Personal Injury Attorneys

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When do I know it's time to hire a lawyer ... ?

When to hire a lawyer depends on your situation and how your being treated by the opposing insurance company. In a perfect world, they would treat you with respect and concern and provide you with whatever is necessary to get you back on your feet. Well, that's in a perfect world. In this world, being treated with respect and concern by the opposing insurance company is a rarity. Your first indication of how good or how bad your experience is going to be with the opposing insurance company, is the length of time it takes them to contact you after the traffic accident.

1) If it takes them longer than 36 hours to get bask to you after your initial call not counting the weekend, this is not a good sign and you should seek out and hire a personal injury lawyer!

2) If they fight you on what your vehicle is worth to repair or replace, or if they drag their feet longer than 72 hours in providing you with a rental vehicle, or in general treat you like a second class citizen of this country then you need to seek out out and hire a personal injury attorney!

There are a lot of different types of attorneys. For traffic accidents, you need to hire a personal injury attorney. The first people to ask about a lawyer are the people treating you. Next we suggest that you ask around and lastly there are 100's listed in every phone book. 

There are a couple of ways to hire a personal injury attorney.

1) You can hire one and pay their hourly fee, which runs from $150 to $500 a hour.

2) Probably the most common way to hire a personal injury attorney is on a contingency fee basis. You ask what is a contingency fee? Simply stated, contingency means chance, the possibility of, or an event that may or may not occur. When you hire a lawyer on a contingency fee basis, your attorney now has a vested interest in your case. Which means, if you win, your attorney wins and he or she gets paid. If you lose, your attorney looses and doesn't get paid. In most cases this is the most profitable way to hire a lawyer.

3) If you are being sued as a result of a traffic accident and you have vehicle insurance coverage, an attorney will be appointed to you by your insurance provider.

4) If you are being sued as a result of a traffic accident and have no vehicle insurance coverage, you will need to hire a lawyer to defend you. You will pay for this attorney with your own money.

Knowing that your attorney has a vested interest in the outcome of your case should give you a warm fuzzy feeling. They only make money if you win. The  normal percentage fee they charge you is between 33% and 45% of your judgment award. These percentages may vary from one attorney to another. There are two types of settlements;
1) Out of Court Settlements 
2) Civil Trial.

Out of Court Settlements: An out of court settlement can occur at any time after your traffic accident. If a lawyer negotiates an out of court settlement, he or she is entitled to their fee. This fee is usually 33%. Lets say you get a $10,000.00 settlement, your lawyer earned $3,300.00, leaving you $6,700.00

Civil Trial Settlement: If both sides can't agree on money, then your only course of action is to take the other side to court and let a jury of your peers settle the case. If you prevail in a jury trial, you will be awarded a judgment. In that judgment, there is a sum of money awarded to you by the jury. The fee for a jury trial is between 40% and 50% plus expenses. Lets say you are awarded in the judgment a sum of $35,000.00.

Example: Lets say that your contingency is 45% and that your attorney racked up
$1,500 in expenses.                 
                                            $35,000
                                              X 45% contingency fee
                                            $15,750
                                             +1,500    expenses
                                            $17,250    Total monies earned by attorney

This leaves you with $17,750 from your judgment to spend as you wish.

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A civil trial is necessary when you are not being offered the money your accident and injuries deserve. It really does come down to money. It also comes down to how good you and your attorney feel about your case and how strong the evidence will show that you deserve the money you are seeking. Remember, your attorney is going to take at least 45% of whatever judgment you win. Just be sure there is enough money left over for you, before you decide to sue. There are no guaranteed winners in a civil trail.