What is a Personal Injury Lawyer? Exploring Their Role and Expertise
Research shows that 1 in 5 Americans will seek medical attention for an injury each year. If you are one of them, several questions are likely to circle your mind. “What is a personal injury lawyer?” and “How can a personal injury attorney help me?” are two of the most important by far.
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At the Law Office of Cary Woods II, our attorneys take great pride in supporting victims throughout Miami, Florida City, Homestead, Sweetwater, and the surrounding areas through a range of cases. In this quick guide, we’ll discuss what is a personal injury lawyer and what you can expect from a professional service throughout your case.
What is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer is a legal representative who can assist a person or persons who have suffered injuries as a direct result of someone else’s negligence or misconduct. This can include incidents encountered in the workplace, public spaces, or any other setting. Their role is ultimately defined by supporting clients with their right to recover compensation and secure justice.
Over 60% of all civil court cases in Florida pertain to personal injuries and having a professional attorney to represent your case will significantly aid your cause. The benefits include getting the maximum settlement and the fastest results. Perhaps most importantly, it also removes a lot of stress from your shoulders while simultaneously enabling you to focus on recovering from the injuries.
Claims can be raised against another individual or against entities ranging from businesses to government agencies. Either way, a personal injury lawyer can represent individuals (or their families) in a variety of cases, including but not limited to;
- Road accidents,
- Hotel injuries,
- Slip and falls,
- Premises Liabilities,
- Wrongful death.
Whether the guilty party caused an injury for willful mistreatment or through accidental negligence, a personal injury attorney helps victims recover funds from the person or entities that caused those injuries. Compensation can extend to medical bills, lost earnings, and ongoing expenses that resulted from the incident.
A board-certified lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases will be a qualified, registered, and experienced professional who knows Florida’s laws concerning civil law cases of this ilk. This is combined with an in-depth knowledge of the steps that should be taken to maximize the client’s hopes of securing the outcome they deserve.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
Understanding what is a personal injury lawyer and the situations in which they can help is a great starting point. However, learning a little more about what their role entails will give you a far better insight into why you need one for your personal injury case in Miami or nearby locations.
Personal injury lawyers take care of all matters relating to the case. All attorneys and law offices conduct their work in slightly different ways. Our comprehensive approach covers the following steps:
Consultation
Research shows that compensation rises by an average of 440% when a personal injury lawyer has been hired. As a transparent and honest personal injury law firm, we always offer a free consultation to all prospective clients to confirm whether you have a high chance of winning – either in or out of court.
We appreciate the impact that a personal injury may have on your life and believe that you deserve compensation from the guilty party. However, it’s the insurance companies or the courts that have to agree with that opinion. By getting to know the details of the incident, we can provide an honest opinion concerning your hopes of success.
Early Preparation
The next phase revolves around gathering evidence that proves that a perpetrator was guilty of causing an injury, even if it’s through negligence rather than intentional damage. With your permission, this could include gathering various documents including police reports from the incident and medical records. This data will support the claim massively.
Evidence may also include photos, testimonials, and witness statements. A personal injury lawyer moves quickly to gather all the necessary evidence to prove that the accused party was responsible for the injuries and highlight the severity of the injuries. Acting quickly also removes the risk of evidence being lost or destroyed.
Valuations
When asking “What is a personal injury lawyer?”, one of the most commonly overlooked factors is that they are experts in determining how much a claim may be worth. No two personal injury claims are identical and many people who self-represent fall into the trap of either settling for too little or expecting too much.
Your personal injury lawyer will take all aspects into account to calculate the full value of the claim so that they can seek the maximum payout. This can cover medical costs, lost income, and suffering. Alternatively, in wrongful death cases, funeral expenses can also be included in the calculations.
Negotiations
Oftentimes, cases are brought forward to organizations or insurance companies with a view to settling before the situation reaches court. It is a situation that helps the guilty party avoid bad press while avoiding court fees helps claimants see more money – even if the settlement fee is technically slightly less than what the courts may have awarded.
The harsh reality is that insurance companies are very good at causing self-representing clients to make errors or accept reduced payouts. Therefore, having an experienced professional to represent you in those negotiations is essential. Not only for seeking the maximum compensation but also for getting a payout at all.
Legal Action
Sadly, insurance firms will sometimes refuse to settle out of court. In this instance, a personal injury lawyer will prepare and file a complaint. This is a legal document that commences a lawsuit against the accused party. Evidence can subsequently be submitted to the defense while evidence from the defendant’s legal team can also be requested.
If the case goes to trial, your personal injury attorney will represent you to the full extent of their power. They may call upon witnesses, speak on your behalf, and present the evidence that proves wrongdoing from the defendant. Oftentimes, settlements are made during the mediation and trial phases too, which is something all claimants should know.
What to Expect from a Personal Injury Lawyer
When hiring a personal injury lawyer in Florida, it’s imperative that you select an expert capable of representing your case to the very highest standards.
Cases that go to the Florida Courts may take 1-3 years to reach a settlement. However, an experienced personal injury lawyer who knows the system and how to prepare a case can often deliver results in a matter of weeks.
The result of your personal injury case will have a huge impact on your future, which is why you cannot settle for anything less than the best. Here’s what else you should expect from an attorney in this field;
- Full transparency from the first consultation to the completion of your case whether it goes to court or not. Your attorney should be able to provide clear insights at every stage so that you know what to expect, from the best-case to worst-case scenarios.
- A commitment to settling out of court. It is often the best result for all parties, leading to quicker resolutions and allowing you to see a bigger payout by the time other fees are accounted for. Under 5% of personal injury cases go to court. So, this step is key.
- Compassion and an understanding of the difficulties that you currently face. This is especially true when undergoing treatments for physical and emotional injuries sustained as a result of the other party’s neglect.
Above all else, you can expect a dedicated personal injury lawyer to work diligently with your best interests at heart. They will push perpetrators and insurance firms into the maximum payout while simultaneously causing the least disruption to your life.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?
After finding the answer to “What is a personal injury lawyer?” and gaining further insight into what they can do, the next step is to discover what an expert can do for you.
As long as the incident occurred within the last four years, which is Florida’s Statute of Limitations for making a claim, Cary Woods Law can help. Ultimately, a personal injury attorney can assist you through a potentially difficult situation by handling your case and allowing you to focus on more important matters like restoring normality to your life.
By utilizing extensive expertise and experience, a personal injury lawyer will successfully;
- Confirm that the case is worth pursuing,
- Prepare all materials (with your help) for the case,
- Prove that the guilty party was at fault through mistreatment or negligence,
- Prove that the injuries sustained were a direct result of the incident,
- Fight for the maximum financial compensation,
- Represent you in court (if required) to take the burden off of your shoulders.
In short, a personal representative will give you the best shot at receiving a fair settlement following an injury that wasn’t your fault. In turn, you will be better positioned to draw a line under this difficult episode and get on with the rest of your life.To discuss your personal injury case and learn more about what the Law office of Cary Woods II can do for you, arrange your free consultation today.
