Those who have been injured or the loved ones of someone who was killed in an accident deserve to fight for justice and compensation for their losses from the responsible parties.
The best way to get the compensation you deserve and the justice that is warranted by filing a personal injury lawsuit with an experienced New York personal injury attorney such as ours at Greg Spektor & Associates.
When an injury is sustained or death occurs due to the recklessness, carelessness, slip and fall accident, or negligence of another individual or group, the person who has suffered the loss may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit.
It is critical that you hire an experienced personal injury attorney to represent you throughout your case, but many people do not know how to utilize all of the benefits of the law firm you hire.
Although you could reasonably just hire an attorney to handle your personal injury case and simply let that law firm do what it does best, that may not be the best way to deal with your claim. It is important that you are a vital part of the process from beginning to end, and this includes providing details, information, and evidence to assist your attorney in completing his or her duties to you as the client.
After you have been injured in an accident or event caused by the negligence of someone else, you may not know what to do first or how to go about doing the things that need to be done.
One of the most critical things to do following the accident and once you have been checked out by a medical professional is to call a personal injury to provide you great legal representation and advice.
But where do you start?
Here are some important steps to take concerning your personal injury attorney and how to get the most out of the legal advice and representation you are paying for:
Do your research to find a lawyer
Take advantage of the free consultation
Ask lots of questions
Stay informed with every step of the personal injury process
Collect and provide your attorney with as much information and evidence as possible from the scene
Do not neglect the medical evidence
When you have a question or concern, call your attorney
If you or a loved one has sustained injuries, be sure to find a lawyer in New York who understands your issue, has relevant experience in that practice area and is passionate about representing you and getting the compensation you deserve. The attorneys at Gregory Spektor & Associates can be that law firm for your case.
It may be tempting to simply call the first attorney’s office that you see a billboard for, but this may not help you get the results you want. You deserve compensation for your injuries, so you need experienced legal representation from a top personal injury firm. It may take a little bit of time to find that right New York attorney with practice areas that include your particular type of personal injury case. Use the resources that are available.
One of the greatest resources you have is other people, especially those who have either gone through similar circumstances or those who are in the legal field but do not specialize in personal injury cases.
If you have a friend or relative who was involved in a car accident, medical malpractice, premises liability, or any other type of personal injury claim, be sure to ask them for a recommendation.
What law firm did they hire?
If you do not live in the same city or state as your friend or family member, call their attorney anyway. See if that law firm has any recommendations or leads for you to follow in your state. The legal field is very interconnected, so it is likely that your friend’s law firm will be able to give you a lead.
Also, if your friends or relatives had bad experiences with their personal injury attorneys, you now know who NOT to call and what to look out for with the personal injury law firm you do hire.
Another way to get recommendations is to inquire with attorneys who are not in the field but have worked with you previously. If, for instance, you worked with a real estate lawyer to purchase your home, that firm may have a lead for you as far as a lawyer is concerned.
Accident victims need as much legal help as possible, so use the people who have experience and connections to provide you the assistance you need.
Online recommendations are an excellent tool as well. Doing a simple Google search for personal injury attorneys in your area will likely bring up a large list of websites for law firms in your vicinity. Check out those websites (they are at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a reason), and be sure that you like how they do business.
Read reviews of the personal injury law firm you are considering to see what kinds of experiences real people like you have had with these New York City attorneys. You may also find a list of injury lawyers from the state bar. Any reputable personal injury law firm will have their name on that list.
RELATED: When to Call a Slip and Fall Claim
Many lawyers and elsewhere will offer a free consultation to discuss your case and to find out if you are even eligible to file a personal injury claim.
Take advantage of this free consultation so that you can understand that personal injury law firm’s philosophy on a claim like yours, how they will prove your injuries and damages (even pain and suffering), what their fee is (most are on a contingency fee but not all), and what they will need you to do and contribute throughout the process.
It is a great way to try out the attorney before you commit to hiring them and sign any paperwork since the meetings are usually less than an hour and they are free.
Filing personal injury claims may be second nature for an attorney specializing in the field, but it is a totally new experience for most clients.
From a slip and fall to car accidents, wrongful death to a medical malpractice lawsuit, and everything in between, a client will likely have lots of questions about the process, how things work, and what the timeline will be for settlement.
Even wondering about the different terms involved in the case (“settlement,” “contingency fee,” “punitive damages,” and many more) is quite common for those who do not have a law degree.
When you are working with your attorney, ask lots of questions. There are no stupid or silly questions when it comes to your life and how the outcome of personal injury claims can affect the rest of your days. The more you learn about the process, the better you may be able to help the lawyers involved in your case, especially when it comes to fighting and negotiating with the insurance company.
This works hand-in-hand with the previous step about asking questions. Always be sure that you stay informed about what is happening and what stage of the process you are in with your New York City lawyers.
An exceptional injury lawyer will keep his or her clients informed and updated whenever something changes or the claim proceeds to a new stage. However, the more you keep yourself informed, the better you will feel and the easier time you will have focusing on healing from your injuries rather than worrying about the case. Personal injury cases are tough and can be lengthy, so it is crucial that you keep yourself informed and ask for updates.
For those involved in car accidents or other types of collisions, it is important to document as much of the scene as possible before it is cleared away. Once the cars are towed or drive away and the debris is removed, the evidence is gone from the scene.
If you are capable and have been cleared by a medical professional, take photos and videos of as much of the scene as possible. Also, talk to eyewitnesses and be sure to fill out the police report. All of this evidence will be critical for your injury attorney during the case.
Even if you feel ok after the accident, it is important that you are checked out by a medical professional and a report is filed. Some symptoms of injuries do not present themselves until a bit later, and your injury lawyer will need to have documentation from a doctor that you were examined for that injury and an issue relating to the accident was found.
X-rays, blood work, and other diagnostic tools of the medical field are irrefutable evidence that may be critical during litigation and negotiations as your lawyers work to prove the extent of your injuries as well as things like pain and suffering, the inability to work which leads to lost wages, and cases involving extremely high medical bills.
Your injury lawyer is the best person to call whenever you have a legal question or a concern that needs to be addressed. The New York lawyer you hire will have an understanding of the pain and difficulty you are going through as a result of your injuries and the accident.
If it is a wrongful death case, the emotional injuries are there as well. Because your lawyer is well aware of these issues, he or she should be available to you any time you need to ask a question or address a concern. Do not hesitate to contact them and assuage your fears.
If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries as a result of someone else’s recklessness or disregard for safety, our lawyers at Gregory Spektor & Associates in New York are here to provide you the legal advice and representation you need.
At your free consultation with us, we make sure that we begin to form a solid attorney-client relationship with you so that you are always aware of the status of your case and you never have any concerns or questions keeping you up at night. Let us do the worrying!
Contact our law firm to discuss your case and to get the legal representation you need to fight for the compensation you deserve from insurance companies representing the individuals or companies that have harmed you. We handle cases such as motor vehicle accidents, product liability, premises liability, and many more areas. Call today for more information or to schedule your free consultation.
