Legal professionals aren’t always held in the highest regard by the public. Personal injury attorneys, in particular, are often viewed unfavorably – and while this area of the law may make for good joke material, the stigma surrounding accident lawyers keeps some injured victims from getting the help they need.
As a long-standing Utah law firm, we frequently hear about people who suffer serious injuries due to someone’s negligent or wrongful actions, yet decide not to get legal assistance. Their reasons for refraining from hiring a lawyer are varied, but many people have concerns that are based on misinformation and incorrect assumptions and about accident attorneys.
Here are some of the reasons people hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney – and why you shouldn’t let any of those reasons stop you from getting legal advice.
Like those with other areas of expertise, lawyers need clients – and the specific clients that personal injury attorneys need happen to be accident victims. However, the stereotypical image of a lawyer lurking around the hospital in hopes of getting a client is a false one.
Rule 7.3 of Utah’s Rules of Professional Conduct states that attorneys cannot solicit clients over the telephone, through the internet or via in-person contact. So, reputable accident attorneys don’t seek out injured victims at the hospital or anywhere else, as doing so would be violating ethics rules. Predatory lawyers are out there, but this type of behavior is far from the norm.
Many people think that the real winners in any sort of injury claim are money-grubbing lawyers, but that’s really not the case. Getting the largest possible settlement or jury verdict is certainly the goal of any Utah personal injury attorney – but that’s mutually beneficial.
It may appear as if an injury lawyer only cares about money, but seeking the maximum in damages for a client is the only way an accident attorney can hold the at-fault party accountable for the pain and suffering they’ve caused. Legal professionals fight for justice on behalf of their clients, and that justice just happens to be in the form of monetary compensation.
Insurance adjusters often tell people that a personal injury attorney is only going to take money out of their pocket, leading Utah accident victims to believe that hiring a lawyer is a steep and unnecessary expense. But adjusters advocate for insurance companies, not for the injured.
Accident attorneys don’t take money away from their clients – actually, people who have legal representation typically walk away with more money than those who don’t. Furthermore, personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means clients don’t pay a dime in legal fees unless the attorney wins or settles their case. Clearly, no accident victim should worry about legal costs.
Serious injuries can turn a person’s life upside down, and accident victims often find that dealing with everything can be difficult. With the pain and suffering, the many medical appointments and the stress of dealing with insurance adjusters, who has the time or energy to talk to a personal injury lawyer?
Frankly, that’s exactly why people who suffer serious injuries in an accident should make a point of hiring an attorney. After someone hands their case off to a Utah law firm, the legal team takes over the insurance negotiations. With that, the injured victim is free to focus on recovering and all of their other priorities instead of having to spend time on their legal case.
Utah accident victims aren’t require to have legal representation. Anyone injured due to the negligence or wrongful actions of another can choose to handle their own case, and with all of the information available online, it’s possible to obtain a decent settlement without an attorney.
But, going that route is quite challenging. Insurance companies know that someone who isn’t working with a personal injury attorney are much less likely to file a lawsuit. As such, adjusters are much less likely to make reasonable offers. Going it alone rarely leads to the most favorable outcome – in most cases, accident victims who represent themselves don’t end up getting the fair value of their claim.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident, trucking collision, bike crash, animal attack or any other type of incident, you deserve to be fairly compensated for your losses – and the truth is, insurance companies don’t play fair. Turn to an experienced personal injury attorney, and you can get the help you need to maximize your claim.
At William R. Rawlings & Associates, a highly respected law firm located in northern Utah, we offer free consultations to accident victims. If you’re on the fence about hiring a lawyer, discussing your case with a member of our legal team may help. We’d love to answer your questions and address your concerns.
To make an appointment with a friendly, knowledgeable and compassionate personal injury attorney, contact our office in Draper, Utah, today.