Tips To Handling A Personal Injury Claim With A Personal Injury Lawyer From Richmond Hill

If you are in need of a Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer there are a few things you should know before making an appointment for a consultation. The first is that it is rare that someone begins looking for a lawyer to handle their personal injury when they are in the best and most calm state. If you do not already have someone helping you with this process, ask a family member or friend to come with you when you talk to the lawyer. 

Very often accident victims are thrust into the legal process before they have even recovered from the shock of the injury. You can miss certain details and easily forget to ask key questions of your Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer. Having someone with you makes sure that nothing is forgotten, as well as ensuring you won't forget anything the lawyer mentions or asks for.

Retaining a personal injury lawyer

Lawyers charge a high per hour rate to represent their clients with good reason. The law is very complicated and personal injury law even more so because your Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer must decipher the federal and provincial regulations when filing your claim. Most personal injury lawyers do not require a retainer upfront to begin working on your case. They do require that you sign an agreement that they will receive a percentage of the settlement in return for their services. 

This means that of the money paid as a total settlement, first any medical bills or other third party bills will be paid, then the lawyer will take their total percentage from the remaining monies, and then you receive the rest as your compensation. This is where many people are surprised by how little they may get in a settlement. A hundred thousand dollar settlement may turn into a several thousand dollar payment to you in the end after everyone else has been paid.

The reality of personal injury

Despite what the cinema and other media would have you believe, personal injury cases are rarely settled in the multiple millions of dollars. If they are, it tends to be a result of a year's long court case. When the payments are issued, the claimant receives very little. The reality that your Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer will present to you is that personal injury compensation is highly regulated on the federal and provincial level. You cannot just sue for a random amount; there are preset tables that define compensation based upon evidence of your life up to the point before your injury. 

If you were earning $420 a week and lost 7 weeks of work, the compensation amount will be that plus a small additional amount for pain and suffering. The reaction of many people when they hear you have been injured and someone else is responsible is that you can sue them and walk off into a better life. The reality is that personal injury changes your life and the compensation will not provide you with a life you didn't have before, but will attempt to provide you with the same life you had.

What your lawyer will need

The first thing your Richmond Hill personal injury lawyer like those at will need is any documentation of the injury, its treatment and loss of income and/or disability. If you take the time to gather all of that information, including any police and medical reports, this can speed the process greatly. Be aware that your lawyer cannot begin negotiations for settlement until you have completed any necessary medical treatment. This can sometimes be why settling a personal injury claim can take a long time.

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