Experience is important in most matters, but more so in personal injury law than in many other fields. This is because when you’re dealing with insurance companies and injuries, you need experience to ensure you get the compensation you deserve. Here are 10 advantages of working with an experienced personal injury law firm over attempting to handle your claim on your own.
10 Advantages of Working With an Experienced Personal Injury Law Firm
They Know the Law
A personal injury lawyer has spent years learning the laws that surround personal injury cases. You’re not going to have enough time to become an expert in personal injury law before you’ll either need to negotiate with an insurance company or present your case in front of a judge and jury. Just as you’d go to a cardiologist for a heart problem, you should hire a specialist in personal injury law if you’re hurt through no fault of your own.
They Know the Procedures
Along with knowing the law surrounding personal injury, an experienced attorney will also be extremely familiar with the procedures they must follow to ensure your claim is not dismissed, especially for a trivial reason, such as missing a filing deadline or making a mistake on a form. Your attorney will have been through the process so many times that they will know exactly what needs to happen and when to make sure your case retains its validity.
They Know How to Negotiate
Negotiation is both an art and a skill that takes time to develop, especially when you’re negotiating a financial settlement that one party doesn’t want to give. The insurance company is not on your side and has an interest in keeping any settlement as low as possible. Negotiation is the key to getting the compensation you deserve, and an experienced personal injury attorney will know exactly how to get the insurance company to settle for as much as possible.
Moreover, an experienced law firm will advise you when a settlement offer is not acceptable so that you don’t accept an offer that is lower than what you’ll need for current and future expenses. It will be tempting to accept the first offer that comes from the insurance company, but an experienced lawyer will help you determine whether that’s the best move to make, or if you should continue fighting for a better settlement because it’s what you deserve.
They Know How to Calculate Your Claim’s Worth
Before you can get the compensation you deserve, you have to know what your claim is worth. This is a difficult process because there are many factors to consider when determining the value of a personal injury case. Not only do your current medical bills need to be covered, but your future medical claims do as well. Knowing what your future expenses are going to be is challenging, but an experienced attorney will know how to accurately calculate them.
Your law firm will have access to medical and financial professionals who will collaborate to determine how much money you’re going to need both now and in the future to compensate for your injuries. You may even be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, depending on the extent of your injuries, how they happened, and where they happened. There are many variables in calculating your claim’s worth, so having a professional do it is important.
They Know How to Prepare a Case for Trial
You aren’t looking for an attorney who only knows how to settle personal injury cases. You also want one who will prepare a case for trial just in case they aren’t able to negotiate an appropriate settlement. Experienced personal injury attorneys know that nothing is ever guaranteed and will prepare as if your case is headed for the courtroom from the start. This gives them an advantage over a lawyer scrambling to present a case at the last minute.
They Know How to Litigate Your Case
As previously mentioned, you don’t want a lawyer who has settled all their personal injury cases because you never know if yours is going to be the one that can’t be settled. Experienced law firms that handle personal injury cases have successfully litigated claims in front of judges and juries. They won’t be intimidated by that setting or by opposing attorneys, and they’ll be prepared with the strongest case possible to win you the highest award possible.
They Have Established Relationships
An attorney who’s been around in the same community for many years has already established relationships with other people who will be involved in your case. These people include judges, courtroom personnel, insurance company representatives, and more. These relationships are important to your case because your attorney will already have a reputation for successfully negotiating and winning personal injury cases, and that track record will carry a lot of weight throughout your entire legal experience.
They Have an Extensive Network
With every year of practice, a personal injury attorney adds more experts, professionals, and resources to their network, which is available to you as a client. If you need an investigator, your attorney will know one. If you need a financial professional to calculate your total losses, your attorney has one on speed dial. If you need to reconstruct an accident, your attorney can call a reconstructionist to demonstrate what actually happened to bolster your claim or lawsuit.
Everyone has to start somewhere, but it’s just a fact that new attorneys with less experience know fewer people who are available to lend additional credence to your claim. The longer an attorney has been practicing, the more people they know, and they’re able to tap into that extensive network to assist their clients with whatever resources they need. You don’t have to find these experts yourself or settle for second-best when your case is on the line.
They Know What You’re Going Through
Compassion is important when dealing with personal injury claims, and experienced attorneys know this. They understand that you’re in pain or that you’re having to care for a loved one who has severe injuries. You won’t be required to do anything you can’t handle, including dealing with insurance companies or making unnecessary appearances at court hearings. Your attorney will ensure your needs are the foremost consideration at all times, especially when it comes to negotiating an appropriate settlement.
They Are Honest About Your Case
Inexperienced personal injury attorneys may promise you certain outcomes that experienced law firms know are never guaranteed. It’s critical that your attorney is honest with you about your case so you can prepare accordingly. If you don’t get a settlement you expect, it can be devastating, both emotionally and financially. As such, an attorney who’s straightforward about what to expect in your case is going to be better for your overall well-being than one who makes promises they can’t keep.
A law firm with experienced personal injury attorneys will never make a guarantee in terms of what type of settlement you’ll receive or that your case won’t go to court. They know that each case is different and will have its own nuances that could take it down a different path than other similar cases. Never choose an attorney that makes a guarantee about how much money you’re going to win.
One of the biggest complaints from clients who have chosen the wrong personal injury attorney is lack of experience. To prevent this problem, be sure your attorney has the experience you need to present the best case possible. Contact Yonke Law LLC to find some of the most experienced personal injury attorneys in Kansas City.