Wondering if you should contact a personal injury lawyer after an accident? Handling an accident claim on your own may seem like the cheapest and easiest way to recover compensation for your injuries, but it is not always in your best interest.
Before writing a lawyer off as being too expensive, consider this first: New Mexico personal injury lawyers, like myself, do not charge clients attorneys’ fees unless we win a monetary award on your behalf.
That means that you have a legal professional negotiating, investigating, analyzing, or litigating your case without having to pay a penny upfront.
While every claim is unique, the statistics are shocking. Individuals who hire a personal injury lawyer receive an average settlement of more than 400% higher than those who do not.
That said, there are also times when hiring an accident lawyer does NOT make sense for the given situation.
In this post, I help accident claimants understand:
- When calling a personal injury lawyer is a good idea
- When you will not need to hire a one
- What to expect if you decide to reach out for help
You can also refer to this post if you need a glossary of a personal injury terms.
When to NOT to Hire an Injury Attorney
The most compelling reason to not hire a personal injury lawyer is when doing so does not add any value to your claim.
And a personal injury lawyer will let you know if he or she believes that this situation for you during your free case strategy session. Here is the reason why: it is unethical for a lawyer to take on a case that he or she cannot help.
Plus, negotiating or litigating a personal injury claim is expensive for law firms to take on. Since we do not ask you to pay a retainer beforehand, we are using our resources on the premise that there is a good chance that you will win your case.
While representing you, I am paying for things like analysis, expert testimony, and filing fees on your behalf. If I believe that these costs will outweigh the recovery that I can make, then I will not recommend that you move forward with legal representation.
When Calling a Lawyer Is Beneficial
While it is your inalienable right to represent yourself without a lawyer, the bigger question is, what opportunities are you foregoing by not hiring one? Personal injury lawyers have the training, experience, skills, and insight to handle your settlement or civil court award strategically.
It also gives you a chance to focus on what matters the most: your health and well-being!
Here are a few situations in which calling a personal injury lawyer makes sense:
- You sustained severe injuries: Severe injury cases are highly-technical matters that may involve the need for you to argue future medical costs, lost work wages, mental anguish, and punitive damages. These losses are HUGE for insurance companies and will do everything they can to undervalue your claim. A personal injury lawyer will fight in your corner to get the money you deserve.
- The other driver is not accepting fault: Since New Mexico is an at-fault insurance state, you are filing the claim through the at-fault drivers’ insurance company. As you can imagine, the insurance adjuster will side with its paying customer before offering you any sympathy for your physical and emotional losses. A personal injury lawyer will work with the evidence and facts to assert your rights when necessary despite what insurance adjusters say.
- You are evaluating a settlement: Accident injury victims are entitled to a financial recovery that is reasonable. If the insurance company is denying you benefits that leave you less than whole, you do not have to feel pressured to accept their offer. Instead, contact a personal injury lawyer to help you evaluate your offer.
What to Expect When You Contact an Injury Lawyer
If you conclude that hiring a New Mexico car accident injury lawyer makes the most sense for your situation, the first step is reaching out for a free case strategy session.
Making the Call
During this no-cost phone call, I will confidentially analyze the facts of your case, provide my insight regarding its possibilities, and what I can do to help you. You are in the “driver’s seat” when it comes to whether or not you want to move forward with my recommendations.
Affording a Lawyer
If you decide to hire me and my time, I will not charge you an upfront retainer to sign a letter of representation. How is this possible? I take cases on a contingency fee agreement, which means that I only receive payment for my legal services after making a recovery for you.
Working with a contingency fee lawyer in New Mexico gives you reassurance in knowing that you do not have to shell out a large sum of money to receive the legal help and that your lawyer is genuinely working hard to recover the most amount of money for your claim.
Free Strategy Session
If you are ready to learn more about your legal options after an injury that someone else’s negligence caused you or your loved ones, contact me at Grano Law Offices, P.C. for a FREE, NO-OBLIGATION case strategy session. Request yours by calling my office at (505) 587-8649 or sending me a private message here.
