What Do Personal Injury Lawyers Do?

By: Heath C. Murphy + – Personal Injury

It never ceases to amaze me, that though my friends and family know that I am a personal injury lawyer, there is a misconception about what I do for my clients. It is no secret that as a personal injury attorney I am fighting an uphill battle, as far the perception of the occupation is concerned. We have all heard the ambulance chaser jokes and in some cases the image is well deserved. However, it is an image that the majority of personal injury attorneys work hard to separate themselves from. Personal injury law firms represent clients who have been involved in car accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents or who have been injured by a defective product or condition. Many of our clients do not have the resources to hire an attorney, so personal injury law firms are generally willing to finance the cases in exchange for a percentage of the recovery. The personal injury attorney is the injured party’s advocate that will make sure the insurance company or at fault party pays for the damages which their negligence caused.

What Causes the Negative Stereotype About Personal Injury Lawyers

Television and movies play a large role in perpetuating the negative stereotypes of the personal injury attorney. Personal injury attorneys are often portrayed as greedy and completely lacking ethics or a moral compass. In my experience, it is an unfair portrayal and the vast majority of personal injury attorneys and law firms are ethical men and women who are representing the best interests of their clients.

Sadly, the biggest culprit in perpetuating the personal injury lawyer stereotypes is some of the personal injury attorneys themselves. Personal injury lawyers, especially the big settlement mills, advertise. Large settlement mills will spend millions of dollars each year advertising in an attempt to attract new clients. These advertisements with catchy jingles and catch phrases do nothing to improve the image of the personal injury attorney. These commercials are cheesy and often times misleading.

What Do Personal Injury Lawyers Do?

This is the million dollar question I set out to answer and about half way through this article, I realized I was not able to answer the question in the broad sense. What I can answer is what your personal injury attorney at this law firm will do on your case. First, and most importantly, your attorney will be extremely knowledgeable concerning the relevant laws and procedural rules that may affect your case. Beyond requiring a knowledgeable lawyer, pursuing a personal injury claim can be time consuming and expensive. When you hire a personal injury attorney, some of the activities that attorney will perform, include:

1. Gathering documents including insurance polices;
2. Collecting medical records;
3. Ordering police report;
4. Hiring an investigator to document the scene and vehicles involved;
5. Performing background checks on the at fault parties;
6. Following the client’s treatment;
7. Preparing a complete demand letter and package to the insurance company;
8. Negotiating with the insurance companies;
9. Negotiating with medical providers to reduce your bills;
10. Preparing all court filings should it be necessary to file suit;
11. Hiring expert witnesses, if necessary;
12. Taking depositions and preparing you for your deposition; and
13. Acting as your attorney during trial.

As you can see, there is a lot of time and expense that goes into a personal injury case. It is important to have an advocate to assist you in navigating this process and obtaining the best possible result for you.

Finally, the lawyers at this law firm will always treat you like an individual. We will make these commitments to all of our clients:

1. We will provide you with the personal cell phone number of the attorney who is handling your case;
2. We will provide you top notch individualized customer service;
3. We will keep you informed of the progress of your case;
4. We will aggressively pursue the maximum recovery in your case;
5. We will meet with you at your house should the need arise or we will provide you transportation to and from our office; and
6. We will always put your interests above our own.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney at Jones Law Group

Have you or a loved one been injured as the result of a car accident, motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident or bicycle accident? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury law firm today. When you contact our office we will immediately set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be provided with his/her personal contact information. If you do not have transportation or you cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with you.

If you or a loved one has been injured, you should immediately call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707