Being in an accident due to someone else’s reckless behavior is infuriating. You’re looking at thousands of dollars in property damage and medical expenses. It can throw your whole family into turmoil.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer could be the last thing on your to-do list during this trying time. But, with an average settlement of almost $53,000 it is most definitely in your favor to do so.
When you live in a small town you may want to turn to the local lawyer in town. Here we discuss the benefits of bringing in the big guns from the big city for your personal injury case.
5 Reasons to Hire a Big City Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Case
The fact of the matter is that not all lawyers are equal. Most small towns may only have one or two local attorneys. While your heart may want to hire your neighbor it could be a better idea to use an attorney from out of town.
First, let’s discuss what personal injury is and how it differs from other law specialties.
So, What Is Personal Injury?
In legal terms, a personal injury is a physical or emotional trauma that occurs in the course of an accident. This accident would be the fault of another person or entity.
Your personal injury case depends on two things, damages, and liability. You must show that the party you are bringing the claim against is liable for your injuries. This is what determines the validity of your personal injury claim.
You must prove negligence or intentional actions led to the accident. This proves the liability of the other party.
You also will need to calculate the extent of your injury in a financial sense, this will be your damages. You will add up the expenses collected as a result of the event.
Damages can include any expense or lost wages that occurred as a direct result of the accident.
Learn more about whether your injury merits hiring a personal injury lawyer here.
What Can A Well Known Personal Injury Lawyer Offer That A Local Lawyer Cannot?
Using a local small town attorney can be a great idea if the attorney has a lot of experience with your type of case. But, if that lawyer handles other types of cases on a regular basis it can benefit you to look out of town.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can be your key to winning your case.
Choosing the right attorney can determine whether you win or lose. More than that it can mean the difference between a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars. That’s a big difference in your pocketbook.
So, what exactly would a big city lawyer have that your small town lawyer wouldn’t? Let us expand on that.
Being A Specialist In Personal Injury
As we have touched on, there are a ton of different law specialties out there and all lawyers are not created equal. Different types of law need different types of knowledge.
Big city hubs will have lots of personal injury specialists for you to choose from. You will have access to a huge pool so you can make a well-informed decision on your best representative.
An attorney who has handled hundreds of personal injury cases has more details. You can ask for information on other cases that they have handled that are like yours. You will be able to get more info about settlement rates and how many times the attorney has won those cases.
You broaden your choice from one or two options, depending on location, to hundreds of options. Experience and expertise mean better odds, at winning and getting more money.
Access To More Resources
A larger attorney’s office will be able to put much more into your case than a small attorney’s office.
Big city offices make more money. They have larger staffs. They have more cash on hand. What does this mean to you? They can throw all this behind your case.
This means more eyes on your case, more time on your case, and a better chance of winning. With more eyes comes the development of a detailed and nuanced strategy. They can work more angles.
Most attorney’s in bigger cities are able to work on a contingency basis as well. This means that you don’t have to pay them unless they win your case. This is because they have the resources to handle lots of cases at once.
They will take their fee out of the settlement they win for you.
Dealing with a small town attorney who can only handle a few cases makes this less of an option. Less risk to you is always a great benefit even if it means going with someone outside of your comfort zone.
The resources of a big city attorney will often extend outside of the legal spectrum as well. For instance, Babcock Injury Lawyers are able to offer prospective law students the opportunity to study law under our scholarship funding, and through our internship program.
A Greater Number Of Cases For Comparison
A lawyer that specializes in personal injury law is going to have many case examples to show you. More case examples mean more data. They can show you what their win-to-loss ratios are. Show off their high settlement rates.
You will be able to make an informed decision on the best attorney to choose for your specific case. You local lawyer may have a few personal injury cases as well. But, they won’t have the data a specialist will.
Getting yourself and your family back on their feet after an accident is paramount. You want to have the highest odds of winning your case. You want the highest payout possible.
You don’t want to be pigeon-holed by the one or two options of attorneys you have in your immediate area.
Big City Connections
If you don’t choose to settle out of court, you are going to have to bring your case to court and have it heard by a judge. If you live in a county that includes a big city and a lot of small towns, the courthouse will be in the city.
In court is where the city attorneys will have the biggest advantage. They see more case volume, take cases to court more often, and they work around the courthouse all the time.
These lawyers are on a first name basis with a lot of those judges and clerks. They work with them all the time. They have lunch with them. They go out to drinks together. These attorneys have a better handle on the folks that will be seeing your case.
Financial judgments are much higher in court than out of it. The city attorney will choose to go to court more often than the small town attorney. It’s less cost for them because they are down the street.
When they are in court they can use their relationships with the people who work there to your advantage.
They will know if the judge has a no-nonsense attitude or keeps a more casual courtroom. They will have a better understanding of what judges will allow and how far they can push. This is another important element of the nuanced strategy they can develop.
This can all lead to a more favorable result for your case. A better legal strategy can mean a higher chance of winning and a better chance at your highest judgment.
If you’re going to bring a case to court, you want it to be worth it. You gotta get the best person for the job. In the instance of a personal injury case that will mean getting someone who knows what they’re doing.
Know Your Case, Choose The Best Representation
At the end of the day, you are the one who will have the most intimate knowledge of your case and what’s involved. You will be the one choosing the personal injury lawyer who will best represent you.
You have to consider different factors when deciding on the best attorney for your case. Is my case cut and dry? Am I dealing with a high powered company or a neighbor down the street? How much am I looking to settle for? Do I need contingency services or can I afford an attorney out of pocket?
Then you need to get all the information you can on the attorneys available to you. What does the lawyer specialize in? How many personal injury cases have they handled? How big is their staff? What is their average settlement amount? Do they think they’ll win your case?
Once you have done your due diligence you will be able to pick the best representative for you and your case.
Want to learn more about the different types of personal injury cases there are? Unsure whether what you went through would be applicable? Give us a call today and let us evaluate our case.
Wondering whether your accident merits a trip to court? Want to make sure it’s worth going through the process? You shouldn’t have to do this research on your own or be shooting in the dark. Contact us now for a free case review to help you with this decision.