Working with an injury lawyer? These are the stages of the process that you should know and follow.
If you are planning to hire an injury lawyer,
it may be helpful to know what the stages of the process often are. While each attorney is going to have his or her own way of working through these cases, the process is often similar from one case to the next.
The first step is meeting with your chosen injury lawyer. At this meeting, the attorney will spell out the process you are facing, and also help you come to terms with what to expect as far as an outcome for your case. This can be very helpful as you plan for the next few months.
This is followed by some initial paperwork. The initial court papers officially start the case, and your attorney will help you fill these out accurately. Then, you will enter into the fact-finding and discovery part of the process. This is where your attorney and your opponent's attorney start digging for more information about the case, trying to determine what really happened.
Often, an injury lawyer is able to resolve the case before it goes to trial. Motions to dismiss may be filed after the fact-finding depending on the facts that were found. If this happens, the court will cut off the case before it goes to trial. However, if there is a legitimate case at hand, it still may not go to trial. Many people are willing to settle in order to avoid the hassles of the courtroom. A settlement refers to an agreement between the two parties, wherein the injured party is paid for his or her injuries and the guilty party agrees to the payment. It is vital to have an attorney on your side for the settlement process, because it can be very easy to have your opponent take advantage of you.
If a settlement cannot be reached, then the case will go to trial. This can be a very long, drawn out process, and it rarely has all of the drama seen on television shows. Instead, your attorney and your opponent's attorney will try to convince the jury and judge of the facts regarding your case. In the end, an award amount will be determined based on what the jury believes to be true for your case.
If you are awarded a victory, then your injury lawyer will help you collect the money you won. This, in theory, should be easy, but sometimes it is not. That is why your relationship with your attorney will continue until you have the money you are owed.
In fact, even after you have started getting your payments, you may not be done with this relationship. Sometimes, the guilty party will start to appeal the verdict. In this case, your injury lawyer will continue to work for you until all is complete with your case, you have been paid, and all appeals have been answered. Because of the extent of this process, it is vital to choose the right attorney for the job.
