Why You Always Want to Hire an Attorney to Represent You
When you’re hurt because of the negligent acts of another person, you want to recover as much as you can to compensate for your injuries. Because you’ll have to pay a percentage of your damage award to the attorney who represents you, you may think it will be in your best interests to handle the claim yourself. That would be a big mistake, for a number of reasons.
You Lack Experience Dealing with Insurance Companies
Typically, after any type of accident, one of the first sources of compensation you’ll pursue will be insurance benefits. It’s important to understand, though, that your insurer is a for-profit entity that tries to maximize its bottom line by paying you as little as possible on your claim. In most instances, you won’t know all the different ways your injury will impact your life or how much it will cost to get the treatment you need both immediately and in the future. Accordingly, the insurance adjuster might make an offer that seems like a lot of money but in reality is only a fraction of your eventual losses. An experienced personal injury attorney will know when a settlement offer is unfair and will be willing and able to take your case to trial to get the compensation you need and deserve.
You Don’t Know the Law or the Process
If the other party was clearly at fault for causing the accident—for example, if they ran a red light and hit you broadside—you may think you have an open-and-shut case. Unfortunately, facts can be easily manipulated. A skilled lawyer can make the jury forget about the facts and find ways to pin the blame on you.
Furthermore, when you file a lawsuit, there are endless details about which you, as a layperson, won’t have any knowledge:
- You won’t know how long you have to file your complaint, where to file, who must receive a copy, and what the complaint must include.
- You won’t have any idea what types of evidence are admissible or how to effectively gather evidence and information to support your claim.
- You won’t understand the legal guidelines for trying to dismiss individual claims or the entire lawsuit.
- You won’t understand how legal principles such as comparative negligence can affect your recovery.
- You won’t know how to locate and prepare expert witnesses to bolster your claims and explain complex concepts to a jury.
- You won’t know how to participate in the selection of a jury.
- You won’t know how to prepare jury instructions, so that jurors understand the law and can apply the facts to the law.
Furthermore, you can’t expect any assistance from the judge when you choose to represent yourself. The judge won’t give you legal advice, won’t tell you when to object to evidence or testimony, and won’t give you any guidance regarding how to prepare motions or when and where to file them.
Contact the Results-Oriented Personal Injury Attorneys at Bailey & Galyen
At the law office of Bailey & Galyen, we know the impact that a personal injury can have on every area of your life. If you’re hurt because of the negligence of another person, send us an e-mail or call our offices at 844-402-2992. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
