If I Hire a Personal Injury Attorney, Will I Have to Go to Court?
If you have been involved in an automobile accident, you are probably wondering whether or not you should seek the assistance of an attorney. One of the things that may factor into this decision is how you think the retention of an attorney will affect your case. Specifically, you may be wondering whether hiring a Tennessee automobile accident attorney will result in a situation where you must appear in court.
Fortunately, the act of retaining an attorney to help you with your automobile accident case does not automatically require you to go to court. In fact, you are able to decide whether or not your case is litigated. Approximately 95 % of personal injury cases are successfully resolved through settlement in advance of a trial. When an insurance company presents you with a settlement offer, your attorney can help you to determine whether or not that offer will adequately compensate you for your injuries.
Attorneys who are skilled at handling automobile accident cases are able to examine the facts of a case and help each accident victim understand what the value of their claim is. Understanding how much your claim is worth is an essential part of evaluating the settlement offers which the insurance company proposes to you. While your attorney will help you to understand the value of your claim, you get to choose whether or not you accept any particular settlement offer. If you do not believe that the initial offer proposed by the insurance company is fair, your attorney can communicate that to the insurance company so that they can propose a better offer. If a reasonable offer is proposed, you may choose to accept it and avoid the expense and experience of a trial.
Sometimes, insurance companies simply refuse to play fair. At other times, multiple parties may be involved in an accident or there may be a very complicated set of facts. Either way, if the settlement offers that the insurance company or insurance companies are proposing do not seem like they would adequately compensate you for your injuries, you may choose to take your case to court. When deciding whether or not to litigate your automobile accident case, it is important to consider the costs and time that are associated with bringing a case to trial. The cost of litigation includes not only attorney’s fees, but court costs as well. Attorney’s fees are usually calculated as a percentage of your recovery, while fees are usually a specific dollar amount. Time is also a factor. While obtaining recovery through settlement may take months, litigating a case can take a year or more.
If you are concerned about whether your automobile accident case will go to trial if you hire an attorney, you can relax. You are in control of how your case proceeds, even when you retain a lawyer to help you. If you have been injured in an automobile accident, seeking assistance from a skilled attorney can help you obtain the recovery that you deserve. The experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorneys at Greer Injury Lawyers, PLLC will look at the facts of your case and help you determine its value. We will also assist you in evaluating settlement offers and explore your options for resolving your case. If you decide to litigate your case, you will be able to do so with the aid of caring and compassionate counsel. To learn more, call us at (888) 470-9143 to schedule a time to discuss your case. At Greer Injury Lawyers, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.