Why Your Injury Lawyer Should Have Trial Experience
If you’re pursuing a personal injury claim, you’ve likely heard the fact that most claims settle out of court. This is good news—this process is faster and you don’t have to go through the stress of a trial. But if most claims settle, why should you have an attorney with trial experience?
Trial-tested lawyers offer a wide range of benefits to clients like you. Learn more now by calling Peake & Fowler at 803-788-4370.
They Know What Insurance Companies Are Afraid Of
To start, trial-tested lawyers know what insurance companies are worried about when it comes to a personal injury claim. They’ve navigated enough claims to see what evidence makes insurance companies change their offer and which types of evidence don’t even faze them. In their successful settlements and court cases, they’ve undoubtedly experienced which forms of evidence served as the tipping point, leading to full and fair compensation for their clients. As a result, they have honed their skills and can focus on the evidence and strategies that have the most impact on insurance providers.
They Know What Insurance Companies Look For
From the very beginning of a claim, insurance companies are looking for weaknesses in the victim’s case. They know that if they can blame the accident on someone else, they can avoid liability and avoid paying out compensation. Your attorney will protect you from this by taking over communication with the insurance company. By keeping you from giving them a recorded statement or otherwise going on the record, they prevent you from unintentionally harming your case and giving the insurance company more to work with.
They’ll also know what flaws to look for in your case. By getting this information ahead of time, they can build a defense against it and ensure that they can still hold the insurance company accountable.
Court Preparation is in Their Wheelhouse
Even though most personal injury claims do settle out of court, you never truly know if yours will be one of the few that goes to trial. If your case does ultimately go to trial, you’ll want an attorney who has been through trial prep before—you don’t want to be your lawyer’s guinea pig. Preparing for trial is demanding and it requires detail-oriented work. Lawyers with experience in personal injury trials know what forms of evidence are most important for trial, and by focusing on those types of evidence during their initial investigation, they can make the strongest case possible as they prepare for negotiations. Interestingly enough, by preparing for negotiations as if they were preparing for trial, attorneys can increase the odds of successful negotiations and reduce the likelihood of actually going to trial.
If Negotiations Fail, You Are Ready for Trial
You never know when the insurance company will cut off negotiations or indicate that their current offer is the best they can do. What if the money they’re offering is leagues away from what you need to be made whole? There’s a good chance that your case will go to trial, and you should have a lawyer you can depend on throughout this process.
Lawyers who have both settled cases and taken them to court develop a strong sense of when insurance companies are getting close to yielding, when they are tightening the purse strings, and when they are about ready to give up. This gives them more control over negotiations—and when they can tell that your case is headed for trial, they can begin preparing appropriately.
Attorneys with trial experience can also be excellent for your mental health if your case does go to court. A trial can be very mentally demanding for a victim, particularly if you’re still dealing with the physical and mental trauma of the accident. A lawyer who has been through this multiple times can provide you with the necessary support and help you feel informed every step of the way.
Fight for Compensation with Peake & Fowler
Are you ready to start your personal injury claim in Columbia? If so, the team at Peake & Fowler is here to help you. Schedule your consultation now by calling us at 803-788-4370 or filling out our online contact form.
