Do I Need a Dallas Personal Injury Attorney?

Exclusively Handling Severe Injuries & Wrongful Deaths in Dallas, TX

We often get calls from people who do not know whether or not they need to retain the services of an attorney. If you read our testimonials, you'll see that every one of those clients feels that we gave them an honest answer when they asked us the same question. More strikingly, you'll notice that we are more than willing to provide free advice if we think that a person needs nothing more than a bit of guidance on how to navigate a certain situation.

Sometimes we take the time to write a few letters or make a few calls to help clients if we think that it is all they'll need. Yes, we do plenty of that for free, as well. The legal term for this is "Pro Bono." We do not want to trick you into hiring us as your Dallas personal injury attorneys or Dallas wrongful death lawyers. When we conclude your case, no matter what the result, we want you to be comfortable that we all made the right judgment calls and fought an honest fight.

It is safe to presume that, if you have lost a loved one to wrongful death or have suffered a personal injury so severe that it required emergency surgery, the sooner you call us, the better. After an accident, insurance companies will often say that there is no need to hire a lawyer. They'll say that they are offering you all of the money that is available, or that they will absolutely refuse to raise their offer even if you do hire a lawyer.

Let's be clear. It is illegal for an insurance adjuster to tell you that you do not need a lawyer. So, if it is illegal, why do they find so many ways to imply that you won't need legal representation? This is because it saves them a bunch of money, and because are quick to believe them.

Speak To an Attorney Before Settling With an Insurance Adjuster

Many times, an insurance adjuster will try to assure you that the offer that they are making you is the best that it is going to get. Because an insurance company is only looking out for their own interests, however, it is more likely than not that they are simply trying to dissuade you from hiring legal representation. In regard to this, let's divide our analysis into two sections: when it is true, and when it is not. Sometimes this statement is correct. Sometimes the amount of money that they are offering is all of the money that even the best law firms could ever recover for you. There are two crucial reasons, however, as to why this is a poor reason not to retain a lawyer.

First, you cannot know if there is any more money to be found until your lawyer has looked diligently for it. You will sleep better after the conclusion of your case knowing that you had hired a firm that did a proper investigation before deciding that there was no more money to recover.

Insurance companies will always stand silently by, happy to let you make the mistake of closing a case way too soon. The other reason is that gathering the money is only half of the battle in your case. The second half is preventing all of that money from going towards astronomical medical bills, Medicare and Medicaid liens, workers' comp carriers, your employer, ERISA plans, or any of the other entities that will be staking their claim on your payout.

Sometimes insurance companies are wrong when they say there is not a better offer. Recently, we had a client whose leg was nearly torn off. We were told that there was $250,000 worth of insurance. After we filed suit, we found more, eventually closing the case for $950,000 (with $343,992 in fees and expenses).

We also had a case where we were told there was $50,000 of insurance in a horrible, enraged driver death case. We later discovered $6 million more in insurance, and closed the case for $6,504,961 (with $2,738046 in fees and expenses).

Yes, insurance companies deceive. Yes, insurance companies can be wrong. And yes, insurance companies are only looking out for their own bank account. Don't let them mislead you. Every time somebody faces the kinds of serious injuries that we handle, we wantto invest time with them in trying to decide whether or not they need a lawyer. We make this decision with you, and we make this decision for free.

When an insurance adjuster tells you that the same offer will stand regardless of who you decide to hire, you should know that they do not get to decide how much you are to be paid. Once you hire a lawyer, most insurance companies will change the adjuster in charge of the insurance money for your case.

The new adjuster may see things differently regarding how much you are owed, and once a lawsuit is filed, a lawyer for the insurance company will be hired. That person may have a different evaluation of how much money you are owed, as well. If litigation goes to a judge and jury, they are the ones who decide how much you are owed.

Understanding the Importance of Representation

There are several reasons why hiring a personal injury attorney to represent your case can benefit you. One of the main reasons is the amount of compensation that is actually achieved in a claim. Those persons who have been seriously injured will be faced with mounting medical expenses that may total hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars. In addition to the physical and emotional pain that you are being forced to endure, there could be severe financial losses, as well—whether from your inability to function at work or due to permanent physical damage. The right injury attorney can greatly improve your chances of obtaining the compensation you rightfully deserve.

Insurance companies are interested in their own bank account and they often attempt to minimize your settlement. They are interested in a profit and they do not represent you or your interests. Being smart, well-educated and street-smart is not enough. Severe injury law is not intuitive. We have learned how to help you through hard knocks and sweat, and it is a fool's errand to imagine that any amount of on-the-fly study and diligence can ever match the skills that we've dedicated ourselves to honing for you. The reason why so many clients who have paid us a percentage of their recovery are pleased with us is because they believe that doing so was a good investment, both for their bottom line and for their peace of mind.

Trying to deal with an insurance company without the proper legal training can result in losing a large amount of potential compensation, obtaining a fraction of what you could have recovered, or finding that you have to pay too much of it to health insurers. When you have been severely injured, you will need representation that will devote themselves to your unique case and ensure that it is handled properly. That is precisely what we do at our firm. We believe that those suffering from severe injury at the hands of another person deserve representation that is focused solely on their case so that their future is protected.