Why Do I Need to Contact a Lawyer?
Personal injury law is complex, but some individuals believe they can handle their own cases without the help of a trained attorney. While it’s true that a few individuals have managed to successfully represent their own interests and won cases in the past, this is a very rare occurrence, and the average person doesn’t have the legal experience to succeed in even a very simple personal injury case.
Hiring a lawyer has many advantages. While some mistakenly believe that attorneys’ fees are too expensive, the reality is that the majority of attorneys offer very fair pricing or contingency fee billing that guarantees a plaintiff will not be responsible for attorneys’ fees if he or she loses the case. Consider the following reasons to hire a personal injury attorney, and contact the Eric Ratinoff Law Corp in Sacramento if you need an attorney for your personal injury claim.
Our Lawyers Understand the Court System
The court system involves strict deadlines, very particular filing requirements, and a host of other caveats that the average person may miss or overlook. If you miss a required filing deadline, it’s very possible for a judge to throw out your case before it even reaches trial. Additionally, most claims must fall within the required statute of limitations, which is two years in California. This means a plaintiff has two years from the date of an injury or the date of discovery of an injury to file a lawsuit.
The Attorneys at Eric Ratinoff Know How to Find Compensation for Clients
While you may know to claim your medical expenses and property damage after an accident, how do you prove your pain and suffering or lost wages? An attorney will help you build a strong case with evidence that clearly shows the extent of your damages. Your attorney will also help you uncover additional avenues of compensation you may have otherwise overlooked.
Uncovering these avenues is only part of the process, however. You must also prove a link between your damages and the defendant’s negligence. In many cases, this may involve contacting an expert witness who can testify that your injuries or illness resulted from the defendant’s actions and not some other cause. The expert witness can also provide insight as to the extent of the pain and suffering caused by an injury or the amount of recovery a plaintiff will require before returning to work.
We Can Actually Save or Make Money for You
While it’s true that you will have to pay attorneys’ fees, it’s possible that you could claim your attorneys’ fees as damages in your case. If this is true for your claim, then hiring an attorney is no longer an expense. Since your attorney will know where to look to maximize your compensation, claiming attorneys’ fees as damages is a great way to mitigate the cost of hiring an attorney and maximizing the amount of compensation you receive from your lawsuit. Ultimately, you are far more likely to secure more compensation in your claim by hiring an attorney than attempting to represent your own interests and possibly overlooking valuable channels of compensation or evidence that supports your case.
Attorneys Can Handle Insurance Adjusters for You
No one enjoys speaking with insurance companies, and it’s never a good idea to do so until you’ve consulted with your attorney. The adjuster assigned to your claim is looking for any reason he or she can find to lowball your settlement offer, delay your claim, or outright deny your claim. Your attorney can help you draft your initial claim and manage any pushback you receive from insurance claim adjusters.
If you or a loved one recently suffered injuries due to another party’s negligence in the Sacramento area, contact the Eric Ratinoff Law Corp today to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys for legal representation.