Personal Injury Attorney: Misconceptions About The Field

There are no shortage of colloquial ideas about the personal injury attorney. No one has gone through too many years of life without hearing a few gripes about “ambulance chasers” and the like. Is there corruption in the field? Probably, but no more so than any other field where money is the name of the game. What gets lost in some of the kidding is that these lawyers serve a very important function in our society—holding individuals and corporations responsible for their negligence. There are quite a few other misconceptions about these lawyers. This should set the record straight.

One misconception many people have is that they can’t afford a personal injury attorney. They may have a case they would like to bring, but fear that it will cost too much to take the individual or company to court. While in some cases this may be a valid point, many lawyers take these cases on a contingency basis. That means they don’t get paid unless you get paid. They act almost like an agent would act if representing a client. You pay nothing out of pocket and if the lawyer fails to get you a judgment or a settlement, you are only out your time. Now, this does have a downside to it: many lawyers are very particular about which cases and clients they take on. This means that if you don’t have a case that seems winnable, you may have a difficult time finding a lawyer.

Another misconception is that you are risking your job by bringing a lawsuit against your employer. Of course, it isn’t so much a misconception as it is a bad way of thinking. If your employer is breaking the law and taking advantage of you, perhaps it’s time to forget about keeping your employment and start thinking about going to court. There are laws in many states that forbid an employer to fire anyone based on legal action, but of course any sensible person knows that a company can find ways around that. Still, a court has seen it all and they won’t be easily misled if you claim you were fired or held back in your job because of litigation. Your employer may very well be making more trouble for themselves if they choose to fire you based on a lawsuit.

Finally, some will tell you that you don’t need a personal injury attorney to get compensation for your injuries. This is foolish thinking. Certainly, if the case is egregious or not, even the mention of a lawsuit will be enough for some companies to throw some money at you. But if they are that willing to settle, you have to ask yourself how much more you might be entitled to if you had appropriate legal representation. Don’t wonder about it—do something about it.