You can’t drive down the highway, turn on the radio, or change the channel on your TV without encountering commercials for personal injury lawyers.
But what does a personal injury lawyer do, exactly? If you aren’t entirely sure, you aren’t alone!
Even if you do have a general idea of what personal injury lawyers are about, you might be wondering what a personal injury lawyer can do for you after an auto accident or an unexpected injury.
You might be surprised to learn, for example, that there’s more to personal injury representation than courtroom litigation. In today’s article, you’ll learn about nine ways a personal injury lawyer can help you after an accident in New York.
1. Listens to Your Story
Above all else, your personal injury lawyer is your advocate. It is your lawyer’s job to understand every aspect of your situation — what happened, how it happened, the setbacks you’ve suffered because of the accident, and every little detail along the way.
In personal injury litigation, details matter. What seems like an insignificant part of your story could be the key fact that changes the entire analysis. That’s why it’s so important that your lawyer listens to your story and ask the right kinds of questions.
So often, we hear from clients who’ve felt like no one will take the time to hear them out. At O’Connor and Partners, we believe that part of being a good lawyer is being a good listener. We’re committed to lending our clients an earnest ear.
2. Investigates Your Accident
As Kingston personal injury lawyers, we work with a wide variety of investigators to help us determine how an accident happened and who might be at fault, legally speaking.
Even if there is a police report or a written statement, those initial pieces of evidence might only tell part of the story. It is our mission to leave no stone unturned, uncovering any relevant fact that might make a difference in the outcome of your claim. Personal injury cases are fact-intensive. At O’Connor and Partners, we are committed to doing everything we can to build the strongest possible factual foundation for our clients, always with an eye toward maximizing compensation wherever possible.
3. Researches Your Claim
Of course, we couldn’t answer the question of “what does a personal injury lawyer do?” without talking about legal research — a critical part of any personal injury claim.
From statute and regulation to courtroom precedent, we work diligently to find any point of law that might strengthen your claim or lend insight into how courts will apply the law to the facts of your case. We also want to identify any sources of law that the insurance company on the other side might use in its defense.
4. Provides Guidance and Advice
Even in relatively moderate accidents, the accident itself is often just the beginning of a long and complicated claims process. Mistakes are easy to make along the way. The insurance company will look for any opportunity to trap you into acting against your own self-interest. Doing or saying the wrong thing can cost you dearly — and it’s easier to do than you might think.
What does a personal injury lawyer do to protect you from pitfalls? Part of our job is to foresee problems to the greatest extent possible, cautioning you against likely obstacles and preparing you thoroughly for any challenges that might wait ahead.
At O’Connor and Partners, we want our personal injury clients to feel confident, protected, and stress-free. Our goal is to offer honest, reliable, and practical guidance at every step along the way. We want you to rest easy knowing that you have a legal warrior in your corner, looking out for your interests and standing by your side.
5. Consults Experts
Earlier, we mentioned the role that investigative experts can play early on in the claims process (for example, we might enlist an accident reconstruction specialist to help us demonstrate that the defendant’s negligence contributed to a car crash).
As the claims process progresses, we might work with a variety of other experts who can testify about the extent of your damages, their financial value, and your prognosis for the future.
Through years of legal advocacy, our Kingston personal injury lawyers have cultivated valuable relationships with a wide range of experts, including medical specialists, accountants, retired law enforcement officers, and others.
6. Negotiates Strategically (Representing Your Rights Against the Insurance Company)
No matter what happened to you, insurance companies usually have just one goal: saving themselves money. They will fight to pay you as little money as possible — or even to deny your claim altogether if possible.
But insurance companies don’t get to call the shots. It’s our job to hold them accountable to the insurance policies they write — and to the letter of the law.
During settlement talks, we work to mount a compelling case for your rights and the compensation you’re owed. Often, the goal is to persuade the insurance company that a full and fair settlement is in the insurer’s own best interest (because going to trial and losing could cost them even more money in the long run).
The settlement process if complex. There’s no substitute for experience. A skilled negotiator can make all the difference in the outcome of a claim. Indeed, studies have shown that people who hire personal injury lawyers tend to achieve greater financial recoveries than those who do not.
7. Looks for Creative Solutions and Resolutions You Might Not Have Thought Of
Something that often goes overlooked in discussions about “what does a personal injury lawyer do?” is the lawyer’s search for hidden solutions.
Whether it’s brainstorming compromises, analyzing the case from the defendant’s perspective, discovering key facts, or charting common ground, personal injury lawyers are constantly analyzing cases from every conceivable angle.
While you, as the client, are always in control of your own claim, your attorney may be able to suggest alternative avenues for recourse that ultimately meet your aims or even leave you in a better position than you had hoped for.
Our Kingston personal injury lawyers are committed to presenting our clients with all of their options as the claims process unfolds and evolves. We believe that the best decision is an informed decision.
8. Represents Your Interests in Court
While the majority of personal injury claims are ultimately resolved through out-of-court settlements, you want to choose a personal injury lawyer who is willing to take your claim to trial if that’s what it takes. Among other things, it’s important that the insurance company realizes that your lawyer is serious about getting you the justice you deserve.
In the event that your claim does proceed to trial, the right personal injury lawyer will advocate zealously on your behalf in court, making a compelling case to judge and jury. Though the idea of going to court may seem intimidating, by the time you get there (if the case goes that far), you should be able to rest easy in the knowledge that your attorney is there looking out for you.
9. Handles the Entire Legal Process for You
What does a personal injury lawyer do? At the end of the day, our job is all about handling every aspect of your claim for you. We shoulder the burden so that you don’t have to. From phone calls and red tape to difficult decisions and questions of strategy, we’re here to hold your hand and represent your best interests from beginning to end. A personal injury lawyer is a shoulder of support who also puts legal experience on your side.
Free & Confidential Consultation with Our Kingston Personal Injury Lawyers
O’Connor and Partners is a personal injury law firm based in Kingston, NY and providing legal services throughout the entire state, including in: Kingston, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Ellenville, the Hudson Valley, New York City, and beyond.
We fight hard to maximize compensation for the clients we represent.
We are proud to offer confidential, no-cost, no-obligation consultations to injured people and their families throughout the state of New York. If you choose to hire us after your consultation, we will not charge you a fee unless we get you money first.
If you can’t come to us, we will come to you. Just contact us online or call 845-303-8777 to talk with one of our Kingston personal injury lawyers today.