Personal injury lawsuits are infamously expensive. In addition, the aftermath of an injury is a time in your life where your stress levels are peaked. So the idea of having to shell out more money for a lawsuit may sound like more than you want to handle.
There's no way to know whether or not you'll win the court case unless you take it on. So, although it's stressful, these are the top things you should think about when you're unsure whether or not you should sue.
Talk to a Lawyer About Your Case
When you're unsure about a court case, the best thing you can do is talk to a lawyer. A good personal injury lawyer will let you talk about what you've gone through and the losses you've suffered because of it. In addition, they may bring up other types of losses you don't even realize you've suffered, like the time you had to take off work. Finally, you can count on them to give you their opinion on your case.If a lawyer says it’s a good idea to sue, it’s because they believe they can win the case. They’ll discuss what parts of the case stand out to them, ask you questions to try and gather as much information as possible, and discuss where you can go from here.
Most lawyers offer these meetings for free to see what they think of your case, so don’t fear reaching out. If they want to sue there’s a good chance you could win.
What Happens if You Lose
If you lose a personal injury case, a couple of things could happen. First, if your lawyer took your case on as a contingency, you wouldn't have to pay them; you'll just have to pay the court fees. This can be helpful because it ensures you won't get hit with a bill while you're down.Some lawyers can't offer this, so it's definitely something to keep in mind. Although you can ask about this when you talk to attorneys, it's a risky question, and you may find out abruptly whether or not they believe your case has any chance in court.
What Happens if You Win
If you win and your lawyer takes this as a contingency case, they'll be paid out from your winnings before anything else. This means that you won't have to pay anything out of pocket, but your sum will be smaller. You'll also have to pay off court fees unless there was an agreement about that in the court case.If your lawyer didn't offer a contingency, this could mean that you have to pay upfront for their fees and still cover the court fees. Finding a lawyer that offers contingency cases depends on what type of case you have, how high profile it is, and how sure they are that you'll win the case.
There's no way to guarantee the outcome of a case, it depends on the evidence and what the court decides, but a personal injury lawyer can be far more affordable than you'd believe. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for legal help if you need it.