Important Concerns For injury attorney near me - The Best Questions
{In Over Your Head? How A Lawyer Can Help
If you find yourself in a situation where it is necessary to take someone to court, finding the right lawyer to represent you is very important. Don't make the mistake of picking someone that will charge you ridiculous rates without helping much. Read this article for tips on how to pick the right lawyer.
A good tip if you're looking to hire a lawyer is to make sure you pick the right one. Location can be a big factor when looking to hire a lawyer. If you're going to being to court soon, it's absolutely crucial that the lawyer you pick is in the area.
Do not make the mistake of believing that an older lawyer automatically knows more than a lawyer that is a bit younger. Someone may have been in practice longer, but that does not mean that they automatically have experience in the area of law that pertains to your case.
If your court case pertains to real estate like buying or selling a home or being sued by a former landlord, you need a real estate lawyer. They are specially trained in real estate law, and will be able to give you the best possible advice.
Ask your lawyer for an estimate when you decide they're the one for you. If they say no, walk away immediately. Even if they just give you a range and explain what makes a case more or less expensive, that is good enough. Make sure to get your fee agreement in writing!
Choose a lawyer that you feel very comfortable with. Not only will an excellent lawyer know what they are doing, but they will also make you feel comfortable. If the lawyers don't do this, look for a new one immediately.
Check online to find out what sort of fees are typical for your legal issues. This will help you avoid being scammed down the road. Choose a lawyer who has a good track record and a great deal of experience to ensure that they don't overcharge you for their own time-wasting mistakes.
Avoid lawyers who look at your case as an easy win or no-brainer. This is a red flag for a casual, poor quality lawyer. You want a highly skilled lawyer to ensure that you are getting the best advice and representation possible. Choose your lawyer wisely to avoid this issue.
Make sure the lawyer you are hiring is suited for your needs. Like medical professionals, lawyers can be general practitioners or dedicated specialists. Know what general legal area your case is in, and narrow your search for a lawyer within that specialization to find someone with focused training and experience.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, consider representing yourself. Find a lawyer who is willing to help you prepare a good defense and give use some useful advice. Some lawyers will help you build a solid defense and bill you for a the few hours they spent working with you.
Look for information about the school your lawyer attended. While this should not be the only determining factor, it is important. If they attended a harder school with harder courses, they most likely worked really hard to earn their degree. Even though a lawyer may have graduated from a school that is not one of the top schools, they may still be great at what they do.
A good to to remember if you're dealing with a lawyer that's hard to reach, is to send a polite letter to them urging them to get to work. Threatening to sue them is not the way to go. They might turn out to be an amazing lawyer but may not be very punctual.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, consider representing yourself. Find a lawyer who is willing to help you prepare a good defense and give use some useful advice. Some lawyers will help you build a solid defense and bill you for a the few hours they spent working with you.
Do not bring any children with you when you go for a consultation with a lawyer. This is a business meeting, and you should take it very seriously. The only time you should bring them along is if there is no way you can get someone to stay with them while you go to your appointment.
Look around the room carefully when you visit a lawyer's office to interview them. Do you see their files in order? Does your check here lawyer have piles of paperwork and whatnot all over the desk? Is there coat hung up neatly? Remember, you pay for their time, including the time it might take to straighten out any chaos they've created.
Do you want to be able to email your lawyer? Then you must choose someone who knows what email is! Many lawyers are still in the Dark Ages when it comes to technology, so it is important to contact them through the method you'll use once they're hired to ensure it will work.
Honesty is the best policy when you deal with your lawyer. Tell him anything that applies to your legal matters, even the things that may have negative repercussions. Your lawyer will need all the information available to build a solid defense for your case. Remember that your attorney will not spread your information.
When buying or selling a house or car, it is important to have a real estate agent look over the contract to be sure you're not getting into something which could be legally regrettable. You won't understand all the legal mumbo jumbo, but they will, saving you trouble down the road.
If you hire a lawyer, you do not like, you have the right to end the relationship with him. Just remember you will still have to pay him for the services he has rendered. Furthermore, if he was representing you on a contingency basis, he may be entitled to part of the proceeds once your case has been resolved.
There are lawyers for many specific kinds of cases, and despite any jokes, lawyers should be interested in justice. Instead of increasing the stress surrounding your situation, make things go smoothly. Remember the tips in this article so you can choose the best lawyer for you and get out on top!
Auto insurers play hardball in minor-crash claims
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- If you are injured in a minor car crash, chances are good that you will be in the fight of your life to get the insurance company to pay all the medical costs you incur -- even if the accident was no fault of your own.
That's what CNN discovered in an 18-month investigation into minor-impact soft-tissue injury crashes around the country. Those are accidents in which there is little damage to the vehicle and the injuries to people are not easy to see by the naked eye or conventional medical tools like X-rays.
Since the mid-1990s, most of the major insurance companies -- led by the two largest, Allstate and State Farm -- have adopted a tough take-it-or-leave-it strategy when dealing with such cases.
The result has been billions in profits for insurance companies and little, if anything, for the public, according to University of Nevada insurance law professor Jeff Stempel.
"We can see that policyholders individually are getting hurt by being dragged through the court on fender-bender claims, and yet we don't see any collateral benefit in the form of reduced premiums even for the other policyholders," Stempel said.
"So I think now we can say to continue this kind of program is in my view institutionalized bad faith."
If you have never heard of the strategy, it's because insurance companies don't want you to know that they are paying out less and less for minor crashes even while their profits soar and your premiums continue to rise.
But after a review of more than 6,000 company documents and court records, interviews with a dozen people nationwide, including former company insiders, and conversations with accident victims, the picture is clear: If you challenge the offer by some insurance companies you will be left with no option but to go to court, where you will be dragged through the wringer.
Expensive, time-consuming
In an affidavit in a New Mexico case where Allstate is being sued, one of the company's former attorneys said the strategy is to make fighting the company "so expensive and so time-consuming that lawyers would start refusing to help clients."
Shannon Kmatz, a police officer and former Allstate claims agent, said company employees were encouraged to get rid of claims quickly and cheaply and even offered accident victims as little as $50, telling them to take it or leave it.
Both Roxanne Martinez of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Ann Taylor of West Lafayette, Indiana, saw the practice firsthand.
Martinez suffered neck and back injuries when she was sideswiped by a driver insured by Allstate.
After three years, the company finally offered her $15,000 -- a little more than half of what she needed for lost wages and medical bills.
She went to court, and four years after the accident a jury awarded her $167,000 plus interest.
"It's kind of hard when you are thinking they are going to leave you broke. ... That was very stressful," she said.
Taylor was not as fortunate when her case went to trial.
The Indiana nurse was rear-ended by a State Farm employee driving a State Farm car. Damage to her car was minimal but she suffered herniated disc and muscle tears.
Taylor racked up medical bills and lost wages amounting to about $15,000. The company offered her $2,000.
"I was just very insulted," she said.
She sued, but three years later a jury came back with a judgment for her of only $1,500.
The jury didn't believe she could be hurt in an accident in which the vehicle had barely a dent.
Three jurors told CNN photos of the two cars involved in the accident -- enlarged and prominently displayed by the defense -- played a huge role in their decision.
And one said they assumed Taylor had already been compensated by the insurance company and was just trying to get more money.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tK7Cq0WYE_Jbut9wKINYSEnPSaXFndpmovl-Sg3Focw/edit?usp=sharing