The Duties of an Accident Lawyer
If you got hurt in some accident that was not your fault, you have the right to file a claim for compensation, with either your insurance company or with the insurance company or the person who cause the accident. You can also get a third party involved if they were part of the reason the accident occurred. When those responsible refuse to reach an agreeable agreement, you may have to take your case to court for a hearing.
That is the starting point of accident claims. Each case is different, with many possibilities and matters arising in the claims process. You could be going through rehabilitation, deadlines, heavy medical bill payments, loss of your usual wages, and such things. To be able to handle all these while you are still getting better from the accident, you shall need an experienced and competent lawyer by your side. They shall offer their expert skills and experience to take you through the process, which you will find extremely beneficial.
The first thing a personal injury lawyer is good for is legal representation they give a person who has suffered physical and psychological injuries and is seeking compensation for the damages and loss they got from the injuries. It is normal for a personal injury lawyer to negotiate a claim and reach a settlement out of court. An experienced lawyer will also be prepared to go to court if the settlement is not agreeable. The cases can take different directions, but the duty of this lawyer remains the same. They will make sure they adapt to the changing situation.
When preparing to present your side, they shall gather evidence. They shall ensure they have thoroughly exhausted all avenues while doing this. They shall ensure they have gone through police reports, witness accounts, pictures and videos of the scene, and any other source of relevant information. When their client gets better medically, they shall proceed to gather medical records, health records, employment records, among others. This exercise is meant to build a case that shall lead to them proving who was at fault.
The lawyer’s other duty is to get the insurance company to make an offer, and work on negotiating an offer until they get a reasonable offer. In case the insurance company fails to produce a reasonable offer, then they shall prepare for the next step
The lawyer will at this juncture take the opportunity to file a lawsuit against the insurance company. This is usually the result of their refusal to comply with the negotiation. The lawyer usually goes for a hearing, or arbitration, or sometimes both. It is expected that once lawsuit is filed that the sued shall respond within 30 days. When the responses are received, discovery proceedings commence, where witness testimonies, expert testimonies, depositions shall be heard. Thereafter, a trial date is set. This can be immediately, or much later, depending on how a court’s schedule is.