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Injured or harmed because of negligence or intentionally inflicted damage? Learn about personal injury law with Frantz Law Group, reclaim the compensation due yours, and completely recover.
Understanding the Basics of Personal Injury Law
Statistics show that preventable personal injuries in the US rank as the third highest cause of death, only behind cancer and heart diseases. From 2020 to 2021, there was an increase in home, vehicular accident-related, public, and workplace deaths ranging from 8.8-13%. In 2021, 62 million people had to seek medical attention for personal injuries.
Personal injury law deals with seeking justice by being compensated for damages or losses incurred from negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions by a liable party. Victims of different types of accidents, such as vehicular accidents, workplace accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice, and equipment or product malfunction, typically seek the assistance of a personal injury lawyer to help navigate the legal process.
Legal representation can protect your rights and interests, guide you through each step, and increase the likelihood of the case being settled or a personal injury claim trial being won successfully. A lawyer specializing in personal injury law will assist you in negotiating with insurance companies, collecting evidence to determine liability, and representing you in settlement negotiations or trials.
In personal injury law, the plaintiff (injured party) tries to hold the defendant (responsible party) accountable by recovering financial compensation to cover medical bills, loss of wages due to job loss, emotional damages, property damages, etc., what the plaintiff has to go through due to the injury.
Personal injury cases include instances where motorists or pedestrians get injured in vehicular accidents when someone gets injured due to hazardous conditions or inadequate maintenance in one’s property, or when a person gets injured from defective or dangerous products or equipment. It may also be considered a personal injury case if you sustained an injury due to unsafe work conditions or employer negligence, malpractice by a healthcare professional, or an intentional attack or assault by another person.
In this article, we will strive to answer your most important questions to ask your personal injury law to help you make an informed decision about getting legal representation.
Key Questions to Ask Your Personal Injury Lawyer
It is essential to gather information from your personal injury lawyer about the legal process your case entails you to go through, as well as their qualifications, experience, approach, and success rate in handling similar cases. This can give you insight into the kind and quality of legal representation you can expect to receive. Here are some questions you may ask:
What is your experience in handling personal injury cases?
The essential question to ask is whether the lawyer assigned to you not only knows the ins and outs of the legal system but also has extensive experience and a good track record in handling cases similar to yours. This means that you have to do your due diligence in finding out how long they have been practicing law, what their specialized area of practice is, how many similar cases they have handled and won through settlement, and whether they have significant trial experience.
You may also ask them for a ballpark estimate of your case worth based on their previous experience and if it is worthwhile to pursue a case still. Based on their response, you will get an idea about the expertise and competence of your personal injury attorney.
What is your strategy for my case?
At Frantz Law Group, we understand that each client and type of case is unique, so we tailor our legal strategies and approaches to align with the circumstances of the case. Our personalized legal representation starts when you contact us for a case evaluation. We employ a customized approach in negotiating and strategizing for the possibility of going to trial, factoring in the specifics of your case.
Personal injury attorneys gauge the pros and cons of resorting to negotiation and settlement, litigation and trial, or an alternative dispute resolution. Settlement is the fastest and most cost-effective way of getting compensated, although the monetary recovery might not be as high.
Going to trial for a personal injury lawsuit can be time-consuming, and there’s no guarantee of winning the case. Still, it can return maximum compensation and hold the responsible party accountable. An alternative dispute resolution involves mediation, allowing for collaboration, confidentiality, and collaboration. Still, there is a risk of one party exerting more influence over the other, leading to an imbalanced and unacceptable offer.
Overall, we pay close attention and prioritize our client’s best interests and advocate for their rights throughout the entire process.
How will fees and expenses be handled?
In most personal injury cases, you don’t have to pay anything until you receive monetary compensation for the damages and losses you have incurred because of your injury. We at Frantz Law Group likewise offer this fee structure on a contingency fee basis to unburden our clients with their expenses.
Instead of paying legal fees upfront and out-of-pocket, a personal injury lawyer in our law firm may take a fixed percentage from the compensation you will receive should there be a recovery. This usually ranges between 20-40%. While it may be tempting to look for an attorney who would take the smallest cut, make sure to consider the qualification of your attorney still and ensure that they are qualified to handle your case.
Moreover, in situations where the case cannot be settled and needs to be taken to court, the fees might increase. Ask for clarification about this from your legal representative.
Who will be working on my case?
At Frantz Law Group, the legal professionals who typically handle personal injury cases are the attorneys, paralegals, consultants, and administrative and support staff. An associate or attorney will be assigned to handle your case to conduct legal research, draft paperwork, work with you to develop a fair settlement offer, and perform legal representation during a settlement or trial. Paralegals assist the associates in gathering evidence and other pertinent information about your case.
Occasionally, consultants can be onboarded to provide expert knowledge on a particular case. Administrative and support staff answer phone calls, handle scheduling, and assist in the processing of documents as needed. Because of the interdependence in their roles, you must have their contact information and have a clear and open line of communication with the team that will provide legal support to you as you navigate this process.
How long could my case take to resolve?
Some factors that determine how long a personal injury case can be resolved include how severe the injury sustained is, the length of medical attention and recovery needed, how long it takes to gather evidence and testimony from an expert witness, whether there is a dispute regarding liability, the level of cooperation of the insurance company, the availability of court dates, among others. This makes it difficult to ascertain the actual timeline of each case.
It is best to set realistic expectations and maintain open communication with your attorney to be updated on the case’s progress. Your lawyer is also the best person who can give you a reasonable estimate of the timeline of your case.
Evaluating the Personal Injury Lawyer’s Responses
To find the right lawyer, check the testimonials of past clients or ask for feedback from referrals. But you may also assess your potential personal injury lawyer’s fit by how they respond to your questions.
An experienced attorney who you can trust to handle your personal injury case will be able to answer these questions adequately because of the knowledge they possess from years of experience, through the way they communicate this information, and with the level of care and attention they demonstrate in responding to your concerns. Assess their commitment to prioritizing your welfare and dedication to achieving the best possible outcome for your case. All these factors are essential in making an informed decision before seeking legal representation for your personal injury case.
Contact the Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys at Frantz Law Group for a Free Consultation
If you have suffered from a preventable personal injury due to recklessness, negligence, or intentional harm and want to seek assistance from an experienced accident lawyer, the questions in this article are essential to help you make an informed decision.
At Frantz Law Group, you can rest assured that our personal injury lawyers can adequately answer your questions to ease your mind. We value the attorney-client relationship and are dedicated to providing the most attentive care to our clients from the start of the process until we achieve a successful settlement or verdict.
Get your questions answered by getting in touch with our personal injury law firm today, and get a free initial consultation and free case evaluation!