Personal injury refers to the physical or emotional harm caused by an accident. If such an accident resulted from another party’s action or lack of action, then it is well within your right to seek compensation.
Personal injury lawsuits usually fall into three broad categories: bodily harm, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. The most common personal injury claims include:
- Car accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Product liability
- Workplace accidents
- Dog bites
- Slip and fall accidents
Tips to Get You the Best Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been involved in an accident and are looking for compensation, the first step is to hire a lawyer. How do you determine the one that’s best suited for the job? Here we look at some pointers to guide you.
Communication
Right from the moment when you reach out to the lawyer, how is the reception? A personal injury lawyer handles you at your most vulnerable moments. You may be sick, injured, or incapacitated, but the lawyer needs to be comprehensive enough to listen to you in whichever state you’re in and get all the necessary information. If you’re not coherent enough, the lawyer will need to liaise with your next of kin.
In addition to obtaining the needed details, is the lawyer empathetic about your situation? Personal injury professionals interact with people when they’re at their lowest; therefore, it cannot be just business. The lawyer must show genuine concern and willingness to help the client.
Specialization
Go for a lawyer who focuses on personal injury cases and not just a general practitioner. Specializing in one area means that the lawyer has a depth of knowledge and knows what to anticipate every step of the way. You may be thinking that you need to proceed to trial with your case, but the lawyer is in a position to broker a deal where you get an out-of-court settlement, which takes less time. Such a lawyer is likely to be familiar with insurance companies, making the entire process easier.
Experience
How long has this lawyer been in operation? Practitioners who have been in this trade for a long time have to be doing something right. Go through their reviews to check the experiences others have had with their service. This information should be available on their website. Have they handled a case similar to yours before? What percentage of their cases have received fair compensation? If they have a positive track record, your case will likely be one more of their success stories
Legal Fees
Take your time to compare the attorney’s legal fees vis-à-vis your budget. After an accident, you’re likely to be at your lowest financial point. You could be out of work, injured, or in a hospital bed with piling bills. You probably don’t have much money to spare for the legal process. Some lawyers work on a contingency basis, deducting their service charges from the claim settlement. You may have to meet certain costs even if the claim is lost. Make sure to clarify these matters to be certain of what you’re getting into.
Location
Even in this era of doing things online, you need a personal injury lawyer who is close to you. They may need to come to inspect the scene, visit you in the hospital, take your statement, and so on. In addition, such a lawyer has to be well-versed in the laws and regulations of your locality and how to apply them.
Conclusion
With that, you can now go on and get a suitable lawyer to represent your case as aggressively as it deserves. Remember, insurance companies are looking for any loopholes to dodge settlements, so a good lawyer will ensure they meet their match. Following the tips outlined here will help you pick the best disability insurance lawyers Vancouver has to offer.
