Everyone knows what a lawyer is – we went to law school, earned a doctorate, and started doing “lawyer things.” But what is a personal injury lawyer, and how exactly do we spend our day fighting for others?
There’s a lot more to it than you might think. You might say we wear many different hats to help clients.
In this article, I’ll discuss the six roles a personal injury lawyer plays.
Our attorneys have the experience, resources, and skill to help you if you’ve been injured by another through no fault of your own. Call 1-866-900-7078 today for a free professional opinion on your personal injury case.
What Types of Cases Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Handle?
Personal injury law, also known as tort law, deals with civil wrongdoing – a dispute between private parties. Criminal law, in contrast, deals with criminal acts where the government is pursuing action against a private party.
When you hear a case being called something like “the People versus Joe,” that’s a criminal case. The government should be enforcing the law on behalf of the people. For personal injury law, you’ll hear something like “Joe versus Mike” because the case is between two private parties (though there are instances where the government can sue or be sued). The same issue can lead to both criminal and civil proceedings.
So What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer? 6 Roles We Play
A South Carolina personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who represents victims of physical or psychological damage due to the negligence of another. But being a personal injury lawyer means a lot more than standing in court. We wear a lot of hats.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Is a Great Listener
An attorney is there to listen to you, answer your questions, and tell you the truth. Being injured by another is traumatic and many clients need to unburden themselves of the stress and worry they’re feeling. By listening to your story, we get to hear everything that’s happened from your perspective and can begin planning how to fight on your behalf.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Is a Counselor
When I say “counselor,” I mean it in two ways. We provide our clients with comfort in a time of crisis – the comfort of providing answers, offering objective advice, and helping you make the right decisions for you. And, of course, we provide legal counsel to try to achieve the best possible outcome for you and maximum compensation.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Is an Investigator
Personal injury lawyers sweat the details, and we may need to search for everything from accident scene evidence and closed-circuit camera footage to hard-to-find insurance policies that can help make our clients whole. Likewise, we sometimes have to hunt down medical records and bills. We do a lot of sleuthing (and often use detectives and expert investigators to assist us as needed).
A Personal Injury Lawyer Is Your Advocate
As a personal injury attorney, I am constantly championing my clients’ rights. I am fighting on their behalf, doing my best to try to ensure they’re treated fairly. Sometimes, this means fighting an insurance company over liability. Or being your champion can mean taking on defense lawyers and presenting your case in front of a judge and jury if needed. In many different forms, I’m always fighting for my client.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Is a Negotiator
In personal injury cases, there is almost always negotiation. The listening, investigating, and championing we’ve done help us try to negotiate favorable terms for our client. We try to negotiate a settlement that compensates our client for all their harms and losses, but insurance companies are vigorously protecting their own interests – usually their bottom line. If the insurance company isn’t being reasonable, a case can go to mediation – another form of negotiation guided by a neutral third party. You want your personal injury lawyer to be a good negotiator for you at all these stages and more.
A Personal Injury Attorney Is a Litigator
When negotiating with the insurance company, you want an attorney who is ready and willing to go to trial if needed. This can create leverage for your team. If negotiations fail and a trial is necessary, you want your personal injury attorney to effectively fight for your rights in court before a judge and/or jury. At our firm, we have attorneys who have plenty of trial experience and who are ready to take the fight to the courtroom as needed.
When Should I Contact a South Carolina Personal Injury Attorney?
Call a personal injury attorney as soon as you can after your injury. And speak to an attorney before you speak to the insurance company!
You should contact a South Carolina personal injury attorney right away for the following reasons:
- The evidence is fresh! The sooner we can get to work investigating and gathering evidence, the more likely we are to find what we’re looking for. The weather may wash away the accident scene. Witnesses may become harder to reach over time or forget what they saw. Time is of the essence.
- Some insurance companies may try to coax you into a mistake. Some adjusters may ask leading questions, take your words out of context, or even try to make you feel guilty for calling in the first place. Some may tell you a lawyer won’t help, lowball you, or deny your claim altogether. Let us handle them for you from the moment you get hurt.
- It doesn’t cost any more to have us start fighting for you immediately, thanks to our contingency fee We do not bill by the hour, and you pay us nothing upfront. In fact, you pay no attorney’s fee at all if we don’t recover compensation for you. Guaranteed.2
Why Should I Call the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin?
We’ve been helping injured people since 1997, fighting for their best interests and recovering over $2 billion in total compensation for more than 73,000 people. And counting.1
But it’s not just about the money, it’s also about how you’re treated along the way. Our “You-First” policy gives clients peace of mind. See what some of our clients have to say about our commitment, communication, and attention to detail.
We have the experience, resources, and skill to go to battle for you. Just call us at 1-866-900-7078 or contact us online today for a free case evaluation.
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