The Role of a Personal Injury Attorney
You have been injured in an accident that was not your fault. Several questions run through your mind. Who will pay for my medical expenses? Who will pay my bills when I’m out of work? What care will I need in the future and who will pay for it? How has my life been changed and when, if ever, will I be able to resume a normal and active pain-free life? How do I deal with the insurance companies? How do I make sure that the person who caused the accident accepts responsibility and pays fair compensation for all of my losses?
My job, as a Personal Injury attorney, is to answer all of those questions, handle all contact with the insurance companies and, ultimately, recover full and fair compensation. My ultimate goal is to make certain that the person who caused the accident accepts responsibility and covers all of your losses, including compensating you for all past and future medical bills and lost wages, any other out-of-pocket costs and provides full and fair compensation for your pain and suffering and emotional distress.
Under Negligence Law, the person responsible for causing an accident is legally obligated to compensate anyone injured in the accident for all consequences. Since there is no way to turn back the clock and prevent the accident from happening, the intent of Negligence Law is to provide an injured party with enough compensation to make up for the damage caused by the accident.
Almost always, the person who caused the accident has purchased insurance coverage to make sure that an insurance company has to pay, rather than risking his or her personal assets. Not surprisingly, the insurance company is a big corporation motivated to make a profit by collecting premiums and paying out as little as possible in claims. So, when its customers have accidents, the insurance company will often try to deny responsibility for causing the accident or try to minimize compensation payments. My goal, as your Personal Injury attorney, is to make sure that the insurance company does not take advantage of you and to get you full and fair compensation for your injuries and losses.
These are the things we do for you in a typical Personal Injury case: investigate the accident; photograph the scene; locate and interview witnesses; review insurance policies; communicate with insurance companies; gather medical records, bills and lost wage information; hire expert witnesses; and negotiate a settlement or file a lawsuit and litigate the case to a conclusion.
Our fees are charged on a “Contingent” basis, meaning that the fee is “contingent” upon us recovering compensation for you. If we achieve no recovery, there is no fee. If we are successful in achieving compensation, our fee is usually one-third of the recovery plus any out-of-pocket costs we pay to pursue your case. We believe that the Contingent Fee is beneficial to our clients because the risk of the representation is on our shoulders. We pay expenses and perform work, but, if we are unsuccessful, you owe us nothing. In addition, the Contingent Fee gives a financial incentive for us to get you full and fair compensation because our fee depends on it. Also, since we do not charge by the hour, there is no incentive for us to delay or drag out the resolution your case.
The following article is informational only and not intended as legal advice. Speak with a licensed attorney about your own specific situation. © Copyright 2011 MacElree Harvey, Ltd. All rights reserved.