Do I Need a Lawyer For a Personal Injury Case?
There are many personal injury cases that the injured parties handle on their own, without the aid of a personal injury lawyer. However, if you are seriously injured, have been unable to return to work while dealing with your injuries, and are suffering financially because of the mountain of medical bills that are accumulating, your best resource and ally is an accident lawyer Portland. Your lawyer has the legal knowledge you need to get the fairest compensation while also allowing you to concentrate on your recovery since they will handle the legal side of your case.
What Are the Advantages of Having a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Depending on the particular circumstances of your accident and the injuries that you have sustained, working with a lawyer can give you several advantages. To begin with, your lawyer will help determine who is liable for your injuries since more than one party may turn out to be responsible for them. Additionally, a personal injury lawyer can help you with many other issues, among them:
Building a strong case for your defense – By gathering as much evidence as possible and understanding the legal standards that apply to your case, your lawyer will be able to create a strong legal strategy to defend you.
Negotiating with the insurance company – You may find that the insurance party, be it your own or the one representing the liable party, is not too eager to release payment to you once you file a claim. After all, they are experts at minimizing the value of a claim or even dismissing it. Having a skilled negotiator by your side will considerably increase the speed and the amount of compensation you will receive.
Placing a fair value on your case – Although certain expenses such as your medical bills, the cost to fix your car, or the income you have lost by being unable to work while you take care of your injuries are easy to add up, other intangible expenses are not so easy to quantify. You may be experiencing pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and other symptoms, and your lawyer will help you come up with the right value for them.
How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take?
Depending on the particular circumstances surrounding your case and the severity of your injuries and losses, you can expect a personal injury case to take between several weeks to a few years. There are many factors that play a role in the length of a case, such as your state’s statute of limitations, the complexity of the case, whether your lawyer is successful at achieving a settlement that will satisfy you, or if the case needs to end up in court.
When a case goes to court, the process tends to become even longer and more complicated since other factors play a role there, which may be related to the specific court, the judge, the documents you need to present, and more.