Five Reasons Why You Should Hire a Personal Injury Attorney Like Julie

Sometimes life gets complicated. You need help in some area of your life but you don’t have the knowledge, skills or experience to do it properly. If your spouse needs surgery, could you do the job? If you are audited by the IRS, would you want to handle it by yourself? If your car’s brakes are failing, would you trust yourself to repair them?

If you’ve been injured because of the negligence or intentional act of another, you should hire a personal injury attorney because you’re better off working with someone with experience and knowledge in this area of the law. It’s akin to hiring a surgeon to operate or hiring a mechanic to fix your brakes. Your lack of knowledge and experience can hurt you if you try to go it alone in any of these circumstances.

Here are some specific reasons why you should retain a personal injury attorney after an accident:

1. The insurance company is not your friend.

Whether it’s your insurance company or another party’s insurance carrier, the main job of their claims department is to settle claims as quickly and as cheaply as possible. They will not tell you what the law is or what your case is worth if it goes to a jury. They want you to make statements that could prejudice your legal claims and sign forms that result in the loss of your legal rights. Do you really think an insurance company is on your side or they are your friend?

2. We deal with the insurance company so you won’t have to.

If you’ve suffered a serious injury, you need to focus on recovery so you can get back to work and back to your life. Dealing with an insurance company, providing information and asking for information takes a lot of time and energy. You can use that time and energy on yourself and avoid the aggravation of having to go back and forth with an insurance company. Would you rather spend time getting better or spend time on the phone with an insurance company?

3. Ignorance is not bliss.

How much do you know about personal injury law or insurance law? I’ve been practicing personal injury law for over twenty-five years and I’ve learned a lot from my many experiences. You can feel confident that the lawyer who represents you has the experience, knows the law, knows the system and knows how to get your case resolved in settlement or at trial.

4. Negotiation is more art than science.

Most lawsuits settle at some point prior to a full trial. Negotiation is a skill that takes practice as well as in-depth knowledge of the law and the facts of a case. In some cases we find out pretty quickly whether the insurance company will choose to resolve the claim fairly or whether we will have to let the people (jury) decide the fair value of your case. The vast majority of non-lawyers have little or no negotiation skills. Do you want to risk the value of your case on your inexperience?

5. Litigation is no walk in the park.

If a settlement can’t be reached, you will need a trial attorney like Julie to present your case to a jury. Trials are governed by Rules of Procedure and Rules of Evidence. Trial is not like what you see on TV shows. The groundwork starts months, even years before jurors being summoned. We know your case inside and out. We may have even conducted a focus group or two to determine the evidence that resounds with people who are similar to your eventual jury. It all comes down to being able to relay the truth of your story so the jury can make the just and fair decision. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” Don’t be that fool!

If you or a loved one have been injured because of the negligence of another party, don’t go it alone. Contact our office so we can talk about the situation, your legal rights and your best options to move forward.