For anyone that has been involved in a Bakersfield, California personal injury accident the question that eventually surfaces is “Do I need an attorney?”. The team at The Ledger Law Firm-Bakersfield would like to help you answer that question. First, understand that you are never required to hire an attorney for a personal injury accident. The decision to hire an attorney is just that – a decision. It is a decision that only you can make after carefully weighing the pros and cons of retaining legal advice. Victims make the decision to hire an attorney for their Bakersfield personal injury accident for a variety of reasons – some personal and some practical. After over a decade of helping victims in the Bakersfield area, the team at The Ledger Law Firm has found that there are a few common reasons that victims do make the decision to hire an attorney.
One of the most popular reasons for hiring an attorney for a Bakersfield personal injury accident is to level the playing field. As mentioned earlier, you are certainly not required to hire an attorney but many people find that trying to communicate, much less negotiate, with the insurance company representing the defendant can be frustrating to say the least. The adjuster for the insurance company, after all, is in the business of saving money – not giving you money. She may try to put you at ease and tell you she “just wants your version of events” but just like in a court of law anything you say could be used against you down the road. When you hire a personal injury attorney you put someone on your side that understands how the insurance company operates and how to preserve your rights. Additionally, although most cases to not need to go to trial, if yours does then you can be assured that the defendant will have an attorney on his side so having one on yours is almost a necessity.
Another common consideration among victims that do decide to hire a Bakersfield personal injury attorney is the desire to increase the amount of compensation they receive. Again, there is no requirement that you hire an attorney and each case is different, but a victim will often receive a higher settlement amount when they are represented by an attorney. The team at The Ledger Law Firm attributes this to basic risk analysis on the part of the insurance company in many cases. The minute a victim retains an attorney, the insurance company knows that not only will their own legal fees goes up but the chance that they will lose at trial escalates exponentially. The bottom line is that the insurance company often decides it is more cost-efficient to settle with the plaintiff than to hold out in the hope that she will either not take the case to trial or will lose at trial.
The Bakersfield car accident attorneys at The Ledger Law Firm would like to help you decide whether or not to hire an attorney by answering any questions you may have and by offering a free and detailed evaluation regarding your case. Please contact The Ledger Law Firm to schedule an appointment. The legal team can be reached by calling (661) 412-0236 or toll-free at 1-800-300-0001. The local Bakersfield office is located at 4900 California Avenue, Bakersfield, California 93309.
