Straight Talk Law: Working With a Personal Injury Lawyer

Most of us don’t want – or expect – to end up involved in a lawsuit. On either side. It’s an uncomfortable situation for anyone. People don’t generally enjoy conflict of any kind – and the legal system, in many cases, baffles them. There are situations, however, that require you to take steps to either protect yourself or receive the justice you deserve. And those situations will often require the services of a personal injury lawyer.

You may have been injured in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault. Or perhaps hurt at a store or office because of negligence by the owners. You may have had valuable property damaged – such as a laptop with important files on it. When you’re the victim of one of these mishaps, you are the one who suffers. You’re the one who has to have damage to your car repaired – who has to replace damaged possessions - and possibly pay sky-high medical bills that could destroy your financial security.

That’s why it’s very important, when an incident like this occurs, to speak to a personal injury lawyer such as myself – especially before you agree to anything with an insurance company. Having said that, there’s also no need to rush into hiring a lawyer - you might want to speak to a few to get a feel for your case. From my experience, it is best to hire an attorney, if you have a legitimate case, within two to six months following an accident. Sometimes you obviously have to act sooner – but remember to also not wait too long. The statute of limitations is three years for most cases. Don’t allow the likely three year statute of limitations to lull you into a false sense of security. Most cases need significant work way before the statute is even close. Additionally, many personal injury attorneys will not take cases where the statute is too close!

I would also strongly advise you not to hire a lawyer who talks down to you or makes you feel uncomfortable. At my Seattle, Washington practice, I try to avoid confusing jargon when advising a potential client – instead I try to answer questions directly. I’m not shy about telling someone when they don’t need a lawyer – and I let them know when it’s in their best interests to engage one.

Another important aspect to look at is the personal injury attorney’s experience. You want someone who knows what to do with a case like yours – and it’s worth your time to ask the lawyer to tell you how he or she dealt with any cases that were similar to yours. Often an inexperienced personal injury lawyer will settle claims for far below what they should; they may be afraid to go to trial, because of their lack of experience, or they may be part of what we call “settlement mills” – law firms that settle cases because it’s a lot simpler and more inexpensive than preparing for trial.

How much will you be entitled to if your case is successful? That depends on a number of factors. Obviously, some types of damage are easy to calculate, such as medical costs or physical damage to property. Others, such as “pain and suffering” and “loss of enjoyment of life” are very subjective and depend on specific circumstances. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to give you more of an idea once you’ve shared the details of what happened to you.