hard for you to get paid. If you don't win, they won't get paid. This also means that if the attorney agrees to spend time on your case with the promise of getting their fee, it must mean that you have a solid and profitable case against the at-fault driver.

Give your attorney what they need to get started on your claim

If you can assemble some important information about your case by the time you meet with your new attorney, you can help kick-start your claim that much faster. The more time you wait, the worst your financial situation could be, so allow your attorney to have the information they need to draft what is known as a "demand letter". This important letter will summarize your case and ask for (or demand) a certain dollar amount for:

  • Your injuries
  • Your wrecked car
  • Your personal possessions lost or damaged
  • Your medical bills
  • Your lost wages from work
  • Your pain and suffering

Information needed for the case and for the demand letter

  1. The accident report or police report from the accident
  2. Insurance information for you and everyone else involved
  3. Your medical treatment records
  4. A summary of all missed work and a pay stub
  5. Damage estimates for your vehicle

Time is of the essence, so don't waste time before taking action. To learn more, contact a law firm like Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC

 

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29 December 2017

Choosing To Fight

Although I am far from perfect, I have focused on abiding by the local laws for the vast majority of my life. Unfortunately, about five years ago, I realized that I was being accused of a crime that I didn't commit. I thought about letting the trial run its course, but then I realized that fighting would be important to ensure my future. I teamed up with a great lawyer, and things became much easier overnight. My legal counsel told me what to do and what to avoid, and he was able to prove the facts in a court of law. This blog is all about choosing to fight charges.