A financial compensation claim may be available if you were injured in an accident. However, getting the maximum compensation you deserve is difficult without proper legal representation. An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how to build the strongest case to maximize your settlement or court award.
Investigating the accident
Injury lawyers investigate accidents thoroughly for liability. Examine physical evidence, interview witnesses, and take photos. A detailed investigation will show your injuries. Your case was strengthened by a reconstruction expert. Proving liability is the first key to getting maximum compensation. In addition to proving liability, a skilled personal injury lawyer meticulously documents your injuries. Tests, imaging studies, and medical records. Experts will examine you and describe your injuries and prognosis. Experts counter opposing views with objective opinions. Documenting the health consequences with supportive expert medical evidence is vital to getting full compensation for both economic and non-economic damages.
Calculating damages
Once liability and injuries are demonstrated, your lawyer will calculate current and future economic damages. It includes medical bills, lost income from missed work, loss of future earning capacity, therapy costs, medication, assistive devices, and other quantifiable losses. An experienced attorney works with finance and vocational experts to provide evidence supporting your complete economic damages. For non-economic damages like pain and suffering, skilled negotiators can make compelling arguments warranting appropriate compensation. Thoroughly calculated damages are essential to substantiating your worth.
Negotiating effectively
Most personal injury cases settle out of court before trial. An accomplished negotiator often gets full policy limits from the at-fault party’s insurance company. You will receive a demand letter that details liability, injuries, and damages. By negotiating firmly and reasonably, a proficient lawyer reach a fair settlement or convince the insurer it’s smarter to pay policy limits than risk going to trial. Even for policies that seem too low, creative attorneys find ways to get additional compensation through stacking other available policies. Top-dollar settlements require skillful negotiators.
Preparing for trial
You may have your case trialed if you cannot settle. Extensive preparation is required to present a compelling case in court. Your lawyer will develop a trial strategy, prepare exhibits, submit motions to limit defense arguments, take depositions from opposing witnesses, hire expert witnesses, and exhaustively prepare you for testimony. At trial, your attorney’s litigation skills such as expert witness examination, impactful opening/closing statements, effective objections, and more maximize your compensation. Victories at trial often yield compensation greater than any pre-trial settlement offer. Even after a successful trial verdict, some defenses appeal excessive awards. Your personal injury lawyer will fight any appeals seeking to lower your compensation. A good oral argument reinforces your case’s legal points. A detailed written brief is also submitted arguing why it should be denied. qualified injury lawyers in brampton will even take appeals to the state supreme court if needed to protect your compensation from being reduced.
Tax implications
The tax treatment of your compensation is one benefit of having an attorney. Some damages like lost wages and medical expenses are taxable while pain and suffering awards aren’t. Taxes are minimized by your lawyer. Structured settlements, annuities, and lump-sum payouts are also available through attorneys. Knowing how to maximize your after-tax compensation is another benefit of legal representation. Insurers often claim pre-existing conditions or your negligence like not wearing a seatbelt contributed to your injuries. It allows them to reduce payouts through doctrines like comparative negligence. A talented attorney builds evidence disproving such claims and fights any reductions at trial. Lawyers also defeat defenses like statutes of limitations that prevent compensation. Having an attorney who knows how to counter-defense tactics prevents damages from being diminished.
