If you’re planning on filing a lawsuit, you probably have what you believe to be evidence that you were wronged in some regard. Understanding evidence, however, does take some real legal knowledge. In fact, you may find that, upon meeting with your attorney, they don’t really believe that the things you consider to be evidence […]
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Police Sued Over Privacy Violations
CNN reported that a police department in Washington is facing a lawsuit over violating the rights of inmates. The reporting details that 11 women and 1 man are suing a police department over alleged instances where the inmates—who were all arrested on suspicion of drunk driving—were recorded while they were undressing and using the toilet. […]
Frivolous Lawsuits Get too Much Publicity
The idea behind a lawsuit is to give a person who was wronged because of another person’s negligence away to get compensated. This can include suing manufacturers for putting dangerous products out on the market when they should’ve known better, suing motorists who are prone to driving dangerously and end up hurting or killing someone […]
Dog Bites and Liability
Unfortunately, many dog owners are not responsible with their animals. In fact, it’s quite reasonable to argue that the biggest cause of dog bites has nothing to do with dogs, but with the people who are in charge of taking care of those dogs. There are differences on a state-by-state basis as to how much […]
Daycare Worker Arrested for Raping Children
For parents with children in daycare, a nightmare scenario seems to be unfolding in Ohio. According to NewsOK, a daycare worker has been arrested on two counts of rape. The woman, according to the article, had engaged in sexual conduct with an infant and made a video of herself doing it. Police claim that they […]
Class Action Against LinkedIn Reveals Importance of TOS
If you’ve gotten emails that appear to be from a friend of yours but that were actually from LinkedIn giving a pitch for the website, you’re not alone. In fact, a lawsuit has been filed against the business social networking website alleging that the company breaks into email accounts, uses the contact list to send […]
Can You Sue a Company for Mishandling Your Information?
Today, it’s not uncommon for companies with whom people do very casual business – cellular phone companies, Internet service providers, etc. – to have some very sensitive information about their clients. For example, Social Security numbers are routinely used as forms of identification and many companies require that information in order to open an account. […]
Why Do Personal Injury Attorneys Turn Down Cases?
There are instances when a personal injury attorney may turn down your claim. This may leave you wondering if there is any hope for justice but, keep in mind the fact that civil lawsuits are not really about justice; they’re about compensation. If you’ve been turned down as a client by an attorney, some or […]
How Do You Sue on Behalf of a Child
Some of the largest jury awards are actually handed out to children. These occur in cases involving medical malpractice during birth, car accidents that permanently damage a child and in other cases. Obviously, a child cannot enter into a contract or take any other legal action of their own accord. Parents are the ones who […]
How Do You Sue on Behalf of a Child
Some of the largest jury awards are actually handed out to children. These occur in cases involving medical malpractice during birth, car accidents that permanently damage a child and in other cases. Obviously, a child cannot enter into a contract or take any other legal action of their own accord. Parents are the ones who […]
Contingency Agreements Need to Be Taken Seriously
Understanding Contingency Agreements
Many of the attorney advertisements you’ll see will make a significant effort to let you know that the attorney works on a contingency basis. This is the common arrangement for attorneys who work in the personal injury field. The very basic elements of this type of agreement are easily understood. The attorney takes a percentage of any winnings that they make on your case and, if you don’t win, you don’t have to pay them anything.
If you’re not careful about it, this can make it seem all too easy to seek out the compensation that you need for an injury that was done to you. Consider the following before you engage the services of any attorney, whether they are offering you a contingency agreement or not.
Check the Rates for Additional Services
Just about every attorney out there will charge you an hourly rate for their services. You will want to get an estimate as to how long they believe it will take them to prepare your case. You will also want to know how much they intend to take in courtroom fees, in fees related to administrative tasks and so forth. One of the things you want to avoid is thinking that, because an attorney works on contingency, their prices aren’t going to be high. Attorneys are very specialized and very educated individuals who charge appropriately for their time. Just make sure you understand what all the charges and fees are before you sign on.
Adding in Fees
Some attorneys will go ahead and recommend that you add their fees into the amount you are seeking in your jury award. Remember that the jury will determine how much money you receive, if any, and they may choose not to put this amount into the award. In such a case, you’ll end up paying it out of your award.
Simply because you have found a good attorney who is willing to work with you on a contingency agreement doesn’t mean that you are getting their services for free. You will have to pay for them, so it’s a good idea to shop around a little bit and see which attorney can offer you good services for the most competitive rates, as you would for any other service provider.
How Can A Personal Injury Lawyer Help Maximize Your Compensation
If you’re injured on the job, in a car wreck or as the result of medical malpractice, you’ll want a very good personal injury attorney to represent you. Some people end up being offered a check by whatever entity or individual was responsible for their injuries and, unfortunately, they sometimes take it. It’s almost always a bad idea.
The Minimum Possible Amount
If you are offered one of these checks, consider how you got it. The attorneys for whatever company or person who injured you sat down and thought of the minimum possible amount they could pay to get rid of you. Then, they wrote up a check for that amount and came to you with it, probably offering their regrets along with the compensation. The problem with tis is that, if you take it, you’re probably letting them off the hook far too easily. What you need is your own attorney.
Understanding Personal Injury Attorneys
Your personal injury attorney understands how much accidents cost in real terms. He understands them in human terms. He understands that lost wages, lost opportunities, pain and suffering and other factors are all real things. He also understands how the law makes provisions for you to get compensated for these things. It’s not an automatic payout. Your attorney has to argue your case successfully to get you compensation. If you have a right to ask for compensation, however, your personal injury attorney will be sure that you exercise that right.
Your attorney also knows how much to ask for, which is very important. Asking for too much can ruin your case; asking for too little may end up cheating you. He will figure out a realistic amount for which to ask and they’ll have very good justifications for why you should receive that compensation, but the jury will ultimately decide if you should get that compensation.
A Settlement that works for you
If you are offered a settlement, your injury attorney will also know how much to ask for. He can keep the other side from wasting your time and trying to give you compensation as way to get you to back off of the lawsuit. If the offer a suitable amount, however, you may be able to avoid court fees and your attorney may encourage you to take it if it’s acceptable. The advantage with a good personal injury attorney is that he has the experience to really understand if it’s an acceptable amount or not.
Talk to an attorney if you believe that negligence has brought you to physical, emotional or financial harm. You can oftentimes consult with them for free and they’ll determine if they think you have a case or not. Personal injury attorneys can be exactly the people that you need to make sure that you don’t end up paying for injuries that were someone else’s fault, whether it was because of medical negligence, a bad or drunk driver or for any other reason. Their expertise can protect you from being put into financial ruin because someone failed to take the reasonable care that could be expected of any other person in their situation.