Important First Steps For Your Personal Injury Case
Posted on: 27 June 2017
If you've been in a car wreck caused by a careless driver, you may be considering filing a personal injury claim. Being involved in this type of legal action can add some additional stress to your life, but knowing what might lie ahead could help ease some of those worries. Read on to learn more about a few important first steps in your quest for personal injury success.
First Attorney Meeting
When the time comes, your first meeting with your new personal injury attorney should serve as a breakthrough in your negative situation. For the first time since your accident, you will now have a tireless advocate on your side who will work to ensure that you get everything possible in the form of monetary damages. Make the most of this important appointment and get your case off to a quick start by showing up with important documents in hand, such as your insurance information, the other party's information, the accident or police report and a summary of your damages so far. Your damages so far consists of a list of all medical procedures, lost property and lost wages.
The Contingency Fee Arrangement
It should be endlessly comforting to know that many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they only get paid if you win your case, with the pay being a certain percentage of the monetary damages. The benefits of contingency fee arrangements go well beyond the obvious financial ones, since you will immediately know how good of a case you have if the attorney accepts it. Additionally, since the attorney's fee is contingent on a high payout, you can rest assured the attorney will squeak out the highest amount from the at-fault party that is possible.
The Demand Letter
Did you know that you may be offered a settlement without even having to go to court? One of your attorney's first acts is likely to send a demand letter to the other side. This letter details all the reasons you are not at fault and includes a list of your damages, so far. Since taking a case to court can be costly and could take a lot of time, the other side is motivated to settle with you to avoid court. This letter should convince the opposing side that you have such a strong case, that they would be foolish to fight it in court.
Don't wait too long, speak to a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
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