Dispelling Common Myths About Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyers and Lawsuits
If you or a loved one was seriously hurt in a car wreck, truck accident, motorcycle crash, or any other preventable accident, you may be considering hiring a Jacksonville personal injury lawyer to pursue a claim against the at-fault party. However, you have trepidations about retaining an injury attorney. You may have heard some myths about personal injury lawyers and how they will handle your case. This blog is meant to dispel some of those mistaken myths.
Common Myth No. 1: Jacksonville Personal Injury Attorneys = Ambulance Chasers.
This is, by far, the biggest myth and misconception about personal injury lawyers. Unfortunately, popular media (including television programs and movies) portray personal injury lawyers as ambulance chasers who ruthlessly pursue injured individuals in the hopes of getting a quick settlement out of an insurance company. These ambulance chasers appears to be more interested in getting a quick pay day as opposed to actually helping their clients.
Such a characterization is completely false. Lawyers cannot “chase” ambulances in an effort to try and sign up injured individuals. That is both morally wrong and prohibited under the Rules of Professional Conduct. A good Jacksonville car accident injury lawyer relies on their reputation in order to secure new clients. This is commonly done through referrals from previous clients, positive reviews on independent attorney-rating web sites such as Avvo and Lawyers.com, and injured individuals actually seeking out the services of an attorney by searching on Google and/or Bing.
Common Myth No. 2: A Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer Will Take All of the Settlement Money.
Your lawyer is not going to take all of your settlement money. Unfortunately, many people, including insurance claims adjusters, try to dissuade people from hiring lawyers by arguing that a lawyer will just get a big chunk of the settlement money. This is inaccurate.
Personal injury attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis. This means that your lawyer will not charge you an hourly fee and will not charge you any fees up front. In exchange, your lawyer will receive a percentage of the overall amount of money recovered through a settlement, judgment, or jury verdict. In a car accident injury case, your lawyer will likely charge a 33 1/3 percent contingent fee.
Common Myth No. 3: Your Case Will Not Be Resolved for Years.
This is not true. In fact, most personal injury cases are resolved via settlement within months of the claim being filed. Yes, some cases may take years to get resolved, but these cases may involve multiple parties, significant damages, and/or stubborn parties that simply refuse to work towards an amicable settlement.
Common Myth No. 4 The At-Fault Party Will Be Forced Into Bankruptcy Because They Will Pay Your Damages.
Do not feel “bad” or “guilty” for filing a personal injury claim. It is extremely rare for the at-fault driver to wind up paying any money out of pocket for your claim. This is because most drivers have auto insurance and the insurance company will wind up paying any settlement, judgment or verdict.
Contact an Experienced Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer Today
As you can see, it makes sense to have an attorney on your side working to get the financial restitution you need and deserve. Gillette Law, P.A. is here to help. The firm serves clients in Florida and Georgia. We offer free, confidential case reviews. Contact our office today to set up an appointment.
