How Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Compare to a Regular Lawyer?

You wouldn’t hire your hairdresser to fix your car.

When it comes to matters of the law, the same logic applies. Not all lawyers are capable of handling every case.

When you’re the victim of personal injury, you want to be sure you have the right lawyer on your side. So how does a personal injury lawyer compare to a regular lawyer?

Keep reading to learn more about what it means to be a personal injury lawyer and how to choose the best one for your case. 

How Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Compare to Any Other Lawyer?

All lawyers get their start by earning a bachelor’s degree. Law schools do not require applicants to major in any specific areas of study, so you may see lawyers with all different types of educational backgrounds prior to attending law school. However, it’s common for future lawyers to major in pre-law, political science, communications, or English.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, future lawyers must take the law school admissions test (LSAT). If they score well, they will be admitted to law school.

Law school usually takes three years. The first year consists of core classes that create well-rounded lawyers. After this year, students may choose to take classes leading them towards a certain specialty.

Future personal injury lawyers may take classes like tort law, trial skills, and negotiation. Students interested in personal injury may participate in extracurricular activities like moot court and mock trials. Law students often clerk for law firms or judges to gain real-world experience while still in school.

After graduation, law school grads must take and pass the bar exam in each state they wish to practice. After becoming a lawyer, attorneys must participate in continuing education to ensure they stay up to date with the latest legal developments. 

What Sets Us Apart

Personal injury lawyers have the same basic educational requirements as any other type of lawyer. But there are two things that set personal injury attorneys apart from every other kind of lawyer – experience and passion.

Experience

While it’s critical that you hire a lawyer who has the legal qualifications to represent you, simply being an attorney isn’t enough.

The law is incredibly complicated. That’s why attorneys choose to master a single specialty. While the lawyer who drew up your will could technically represent you in a personal injury case, you wouldn’t want him to.

Personal injury attorneys are different than other lawyers because of their experience. And when it comes to personal injury cases, experience is what counts. Experience handling personal injury cases means knowing common tactics used by insurance companies to devalue your claim.

Experience means knowing how to negotiate with insurance companies to get you the compensation you deserve. It also means knowing what the amount is.

Each state has its own laws regarding how damages are calculated and what victims of personal injury can recover. That’s why you want to choose an attorney who has significant experience in your state. Truly understanding and working with personal injury law allows attorneys to estimate the true value of your case and show insurance companies that you won’t settle for anything less.

Experience handling personal injury cases also gives attorneys the ability to asses the long term effects of injuries. You always want to choose an accident lawyer who has trial experience. This means that they can take your case to court if you aren’t able to settle for a fair amount with the insurance company. 

Passion

Personal injury attorneys also have a unique drive behind their work that allows them to achieve results for their clients.

When a future lawyer is still in school, they will likely choose a specialty to focus on. Law students who are drawn to personal injury have a special passion for helping victims that sets them apart from any other kind of lawyer.

Passion influences the quality of service you get. Personal injury law is so much more than paperwork, like many other types of law. Personal injury lawyers have to understand and have empathy for their clients.

It’s not enough to know the law. Personal injury lawyers have a genuine interest in getting justice for their clients. That drive affects every interaction with clients and insurance companies.

Personal injury attorneys aren’t motivated by a paycheck. They chose this specialty because of a genuine passion for helping victims.

That’s why they work on a contingency fee basis. If they don’t win your case, you don’t have to pay them. 

How to Choose the Best Personal Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one was injured in an accident, you don’t want to hire just any attorney. You want an attorney who has significant experience handling cases like yours, in your area.

One of the best ways to vet potential attorneys is to look at their website. Accident lawyers worth your time will be proud to share the wins they’ve achieved for former clients and will display these on their website. Past results are one of the best indicators of future performance, after all.

Another thing you should do before you hire an attorney is book a free consultation. During this time, you can ask potential attorneys questions about their motivations and experience.

It’s important that you click with your attorney and feel like they truly have your best interests at heart. If an attorney doesn’t seem to care, it’s okay to walk away. The right attorney for you will make you feel confident that they are qualified to handle your case. 

Are You Looking for a Personal Injury Lawyer?

If you were injured in an accident, don’t make the mistake of hiring the wrong lawyer.

Now that know how a personal injury lawyer compares to other types of lawyers, you know you need an experienced personal injury attorney with a proven track record of results.

We are proud of what we have achieved for our clients and we are eager to help you win your case too. Click here to schedule a free consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers to learn more about how our experience and passion sets us apart.