Do You Need A Lawyer To Win A Personal Injury Settlement?

If you have been injured because of someone else's negligence then you can file a personal injury lawsuit. Should you hire an attorney to represent you?

The reality is that, if you are the plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit, you do not need to hire an attorney in order to settle your insurance claim for personal injury. However, before you decide to handle the claim on your own you should know many of the things that you will have to do in order to win a settlement.

Read this article and you can better decide whether to attempt to win a personal injury settlement on your own or whether you should hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you.

First, though, why would anyone not want to hire an attorney to represent them?

The bottom line is literally the bottom line. That's because there are often large legal fees and costs that are associated with personal injury cases.

Even though personal injury lawyers are usually hired on a contingency basis, if you could learn how to successfully navigate the entire legal process, you may be able to save the cost of lawyers' fees, which would mean you would end up with more money.

The first thing that you will have to do is to meet with your doctor in order to initiate the claim process. Once treated, you're officially known as "injured."

Next, if the insurance company feels that you have a legitimate claim, they will probably try to offer you a settlement of the claim. This means that they will offer you a specific amount of money in return for your signature on a document that states that you won't make any other claim against the company for this matter. Further research on your part may help you to determine what a reasonable settlement could be.

Keep in mind that a lot of insurance adjusters will record every conversation that they have with you (even on the telephone) and that they can use any verbal agreement as a basis for settling the claim. If you decide you do not want to settle then the claim process will continue.

As you are treated your medical bills should be paid by the insurance company - only if you sign medical authorization forms that give the insurance companies permission to get the medical bills and your records. Remember, if you don't sign the forms, your bills may not be paid. The entire process can take as long as three years.

It may not all be smooth sailing, though. If the defendant's insurance company believes that you're getting too many treatments they may say that they won't reimburse you for that portion of your medical bills.

So, although, it seems that someone who has suffered a personal injury can end up with more money if they represent themselves, the reality is that in many instances they will work harder and end up with less money than they would have if they hired an experienced personal injury attorney to represent them.


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And to find out more about a law firm that may be able help you win your personal injury settlement go to http://www.sokolovelaw.com/.

Wendy Moyer on behalf of Sokolove Law.