We Can Not Take Up Your Personal Injury Case. Here Are the Reasons Why
There are instances when a lawyer cannot accept your personal injury case. You might feel you have all that is needed to win the case only for the lawyer to turn you away.
When you are injured, you might think that you have a case, only to find that after sitting with a lawyer during the first meeting, he refuses to take up your case. Every Hartford personal injury lawyer has reasons why they refuse some cases; read on to find out why.
The Way the Accident Happened
The first meeting with the lawyer allows him to evaluate the case and determine its merits. He goes ahead to consider the circumstances that led to the accident before taking it up.
For you to hold someone accountable for your damages, they need to have breached a duty of care. This means the person did something wrong that led to the accident, causing your injuries. If the lawyer assesses your case and finds out he cannot hold the other person liable; then he has the right to decline the case.
Quick Fact
The average payout for a personal injury case is $52,900.
For instance, you might feel that you have the right to be compensated just because the incident happened in a company or at a construction site. This is not necessarily true. The law requires you to prove negligence to get compensated.
Additionally, the other driver might be at fault but to a lesser percentage than you. The law requires you to prove that the other party was more than 51 percent at fault for the claim to hold water.
If there is comparative negligence in the case, the lawyer considers the probable payout, and if he realizes it is too low to cover costs and pay for your expenses, he won’t take up the case.
The time involved in handling the case might not be sustainable for the expected fee. The lawyer can refuse the case if it doesn’t make economic sense to him.
The Injuries aren’t Severe
Just because you escaped death by a whisker doesn’t mean you have been severely injured.
In a personal injury case, the severity of an injury is a huge factor in determining how much you stand to receive as compensation. If you sustained just a few scratches, the lawyer might decide to pass because the financial award will be minimum.
You are Lawyer Shopping
Many cases are turned down because the client is shopping for a lawyer based on the feedback he gets from every interaction. If the lawyer feels you are looking for a way to know how much the case is worth, then go back to work with another lawyer, he will turn you away.
You Have Unrealistic Expectations
A Hartford personal injury lawyer has all the skills necessary to make sure he gets a fair settlement. However, some clients come with unrealistic expectations that cannot be satisfied. Smart lawyers pass on the case when they realize that the value of the claim is excessive.
You are in a Hurry
If you are trying to get a settlement as quickly as possible, a lawyer might suspect that something is fishy. This is evidenced if you had worked with another lawyer who ended up dropping you or had issues with your case.
If another lawyer has denied your case, then the new one will also think hard before taking up your case.
What Should You Do?
If you have been injured in an accident, it is wise to work with a skilled Hartford personal injury lawyer to evaluate the case and determine if it merits compensation or not. Building up a case takes time, money, and effort; if the lawyer feels that the case is not ‘worth it’, he won’t touch it.
You also need to have realistic expectations. Just because your friend got awarded half a million dollars in damages doesn’t mean that you will receive the same payout. If a lawyer realizes that you are greedy, he won’t take your case.
This is why it is vital to take up the free consultation that lawyers offer so that you understand what to expect.
