Personal Injury Attorney: Frequently Asked Questions

What is classified as a personal injury?

Personal injury, in simple terms, is an injury to you or your property due to the negligence of someone else. For instance, if you and your car get damaged in an accident, then this would be classified as an injury. Similarly, injuries at workplace due to second-grade machines or equipments or surgeries at hospitals that worsen your condition instead of improving it are also examples of personal injuries.

Who is a personal injury attorney?

He/she is someone who fights for your claims and rights if you suffer due to someone else's fault. The theory is simple: since personal injuries are caused by the negligence of others, you must receive compensation for your loss. For instance, if you are injured at your workplace, then your employers must pay you not only to cover medical expenses but also for loss of work hours and other damages.

Personal injury lawyers also fight with insurance companies on your behalf. Generally, they try to reach an out-of-court settlement first, but if this doesn't succeed, then they also fight the case in the court to ensure that you do not lose your rights and that you get justice.

How to find one such attorney?

It is not very difficult to find such an attorney. You can start off by asking your friends, relatives and neighbors for recommendations. Even your lawyer can guide you to a good attorney. Otherwise, you can contact the American Bar Association to know the contacts of personal injury attorneys who practice in your area. A search on the Web can also yield useful results.

How to decide which personal injury attorney to hire?

It is very important to meet an attorney before hiring him or her. Attorneys do not charge anything for these meetings. In this meeting, you can introduce your case and ask the attorney the chances of succeeding in it. You must ideally look for an attorney who specializes in you case. Different personal injury cases involve diverse laws and it is always better to hire an attorney who specializes in the kind of cases that you have at your hand. For instance, if you want to file a medical malpractice claim, look for attorneys with a lot of experience in such cases.

Your meeting with the attorney would also give you an idea if you would be able to get along with her or him or not. During the negotiations and proceedings, you would be spending a considerable amount of time with your attorney. So, it would be better that you hire someone pleasant and agreeable.

How much do they charge?

A number of attorneys ask for a percentage of the claim but only if they manage to win the case. This percentage can be as high as 40%. It is prudent to inquire during your meeting about the fees. Ask if there would be any extra charges for the evaluation of you case or not. This is also the time when you must decide if the claim is worth filing and the attorney for it worth hiring.