JIWLP Legal Information

JIWLP is an online resource dedicated to providing prospective lawyers and those seeking to enter the legal profession with general information, guidance and direction on starting a legal career, details about a variety of legal specialties as well as assistance with finding professional associations.

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Personal Injury Attorneys



Personal injury attorneys represent clients when accidents happen that are the result of another person's negligence. Personal injury attorneys can be your only advocates when it appears that no one is on your side. There are plenty of laws that can affect your personal injury claim, so it is important to hire a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible for your case.

Special Training Required

A great personal injury lawyer should have a working knowledge of all of the personal injury laws in one's state. Personal injury laws can be quite extensive and vary from state to state. Some law schools do offer a certificate program in personal injury law. If a lawyer does not have extensive experience in personal injury law, then a client should make sure he or she has other qualifications. A client should also be sure to ask a lawyer about his or her success rate with personal injury cases. One should make sure that lawyers have been able to reach large settlements in their past cases. This is just one of the indicators that reveals a lawyer's skill and ability to handle personal injury cases.

Some law schools offer clinical programs that teach practicing lawyers the legal skills they need to handle personal injury cases. If a lawyer wants to make a segway into the practice of tort law, then he or she should take some of these classes. Being a personal injury lawyer requires an ability to keenly analyze the facts of a case. Usually, one will be dealing with the tort of negligence in personal injury cases.

Primary Focus and Services

As a personal injury lawyer, one will likely handle a variety of cases. A personal injury lawyer may handle a slip and fall case, or he or she may handle a car accident case. Personal injury lawyers may also handle child birth malpractice cases. Defective product cases are also quite popular for personal injury lawyers. The area of personal injury law is quite extensive. One of the reasons lawyers are often attracted to this area of law is for its diversity and exciting casework. In addition, lawyers can often recover large sums of money in personal injury cases. A lawyer may be able to recover loss of consortium or lost wages for a person who has suffered an injury while at work. For example, if a person is a construction worker and has lost his or her arm, then he or she may be able to recover for lost wages. This person will likely never be able to return to his or her job in construction. As a result, this person will not be able to make the same salary that he or she once did. A lawyer's job is to protect this person and help him obtain this salary.

Some lawyers in the area of tort law only choose to focus on wrongful death cases. Wrongful death cases often occur when a person dies as a result of being hit by a drunk driver. A wrongful death case may also arise in a hospital setting. When these types of cases arise, a lawyer may be able to recover a variety of compensation forms for a client.

Hiring a personal injury lawyer is essential for negotiating with insurance claims adjusters. Reaching a settlement can be nearly impossible without the assistance of a personal injury lawyer. When a client is going up against an insurance company, he or she needs a lawyer who will be tough and aggressive.

Associations and Organizations

The leading association for personal injury lawyers is the National Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. Each state typically has more specific organizations that are dedicated to personal injury lawyers. These specific organizations can provide lawyers with a place to learn about updates in personal injury laws for states. In addition, they serve as valuable networking tools for lawyers in personal injury law.

Another type of organization that lawyers should consider joining is a Trial Lawyers Association. In addition to the National Trial Lawyers, many states have a specific Trial Lawyers Association such as the Texas Trial Lawyers Association serving the Lone Star state and there are even some cities that have this association such as California's San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Many personal injury lawyers choose to join these types of organizations. One can meet highly experienced and articulate litigators in these sorts of settings.