If you’re like most people, filing a lawsuit sounds pretty scary. It conjures images of solemn judges, dark-paneled courtrooms, fancy lawyers, witnesses — and legal bills, so many legal bills. It doesn’t have to be. 5 important facts to consider when you’ve been in an accident, you’ve been hurt at work or injured by the negligence of others and are planning on hiring a personal injury attorney to file suit.
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IT DOESN’T HAVE TO COST YOU ANY UPFRONT COSTS OR FEES.
Hoffman, Larin & Agnetti, P.A. works on the contingency-fee model, which means you only pay if and when you have a successful outcome. You will never pay a dime to file the claim, or throughout the entire process. No matter what your financial situation is or the size of your claim, you will be well represented.
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MOST CASES ARE SETTLED BEFORE YOU WILL EVER SEE A COURTROOM
Going to trial is expensive and time-consuming, and it’s rare that anybody involved in the case wants to do it. In the majority of cases, lawsuits are negotiated and settled out of court. An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to convince the insurance company that’s it’s in their best interest to know “when to fold them”.
But to effectively settle, the insurance company has to know that your attorney will take your case to court and represent you tenaciously. Our firm has been representing the injured for over 35 years and most of our clients come from referrals from existing or prior clients. This track record comes from years of successfully fighting for our clients.
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THE FIGHT IS ALMOST ALWAYS AGAINST THE INSURANCE COMPANIES
Accidents and injuries are mostly caused by small businesses and regular people, and sometimes we know and like those small businesses and people, and are hesitant to pursue legal action because we don’t want to hurt them. But that person, business, or organization won’t necessarily be the one responsible for paying for your injury.
Insurance is big business, and often the owners of vehicles, workplaces, restaurants, gyms, groceries, and so on are paying for an insurance policy that is supposed to cover the costs in these instances. For example, 87% of cars on the road in 2015 were covered by insurance. In many cases, it’s the insurance company that owes the victim money, and it’s the insurance company that is trying to avoid paying it. Not that person you like.
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YOU DON’T HAVE TO MEET YOUR ATTORNEY IN PERSON* TO WIN YOUR CASE
In these challenging times, traveling down to the offices of a personal injury attorney, sitting in the waiting room, and filling out mountains of paperwork in person is not necessary to prevail in your suit. Hoffman, Larin & Agnetti has implemented safe and convenient systems that will allow you to proceed with your claim without ever leaving your home. You’ll be kept in the loop via Zoom, Webex, Skype or by phone, email, and text.
*Our offices follow all Covid19 protocols: masks are worn by staff and clients, social distancing during in-office meetings and hearings, our staff takes everyone’s temperature when they enter and hand washing is required. And please, be aware of Coivd19 scams in our area.
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BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER
You have heard the commercials: “We have over 1000 attorneys, hundreds of paralegals and have settled cases for millions”. Sounds impressive. But is bigger always better? It depends on the degree of personal attention you expect. Will the personal injury attorney you retain be the attorney who handles your case, or will you be dealing with multiple attorneys and paralegals? If this is a firm that touts its multi-million-dollar cases, will the firm spend as much time on your case if it doesn’t fall into this impressive, but extremely rare, class of cases? Is your attorney local or will you be represented by an attorney from another city or state? Local personal injury attorneys know the people, the system, the Judges if a trial is necessary, and are available for in-person meetings should you prefer.
It’s traumatic when you or a family member has been hurt in an accident, on the job, or suffered due to the negligence of others. Hiring an attorney to help you recoup your monetary losses and that pain and suffering should not be.
Take advantage of the free consultations that most law firms offer. Call around, ask these, and any other questions you have.
