Top 5 Responsibilities of a Personal Injury Attorney

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Going through a personal injury situation is always a hard time for individuals and their families. Whether you were injured at work, in a car accident or involved in some other type of incident that resulted in the injury, you may be owed compensation. And if you live in the Illinois area, you may want to consult with a Rockford personal injury attorney as soon as possible. They can really guide you in the right direction when it comes to negotiating settlements or going to court to seek compensation. But what does a personal injury attorney do? We can take a look.

1. Follow the Client’s Wishes

A personal injury attorney is an extension of their client. An attorney is not permitted to put their own desires or feelings into a case – they are only meant to act in the way their client deems acceptable. It is why so many attorneys are passed over by clients, because they do not act in a manner approved by the client.

2. Negotiate with the Other Party

As is the case with most personal injury cases, there are negotiations to determine whether one party is going to provide compensation to the other. And it is up to the personal injury attorney to make sure they are properly handling the negotiations for their client. And they must talk with their client about the financial amounts that would be deemed acceptable during a negotiation, or what amounts are too low to consider. By properly discussing the matter with the client, and preparing ahead of a negotiation, a good attorney can get the job done during those meetings.

3. Fight in Court, If Necessary

Unfortunately, not all cases are easily resolved during the negotiation part of the process. Some clients want as much money as they can get, or the other party is not willing to budge on their extremely low settlement valuation because they believe their case is rock solid. In these situations, it is time to go to court, where both parties will present their arguments and a judge will make a final determination on how the matter is closed. Your attorney must prepare arguments for the trial and ensure that you are prepared for questioning and cross-examinations, if you choose to go on the stand to talk about your side of the incident that caused the personal injury.

4. Get the Full Story

Even before any of the negotiations or the court case can begin, a personal injury attorney must calmly talk with their client about what happened. They must spend some time getting a full picture of the incident, so they are able to successfully assist their client going forward.

5. Figure Out Who to Sue

After hearing the full story and taking some time to go over the case facts, the personal injury attorney must make a determination about what party you are going to sue in court. The specific party you are suing will depend on your case and the circumstances surrounding how you got injured.