11 Things Personal Injury Lawyers Wish Their Clients Understood

by Michael Griffin Michael

Personal injury lawyers represent you in a civil court for your case related to injury, accidents, and financial harm caused by a product, individual, or organization. They seek to award the plaintiff as much money as possible through judgment or settlement for their troubles.

However, as a client, your duty doesn’t end with hiring the best lawyers and paying them. It merely starts there. For your benefit, you must keep yourself limited to the professional relationship and understand the potential of your case. For starters, here are the 11 things that personal injury lawyers wish their clients understood.

1. Your Case Doesn’t Have the Merits

Whether you were injured in a car accident or had severed your fingers in a mixer machine, if your lawyer understands that the case doesn’t have the merits to win, you should accept it and move on. Although you can consult another firm, in most cases, the efforts are deemed futile.

A case loses its merit due to several prominent reasons:

● The injury was caused due to your negligence and fault. In these cases, it’s better to leave the lion sleeping.

● A similar case to yours has a precedent of being dismissed.

● You don’t possess any significant proof (in case of accidents and deliberate injuries).

2. Sometimes Settlement Is the Most Viable Option

It’s understandable wanting to take your case to the courts if there’s substantial proof in your favor. However, in light of costs and time, often it’s better to take the settlement amount offered by the defendant. In most cases, companies, fearing similar cases being raised against them, offer settlement amounts that far outweigh the potential case amount.

However, in the case of car accidents due to negligence in California, you may want to take the case to the court if no amicable settlement can be achieved within 6 months. Consider consulting with your car accident lawyers in Costa Mesa and determine the best course of action together to avoid adding emotional suffering to your physical pain. If you can win against the negligent individual, you’ll be awarded damages by the court. You can use that to pay your medical and car repair bills.

3. It's Your Loss if You Lie

A great number of personal injury cases fail due to a lack of truth. If you fail to state the whole truth to your lawyer about the case, they may not be able to represent you optimally in court. They will have inadequate information to start with and will be stunned by proof they don’t know exists.

It’s for your benefit that you present the truth to your lawyer before preparing the case with them. Don’t leave critical details from them in fear of their judgment and justification. If you’re working with a good lawyer, they already are experienced in handling these types of cases and know their limitations as professionals.

4. Taking Calls and Discussing Questions Are Billable

Although most personal injury lawyers give you enough room to place your questions and doubts through them for free in the initial appointments, clients often misjudge them as free services and exploit their availability in odd hours.

As a client, make sure to resolve your doubts within the time frame your lawyer has provided. However, although it’s understandable to have doubts regarding the case after, make sure to resolve it at both of your convenience.

5. Placing Outrageous Requests

Clients often place outrageous requests. A few months back, a client wanted to have 3 copies of each document shipped to them without additional charges. These kinds of requests diminish the respect between the lawyer and the client. Although we understand that you may not fully understand the extent of our professional limitations, having some common courtesy helps.

Being a client, you have to respect the services being offered by the lawyers. Wear their shoes and understand the impact of your requests. However, as long as you’re being reverent, most of your requests will be acknowledged.

6. They Don't Care About Your Justifications

Irrespective of your case, your lawyer doesn’t need to know how your driving didn’t cause the accident, how you were managing the defective product, or how it wasn’t you that escalated the situation. They just need the details of the case. If you were in an accident, tell the story, present the dashcam footage, and let them handle the rest.

It’s only in human nature to seek validation. You may feel the need to justify your actions with your lawyers, but you’re better off without it.

7. They Can't Win Every Case

Not every case is winnable. You, as a client, must understand it. Even if you’ve hired the best personal injury lawyer, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get the best settlement deal or judgment in your favor. As you have the Burden of Proof, If you don’t have the necessary backing to sustain your claims, no lawyer can help you win a case.

8. Don't Talk to ANY Insurance Company

Once you sue someone, if the case has merits, their insurance provider will jump into making you accept a check or record your shortcomings related to the case. If you already have sued, we recommend not talking to any insurance company. Even if they try to convince you that they’re trying to help, they might not.

9. Leave Arguing to the Judge to Your Lawyer

Don’t argue with the judge. Despite how you see it in the movies, arguments occur in courtrooms. However, as you aren’t representing yourself, don’t try to discredit the judge by arguing with them. It’ll bite you back sooner or later. Let your injury lawyer handle the situation and award you the best deal possible.

10. Don't Fail to Appear on the Day of the Hearing

A huge number of clients, for varying reasons, miss the hearings—costing them money and the case even. Try to mark the date on your calendar and keep yourself from being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol the night before. In the case of personal injury hearings, the presentability of the plaintiff also matters. Look sharp and don’t fail to appear before the court in full senses.

11. Court Doesn't Care About Your Emotions

A great number of plaintiffs believe that they can convince the court with their words. You can’t. Relying on your emotions and being underprepared is a formula for losing in court. The more diverse your answers become, the more openings your opponent's lawyer will find.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully, you’ve understood the responsibilities of a client seeking a personal injury lawyer. As you can’t win every case, settlement is often the best answer. If your lawyer doesn’t believe that you have enough proof, it’s best to take their advice and settle amicably. Furthermore, don’t discuss your case with insurance companies, and don’t expect your lawyers to not bill you for late-night calls and extensive requests.