Don’t Wait To File That Suit: You Only Have So Much Time

If you’ve been the victim of a personal injury, you might want to go ahead and talk with a lawyer. You only have a limited time to file a lawsuit, and you’ll want to be sure you do that properly and within those time limits. Ignoring them could mean no compensation, even if you’d otherwise be eligible.

Keep The Time Limitations In Mind

Different states could have different timelines for filing lawsuits for personal injury and other cases. Don’t just assume that one state is the same as another, or that you can simply file whenever you feel like it. You’ll need to have a lawyer advise you on your timelines, so you can decide if you’re going to file.

Talk To A Lawyer Right Away

Just because you’ve talked to a lawyer doesn’t mean you have to file suit right away. The best thing to do is get that free consultation so you know your options. Once you’ve done that you can go ahead and decide what you want to to do – and you’ll know how long you have to file your suit if you choose to.

Decide The Best Way To Pursue Your Claim

There’s more than one way to pursue a claim. Some people sue. Others do not. The choice will have to be up to you, but if you decide a lawsuit is the answer you’ll be ready with the timeline and information you need.

It’s much better to have a lawyer available and not need him than it is to need a lawyer and not have one. Talking to one doesn’t put you under any obligation, so consider all of your options before you make your final choice.

How Much Is That Injury Worth? Know The Guidelines

Some injuries equal more compensation than other injuries. This can be based on severity, but it can also be based on other factors that surround the injury. Only a lawyer can really give you a good estimate of what is fair in a specific case.

Using Insurance Guidelines To Estimate Compensation

The tables that insurance companies use to measure their compensation aren’t the same as what a lawyer or a court will use. Insurance tables don’t take into account pain and suffering, negligence, and a lot of other issues that have to be addressed.

Disability Level Matters When Judging Injury Payouts

If you’ve sustained an injury that’s made you permanently disabled, that’s understandably more serious than one that’s only caused you a disability for a set period of time. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be compensated for a short term injury, but keep in mind that you can’t expect as much as you would for a long term or chronic disability.

Talk With Your Lawyer About What Is Fair For Your Injury

Even when you do your own research, it can be hard to tell what’s fair for an injury. Talking with a lawyer can help. Be sure to ask questions and really listen to what your lawyer has to say, so you can make a good decision about pursuing your case.

Depending on how you were injured and how severe that injury is, you might not get any compensation. The amount you might be able to collect could also not be worth pursuing. When you talk with a lawyer, you’re better able to sort these things out and make a choice.

Make Sure You Know What Compensation Is Fair

How do you know what compensation is fair for your injury? There are several ways to find out. Lawyers can help you. Looking at past cases that are similar to yours can give you an idea. You can also consider looking at insurance tables that show payouts for specific injuries, but each case is different.

Injuries Do Have A ‘Price’

It’s hard to put a price on an injury or the ability of a human being to do something throughout life, but insurance companies and courts have to do this so they can give people what’s believed to be fair compensation. It’s based on a lot of factors, and it’s best to have a legal professional help you.

Ask Your Lawyer For Common Compensation Requirements

If your lawyer has a lot of experience in handling your kind of case, he can give you an idea of what type of compensation you can expect to receive. That information shouldn’t be taken as a definite answer, because there are always extenuating circumstances or subtle differences that can cause things to change.

The Extent Of Injury Can Determine Compensation

How badly you’re hurt – and how permanent that injury is – will affect the compensation that you receive. Keep that in mind, because a temporary injury is not going to offer you as much compensation as a permanent one. The same is true of injuries that do or do not hamper your ability to perform a basic life function.

Because there are so many variables to personal injury cases, no two cases are the same. That’s why it’s so very important to have a lawyer to help you through the hurdles that you’ll face in getting compensation.

Don’t Get Cheated Out Of Your Settlement

If you’re owed a settlement or think that you deserve one that’s being denied to you, talking to a lawyer is often the best way to handle it. That’s especially true if you’ve tried to resolve it but haven’t been able to get any satisfaction on your own.

Be Sure To File Your Claim In Time

One thing a lawyer can help with is making sure you file a claim the right way and in a timely manner. You don’t want to lose out because you waited too long, or because you filed something incorrectly. Let a lawyer help you with those kinds of concerns.

Get The Right Lawyer For You

Don’t get just any lawyer. They are all different in their education, personality, and experience. Instead of picking the first one you see, visit a couple of them and ask questions. Most of them offer free consultations, and you won’t be under any obligation to hire them.

Don’t Give Up On Your Rights

Some people just give up when the going gets difficult, but you shouldn’t make that choice. If you’re honestly due a settlement or some other kind of compensation, you should get it. Make sure you don’t just let it go, because that cheats you and doesn’t help others who are owed money, either.

Be your own advocate and an advocate for others through getting the right lawyer and pursuing your claim for compensation. When you get your settlement, any hassle you went through will have been worth it.

Questions For Your Lawyer

Anyone who goes to see a lawyer, especially if it’s the first time he’s needed legal advice, often finds that he’s nervous and unsure of what to ask or say. That’s understandable, but he still needs information, so knowing what questions to ask before the appointment can help.

Find Out What Cases The Lawyer Typically Handles

If you don’t already know for sure, make sure the lawyer you’re talking to can handle the case you have. Some lawyers are very specialized. Even if the case seems like something he would handle, it’s always possible he can’t help you. Find out before you go any further.

Ask About Education And Experience

How much experience your lawyer has handling cases like yours, where he went to school, how long ago, and how much continuing education he’s done can all matter. It’s more important to some cases than others, but it’s certainly worth asking about, no matter what kind of case you have.

What Kinds Of Rates Does He Charge?

Even if you have enough money to comfortably pay your lawyer, there’s no point in paying more than you need to. Talk to several lawyers who handle your kinds of cases, and get the one you feel is the best value. That may not be the least expensive one, but it often is.

All in all, the decision to hire a lawyer should be one that’s well thought out. Don’t grab the first lawyer you see. Take a moment to talk to a couple of them, and get the right one for your needs. You’ll be glad you did.

How To Find The Best Lawyer For Your Case

There are a lot of opinions on what makes a good lawyer. Not every person thinks that personality matters, or education, or experience. Some put more weight on a specfic area than others. If you need a good lawyer, there are several issues that you really should consider.

Ask About Experience

Every lawyer has to start somewhere, but you should look for one that’s handled your kind of case before. That’s especially true if your case is a complex or difficult one, or if there are extenuating and abnormal circumstances surrounding it.

Find Out Your Lawyer’s Education

Where your lawyer went to school might not be that important, because he had to pass the bar exam to get where he is today. That requires a specific level of knowledge. Still, how long ago he went to school and what kind of continuing education he focuses on could be important to you, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Do Your Personalities Mesh?

You could be working with your lawyer for a while, so you want to find someone you can get along with. If your personalities don’t work well together, it’s best to find a lawyer you feel better about. Too many conflicts can lead to serious communication problems, which could end up being detrimental to your case. A good outcome is important, and communication is needed for that.

Personality, education, and experience should all be taken together when it comes to picking the right lawyer for you. Don’t make your decision based on only one factor, because there is a lot to consider when hiring any legal professional.

Getting Compensation For Your Injuries

If you’ve been hurt on the job or in some kind of accident that’s no fault of your own, you may be interested in seeking compensation for your injuries. This can be easier said than done, depending on what type of injury you had and who caused it.

Know What Your Injuries Are ‘Worth’

For purposes of insurance, there are values placed on injuries. These are based on how much they debilitate a person and also on whether they are temporary or permanent. While these are not exact values for your specific case, they can help you determine what compensation might be for these kinds of problems.

How To Get Compensation

Sometimes, you’ll simply be offered compensation. Other times, you’ll need to go after it in order to collect. If you’re offered compensation for your injury, make sure it’s realistic and fair. Don’t just take the first offer you get because you assume you can’t do any better.

What Questions To Ask Your Lawyer

If you’ve gotten a compensation offer, ask your lawyer whether he believes that to be a fair price. If so, you may want to take it and move on. It it’s not a fair price, though, you can ask about suing and what will be involved to move your case forward, as well as what you can reasonably expect to collect.

Don’t just assume that your injuries aren’t ‘worth’ anything, or that you have to suffer without compensation. You should work to get the amount that’s fair and just, especially if your injury is permanent.

Does Your Boss Owe You Money For An Injury?

When you work for a living, you need that money to support your family. Unfortunately, an on the job injury can stop you from getting the money you need to pay your bills. If you got hurt on the job and can’t work, it’s important to find out what your boss or company will be doing to help take care of you.

Be Sure You Know Your Rights

You might not know what rights you have as an injured worker, but you can find out by doing a little bit of research. Most people do this online, but there are other ways to get the information, as well. The important thing is that you determine what rights you have.

Ask Your Lawyer About Injury Compensation

If you aren’t sure how much compensation you should get for your injury, or whether you should get any at all, it’s a good idea to talk with your lawyer about what’s realistic. That way, you’ll know whether you want to pursue your legal case or whether it wouldn’t benefit you to do so.

Make Sure You Give Your Company A Chance

For any on the job injury, especially if you’ve worked with the company for some time, it’s a good idea to work with that company for compensation, if possible. Suing right away doesn’t solve the problem.

If you do need to bring a lawsuit, though, be sure to do that in a timely manner. There are often time limits on personal injury issues, so talking with a lawyer if the company won’t help you is very important.

Hurt At Work? You Might Need A Lawyer

Getting injured at work can happen to anyone. Some people are more susceptible to it based on the kind of job they have, though, and others get hurt because of their own carelessness or because of the negligence of others. If you’ve been injured at work through no fault of your own, because of an unsafe condition, you may want to consult a lawyer.

How Did Your Injury Occur?

It’s very important to be honest about how you got hurt. Was there horseplay? Were you careless? If those things are a factor, you might not get the kind of compensation you’re hoping for. You may not be entitled to any kind of compensation at all.

What Is Your Boss Doing To Help You?

If you have a boss who cares about your welfare and is trying to help you with medical bills and other expenses, that’s often enough. However, if your boss doesn’t care about how you got hurt, you may need to sue in order to get needed compensation for your injury.

Are You Getting Compensation?

Whether you’re getting compensation for an injury depends on a lot of different factors, and it’s best to talk to a lawyer in order to make that determination. You can be your own advocate and find a lot of good information, but that doesn’t always tell you everything you need to know.

Trying to work with your boss and company is the best way to take care of compensation for an injury, but sometimes it can’t be done. If you aren’t getting any satisfaction, a lawyer can tell you what your next step should be.

Contingency Fees: How Do They Work?

You’ve probably heard a lot of lawyers talk about working on contingency fees, but if you aren’t familiar with what that means, you could miss out on getting your case heard without having to pay a lot of money. Most lawyers use the contingency fee method for personal injury types of cases.

Ask Your Lawyer About Fees

Just because a lot of lawyers offer contingency fee work for certain cases, that doesn’t mean that all lawyers do or that all cases can be handled off of a contingency fee. It’s always very important to find out exactly what fees you have to pay to your lawyer so you aren’t suddenly surprised later on.

Make Sure You Understand What You’re Paying

Is everything about your case covered under the contingency fee? That’s a good question to ask. You may end up paying some other costs, so it’s very important to get information in writing and to ask questions about any and all payments that you may need to make to your lawyer. Get your information up front and straight from the source.

What If Your Lawyer Loses The Case?

If your lawyer is unsuccessful, you shouldn’t owe him any money. That’s how contingency works – no fee unless you win the case. Keep in mind, though, that you should still clarify that. If your lawyer has spent a lot of money on court fees and other things, it’s important to know whether you’ll be responsible for any of that, even if you don’t have to pay the lawyer’s hourly fee.

Also ask about a win in your case if the guilty party doesn’t have any money to pay the judgment. It would be important to know how you’re going to pay your lawyer at that point.