What Happens When a Personal Injury Lawyer Takes Your Case?

After getting into an accident that was another person’s fault, you might be considering taking legal action against the negligent party. If it’s your first time hiring a personal injury lawyer, it can be confusing learning the process of everything, and you might not understand what’s going on.

Personal injury claims can be complex, but your attorney is there to guide you through it. Still, you might want to do some research of your own so that you can better understand the process of a personal injury claim. Let’s take a look at that general process.

The Personal Injury Claims Process

After a lawyer decides to take your case, you should know what the legal process is going to look like for your case. Of course, your claim could go differently depending on the specifics, but this is how the general claim process looks for most personal injury cases. Here are the steps you can expect:

• Pre-litigation. Your first meeting with your attorney will be in the pre-litigation stage. This is when you bring your lawyer all the documents and evidence you have and they decide whether or not they’ll take your case. When they decide they will, this information helps them get an idea for what happened and how to approach your case. They’ll also use these documents to determine how much you’re owed in compensation.
• Discovery. This part of the process is when both parties ask each other questions to get more information about the accident and who was at fault. This helps your attorney build your claim and get more information that will prove the other party was the one who caused your accident, injuries, and subsequent damages.
• Negotiations. In this part of the case, both parties will be working together to reach a fair settlement for both sides. The other party will likely offer you a settlement that doesn’t cover your damages, which is why your lawyer will keep working to get you full and fair recovery for what you’ve incurred.
• Trial. Ideally, your lawyer will be able to reach a settlement, and most times that’s what happens in personal injury claims. Sometimes, one can’t be reached, and the case must go to trial in the court.
• Appeals. Once a decision is made by a judge in a trial, you might think that’s the end. But if you don’t feel the decision was fair, you can file an appeal and continue your legal process.

This process is likely what you’ll be facing when a personal injury attorney decides to take your case. They’ll walk you through every step so that you are informed and feel confident in your claim.

Why a Personal Injury Lawyer Might Refuse Your Case

Even though you’re likely more focused on what happens once an attorney takes your case, you might also want to consider why a personal injury lawyer might refuse your case. This will just keep you prepared and help you understand the legal process even more.

Here are some of the reasons an attorney might not take your personal injury case:

• You missed the statute of limitations.
• They don’t have experience with cases like yours.
• They don’t think your case is strong enough to win.
• Your case will be too costly up front.
• Your potential winnings aren’t worth it.
• They have a conflict of interest.
• They just don’t want to take your case.

While it might be frustrating to visit with a lawyer and they decide not to take your claim, it is for the best for you in the long run. If an attorney isn’t completely committed to your case, then you might not get the outcome you deserve, even if you think it’s clear cut. If a lawyer denies your case up front, that just means you should go find another lawyer who better fits your needs.

This is why it’s important to find law firms who offer free consultations—that way, if one lawyer refuses to take your case, you’re not paying money up front just for them to not help you.

Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law Can Help You

When you have a potential personal injury claim, you can trust Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law to fight for you and build the strongest claim possible. That way, you can have confidence that you will get the justice you deserve for what you’ve gone through. Our experienced Biloxi, MS personal injury lawyers are here to help you. Reach out to our office today so that we can discuss your options during a free consultation.