Houston, TX Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been in an accident, you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney to help you seek compensation for your injuries. There is no legal requirement to have an attorney handle your personal injury claim, but your chances for winning and receiving maximum compensation are much higher if you hire an experienced personal injury attorney. Hiring an attorney is an important decision, and you should make sure that your attorney is someone you can trust. Here are some of commonly asked questions about hiring a personal injury attorney.
- Do I Really Need An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney?
Insurance companies aren’t your friend. They aren’t in the business of paying full value for a personal injury claim. Their goal is simple: Minimize how much money you receive. Insurance companies hire highly skilled, well-trained adjusters to “value” your case to their benefit. They will use your inexperience and lack of legal knowledge against you. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to level the playing field by negotiating settlements, navigating the complex pre-trial process, and taking your case to trial to fight for the compensation you deserve.
You have nothing to lose by consulting with a personal injury attorney. Commonly, personal injury attorneys provide free consultations for personal injury matters. They’ll give you a realistic assessment of your legal options and tell you whether or it’s necessary to hire an attorney.
- What Does An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Do?
A personal injury attorney helps injured people recover compensation for their injuries after an accident. The money is often needed to pay for medical care, make up for lost wages and provide compensation for injuries suffered. Your personal injury attorney should be able to:
Explain your rights
The law is complex is always changing. There are different rules for different courts and certain advantages with filing suit in a particular court or county. An experienced personal injury attorney will identify your legal issue and guide you through the complexities of the legal process.
Complete an investigation
In the aftermath of an accident, conducting a thorough investigation is a key to determining who is legally liable for your damages. A good personal injury attorney will take the time to uncover all the facts and evidence that are necessary to maximize the value of your claim.
Assess your damages
Accidental injuries occur for a number of reasons. You may have been hurt as the result of a car or motorcycle accident, suffered slip and fall injuries, or injured on the job. Injuries related to these types of incidents can be serious, often having long term consequences that can have a major impact on both your health as well as your financial future. A good personal injury attorney will listen to you and fully understand your story to effectively show how the injury has affected your life. Your personal injury attorney will be able to evaluate your potential recovery for past and future medical bills, loss of income, property damage, out-of-pocket expenses, disfigurement, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment and loss of consortium.
Negotiate your claim
Typically, before a lawsuit is filed, you will have the opportunity to settle your case. Settling early may be beneficial because it can save you the time and cost of going through a trial. But, determining a fair value can be difficult, since it’s dependent on a variety of factors. Your personal injury attorney will be able to identify the responsible parties, calculate your damages and submit a settlement demand. A good personal injury attorney will handle the back-and-forth negotiations to achieve a fair result.
Take your case to trial
Not all cases go to trial. However, every personal injury claim should be aggressively developed as if the case will be tried to a jury. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each claim and implementing an aggressive strategy early in the case can maximize your potential recovery. Developing compelling evidence and hiring the right expert witnesses with the purpose of going to trial shows the insurance company you’re not backing down. This is the only way the full potential of your case will be realized.
If a settlement agreement cannot be achieved, your personal injury attorney should be willing to take your case to trial. Personal injury attorneys should view the courtroom as a forum to tell your unique story and let a jury evaluate the facts, determine fault and potentially award damages.
- How Much Does An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Cost?
Personal injury attorneys typically represent clients on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is a payment arrangement where the client pays no fee if there is no recovery. If your claim is successful, you will pay your attorney an agreed-upon percentage of your recovery.
- How Long Does It Take To Resolve A Personal Injury Case?
Many different factors influence how long it takes to settle or resolve a personal injury claim. As such, it’s not possible to give an exact estimate of how long a case will take from start to finish. Most personal injury attorneys will not begin to engage in serious settlement negotiations with the at-fault party until you have sufficiently recovered from all of your injuries. If an attorney acts too prematurely, you may not be able to recover compensation for unforeseen health complications or other losses.
If a personal injury lawsuit is filed, it could take several months or more than a year to resolve. Among many other factors, the time it takes to bring a personal injury lawsuit to settlement or trial depends on how clear it is that the other party was negligent, whether the other party is willing to settle before trial, how much discovery is needed, and how busy the court is. An experienced personal injury attorney should be able to give you a rough estimate of how soon your personal injury claim may be resolved.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, contact Hernandez Sunosky, LLP at (713) 981-4100 for a free, no obligation consultation with our Houston Personal Injury Accident Attorneys. We will evaluate your claim and help you understand which legal options may be available to help you obtain the justice and compensation you deserve.