Category: Legal

Do I Need A Lawyer? The Top Reasons To Hire A Car Accident Attorney

If you’ve been involved in an accident, hiring a car accident attorney might be the furthest thing from your mind. Between expensive car repairs, time away from work, and possible doctor’s visits, you’ve got enough on your plate.

This is precisely why many people choose to involve an attorney—to alleviate some of the burdens that result from an accident and to be compensated for your damages.

If you’ve been involved in an accident, you have two options: tackle your claim yourself or rely on an experienced lawyer to handle it for you.

Take a look at four reasons why it makes sense to let a lawyer handle your accident claim:

1. EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

There’s nothing simple about law, especially when it comes to automobile accidents. Without legal experience, you’re at the mercy of the insurance company and their highly paid lawyers to give you a fair settlement.

Keep in mind that insurance companies are in business to make money. They want to protect their own interests first, which means paying out as little as possible.

An experienced car accident attorney ensures you get a level playing field and get treated fairly.

2. DEAL WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES THE RIGHT WAY

Insurance companies don’t make it easy to settle your claim, and it’s not by mistake.

They know you’ve been through a lot, especially if you’re injured. Because systems can be complicated, they’re hoping you’ll take their first offer so they can write the check and close your case.

Hiring a car accident lawyer can help you present yourself as a person, not a case number. Your lawyer will handle all the hurdles set forth by the insurance company on your behalf so you can focus on your recovery.

3. HELP PROVE LIABILITY

A successful car accident lawsuit hinges on whether you can prove liability in court. To do this, you’ll need evidence from accident reports, witness testimony, and other pieces of data to support your claim.

Lawyers are skilled at collecting and presenting this data to give your case the best chance of winning.

Knowledge Of All Potential Damages

Knowing how to handle a car accident is not enough. You must know your rights, the full extent of damages, and what constitutes a fair compensation when filing a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim.

You may be entitled to compensations for medical expenses, disability, disfigurement, and pain and suffering. If you’ve been incapacitated you they may owe you for lost income from your job, and your family’s loss of your companionship.

A car accident lawyer will know how much your injuries and mental distress are worth. When estimating an amount yourself, you might be aiming far too low.

Deep Knowledge Of The Law

It’s quite unlikely that you know all the laws pertaining to your situation.

With all the experience car accident lawyers have, they can establish which laws and factors are relevant to your case, as well as provide thorough understanding of those laws and how the local court system interprets them.

This way you won’t need to waste time on research.

If it comes down to suing, be prepared for a lot of paperwork and confusing rules. You must figure out what to file, how to format, how to cite legal precedent, what evidence is admissible, and more. It’s very strict, and you have limited time.

You’ll need a good lawyer to guide you through a complicated lawsuit.

You May Be Too Injured To Focus On Legal Matters

It’s easy to get seriously injured if you’re involved in a car accident. It’s not uncommon for pedestrian victims to experience anything from broken limbs to severe head trauma. If you’ve been seriously injured, you simply won’t be capable of handling legal matters on your own. You’ll need the assistance and guidance that an experienced pedestrian accident lawyer can provide. Having a professional attorney at your side will help provide peace of mind, allowing you to focus on your recovery instead of having to worry about legal matters. We can quickly move to find witnesses, police reports and other evidence to prove you are not at fault.

Insurance Negotiation

There are many ways the insurer can deny your claim, especially if they think you may be at fault.

Attorneys understand what information increases your chances of approval in both first- and third-party claims. If your claim does get denied, a lawyer is also ready to appeal and able to fight for your recovery rights.

You may be offered a monetary settlement by the insurance company to do away with your claim as quickly as possible and avoid a personal injury lawsuit. Many times this will not be a fair amount.

A car accident lawyer has the training and experience to know when offers are too low and how to negotiate for a better amount.

Your Injuries And Damages Are Serious

If your injuries and damages are serious, then hiring a lawyer should be a top priority. Indeed, the more serious your injuries are, the more you need a lawyer. When damages are extensive, an insurance adjuster will be even more inclined to lowball your claim – the last thing that an insurance company wants is to pay out a claim in full; insurance companies want to make money. This means that the insurance adjuster will fight back hard to devalue your claim. This might include trying to prove that you caused the accident through fault of your, discrediting the extent of your injuries, or saying that you failed to provide notice of the accident in a reasonable amount of time. Your attorney can advocate for you and protect your rights.

Your Claim Is Denied

If your claim is denied, you maintain the right to appeal the insurance company’s decision. But the appeals process can be complicated, especially if you don’t understand why your claim was denied in the first place. This is where a skilled lawyer comes in – your attorney can explain to you the reasons for claim denial (whether valid or not) and help you to build a case in response.

Gathers Evidence Before It Becomes Unavailable

After a car accident, it is common for evidence to be erased or altered to cover up negligence. For example, if you were hit by an 18-wheeler, black box data might be used to prove a traffic infraction or an Hours of Service violation. The trucker’s Hours of Service logbook could also be valuable evidence to prove your claim. If you wait too long to consult a car accident lawyer, this evidence might not be available.

Claimants who represent themselves often overlook important evidence such as cell phone records, surveillance camera footage, and other potential proof of negligence and liability. The attorneys at Hage Hodes will compile all evidence that may be used to strengthen your claim, and we can arrange testimony from an accident reconstruction expert and other expert witnesses if necessary.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYERS

Being accused of a criminal offense is the last thing people think about and can have serious repercussions. If you’ve been arrested or charged with a crime, having a law firm that’s experienced, skilled, and respected behind you can be the difference in your case. There’s simply too much on the line in these situations not to have the very best attorneys working for you.

criminal defense firm. In other words, 100% of our practice is dedicated to drunk driving and criminal defense. No case is too big or too small for our firm to handle.

A person facing jail time should have the best possible representation – period. attorneys are widely regarded as some of the best defense attorneys in Waukesha and are skilled in handling cases ranging from OWI (drunk driving), sexual assault, possession of child pornography, child enticement, possession of heroin, delivery of a controlled substance, domestic violence, homicide, traffic offenses, and all other criminal matters. firm utilizes a team approach in which cases are reviewed by multiple attorneys in order to maximize all of experiences and to provide clients with different strategic viewpoints. This way, clients get the benefit of having a team of criminal lawyers working on their case, rather than just one.

Honest Case Assessments and Straightforward Answers

At law firm, you’ll receive an honest assessment of your case and straightforward answers to your questions. believe that’s the only way people can make good decisions about their case and the only way to practice law. Creating false hopes or unrealistic expectations doesn’t serve anyone. If your case is better off being resolved through the plea negotiation process, we’ll tell you that. On the other hand, if there are legal challenges that can be raised or proof problems in your case

CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

If you’ve been arrested, facing county jail or federal prison, a criminal indictment or are the potential suspect of a criminal investigation, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney. You deserve competent and knowledgeable representation.

AGGRESSIVE CRIMINAL DEFENSE

Facing criminal charges can wreak havoc on your life. Protect yourself and your rights with a team of passionate and highly skilled criminal defense attorneys. If you find yourself in a situation involving criminal accusations in surrounding areas

What are my rights when I am stopped by the police?

The rights you have depend on the circumstances you find yourself when speaking with a police officer.

Your Rights at Home

If a police officer knocks on your door, you do not have to answer. If they have a warrant signed by a judge then you must allow them entry or they will use force to enter your residence. However, if they are simply attempting to speak with you or someone else in the house without a search warrant, you do not have to open the door or even communicate with the officers. Your constitutional rights are strongest in your home. There are certain instances where officers can enter without a warrant, such as when they believe there exists an emergency exception to the warrant requirement. This could occur if the officers are in hot pursuit of a suspect or there exists an immediate threat to a person or substantial property interest.

Your Rights in the Community

If you are walking down the sidewalk a police officer can approach you and begin a conversation. The officer will likely refer to this as a consensual encounter. The key word to focus on here in “consensual.”  In order to detain you and stop you from walking away the officer must have reasonable suspicion that you are engaged in criminal activity. Officers often use what they hear from you or see during this “consensual encounter” to develop the reasonable suspicion to legally detain you. Here is the key question for you to memorize, “Am I free to leave?”  This simple question can be asked as many times as you desire until answered by the officer. If they answer that you are free to leave then, you should. If they say you are not to leave then at this point they must have reasonable suspicion to formally detain you. In the streets they will often answer that no, you are not free to leave, and they will still continue to detain you. You are likely being held in violation of your Fourth Amendment Rights.  However, it is not advisable to get into a legal argument with an amped up, armed officer who is also possibly looking for a justification to inflict violence on you. If any criminal case were to proceed to court, you could ask your attorney to file a motion to suppress any evidence obtained against you. If no criminal case proceeds you could file a civil lawsuit alleging your rights were violated.

EXPERIENCED DEFENSE ATTORNEYS

If you have been charged with a serious crime, you simply cannot afford to put your future in the hands of an inexperienced defense lawyer. If you do, your rights and your future will be at grave risk. Criminal Defense is sometimes necessary.  If you have been charged with a crime, you need a trusted and experienced criminal defense lawyer to represent you. Whether or not you are guilty of the crime, you have legal rights.

You have the right to representation and a fair trial.  Therefore, a criminal defense attorney can fight for justice on your behalf. Without the right legal advocate in your corner, you could be wrongly prosecuted.  In fact, you could serve a longer prison sentence or pay higher fines.  A criminal conviction can be life-altering, affecting your ability to get work.  As well as, affect your ability to participate in the full range of civic life.

Working With Experienced Criminal Defense Attorneys

When you are first charged, your criminal defense lawyer can help you understand your legal rights.  Also, criminal defense attorneys will guide you through arraignment and posting bail.  If a plea bargain is on the table, your criminal defense attorney can give you guidance on how to make the tough decision of whether to accept it, negotiate it or reject it altogether.

CRIMINAL DEFENSE PRACTICE

When you hire to defend you on any criminal charge, conduct a thorough investigation of what happened, looking carefully at police reports and questioning all relevant witnesses to craft the most effective defense. We’ll look at how police gathered evidence against you, confirming that there was probable cause for any search, seizure or arrest. If irregularities are found, we’ll seek to exclude evidence improperly obtained or dismiss charges, if appropriate.

experienced defense lawyers defend people charged with all types of crimes, including:

Homicide—murder, manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter

Theft crimes—grand and petty larceny, shoplifting, misappropriation of goods, embezzlement

Drug offenses—possession, trafficking, cultivation and conspiracy

Sex crimes—sexual assault, rape, molestation, public lewdness, and prostitution and soliciting

DUI/DWI—driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated

Firearms—Gun violations

Physical Assault and battery, robbery, burglary

Arson

White collar crimes

Computer and internet crimes

Things to Consider in Hiring A Criminal Defense Attorney

Anybody with a law degree can throw together a website and say they handle criminal cases. So how can you figure out the right criminal defense lawyer for you? Whether you hire firm or not, here are some things to think about when evaluating a criminal defense firm

How Many Years of Total Experience Does The Attorney  – Lawyer – Have?

Just because someone has a law degree doesn’t mean that they know what they are doing in court. A number of lawyers go into criminal defense law straight out of law school They don’t have any experience trying cases or knowing much more of the basics of criminal law. How can a consumer have more confidence in choosing their criminal attorney?

Do They Have Experience Prosecuting Cases?

Many of the best criminal defense lawyers used to be prosecutors. Why? Working for the district attorney’s office is one of the best training grounds for trial lawyers because they are forced to try many cases. They are trained by experienced prosecutors, and are shown what techniques the prosecutors use to win cases. The way you get better at trying cases is to try a lot of them.

How Many Years of Experience Do They Have in THE SPECIALTY OF Criminal Defense Law?

Prosecuting a criminal case is wildly different than defending it. It is a jarring transition for many prosecutors, and it takes time to get used to the different strategies used in preparing and defending a case.

Is the Lawyer Available At A Moments Notice  -24-7-365 ?

When an emergency happens, you want access to your attorney 24-7. Does the law firm have an experienced, knowledgeable attorney to help you at a moment’s notice?  How available is the lawyer to your calls and your concerns?

Criminal Defense Attorney

Getting Cases Dismissed has an incredibly high rate of obtaining dismissals, dropped charges, and not-guilty verdicts. Having a criminal defense attorney with this type of record makes a difference

Suppressing Illegal Evidence: Law enforcement must follow the law if they wish to punish you for breaking the law. The Constitution requires that the prosecution not use evidence that was acquired through illegal action.

Treating All Clients with Respect: Some people assume that anyone accused of a crime is guilty and also must be a bad person. That’s just not true, and we know it. treat clients with respect and dignity.

A lot will be going through your mind and you’ll have many questions. From misdemeanors, felonies, and highly complex financial crimes, criminal defense attorney can explain what you are up against, review all your options, and craft a defense plan that puts you in the best possible position.

If your fundamental civil rights have been violated by a law enforcement agency, you may be unsure of how to protect yourself. You need a strong force by your side to help you assert your rights.