You may know that you need to hire a personal injury lawyer to help you with a case, but you may not know what’s going to happen after you hire them. Personal injury lawyers can help people with so many different issues, and they can make a huge difference in whether or not you receive any money in a settlement. If you have recently spoken with a lawyer and they have agreed to take your case, then you may be wondering what’s going to happen next. Most people are anxious to find out anything they can about what’s going on, but it’s important to know that patience is key when it comes to personal injury cases. Your lawyer is going to be doing many different things to ensure that your case is approached properly and that your information is being presented in the best possible manner.
At the Beginning
After you leave the consultation and a lawyer agrees to accept your case, they will likely get started working right away. The reason it’s important to mention that a lawyer accepts your case is because most personal injury law firms will speak with you to find out more information about your case to see if they will work on it without accepting any payment up front. Most personal injury cases result in large settlements, and this is where the lawyer will get their payment from. If, however, a lawyer feels that they won’t be able to win your case and you still want to fight it, you may be required to pay a retainer fee.
Once it’s agreed that you have a case and the lawyer will represent you, they may ask you to sign lots of different paperwork. These could be anything from medical release forms to papers that give your lawyer permission to dive deeper into your personal affairs. Depending on the type of case you have, a lawyer will probably need to find out as much information about you as possible. They need to build a portfolio about your life so they can use this in the courtroom. When it comes to personal injury cases, a client’s background is extremely important. If it becomes apparent that you’ve tried to sue several companies for personal injury claims and lost, a judge and jury may not feel that you are being honest about what happened. If you have a flawless background that shows you are an upstanding member of society that contributes to many positive communities and have never had any sort of personal injury accident, then a lawyer can use this information to your benefit.
Preparing for the Court Date
Once the lawyer accepts your case and begins compiling the evidence and paperwork they need, they will likely set a court date for the near future. This is the day they are going to present everything they have to a judge and try to work out an arrangement with the company or person you’re seeking compensation from. In some instances, the at-fault party will agree that they were in the wrong and simply pay the money you’re asking for. In other cases, though, the at-fault party will vehemently deny that they did anything wrong and the case may need to go to trial. The initial court date will determine if the at-fault party is going to agree or deny the accusations against them. Hopefully they will simply agree to pay what you’re asking for, but don’t hold out hope for this to happen right away. There’s a very good chance they will counter-offer with an amount of money that’s substantially lower than what you were asking for, but you can also counter-offer this as well.
If the lawyers from both parties can come to an agreement that day, then you will be awarded the money agreed upon and that will be the end of it. You will likely have to sign some paperwork as a result of the settlement, and it’s important to read through it all entirely. In some cases, the victim of a case is awarded settlement money and is not allowed to speak of what happened to them as a result of the settlement and being paid. Your lawyer will be able to go over the paperwork you need to sign and explain it to you in simpler terms.
After the Court Date / Trial
After your day in court, you need to be aware of a few things. It may take a few weeks to get your payment, and it may not come all at once. If you are awarded a substantial amount of money, such as $1M, then a judge may allow the at-fault party a grace period to pay you this amount. This means you could get several checks for $200,000 until their debt to you is paid. Again, your lawyer will be able to read through the paperwork and determine all of this information out.
If your case needs to go to trial, then your lawyer is going to prepare you for extensive questioning and will make you aware of what’s going to happen in your future court appearances. You will be subject to questioning on the stand by both your lawyer and the at-fault party’s lawyer. If your lawyer wants to do some practice examination sessions, take these seriously as you want to be well-prepared for your day in court so you don’t make any mistakes. A slight hesitation can cause a jury to think you’re lying about what really happened.
If you are in need of a professional personal injury lawyer in Arizona, contact Tobler Law for any service you need. You don’t need to face the judge alone; a professional can be by your side and guide you through every step of the experience.