What Types Of Cases Do Injury Lawyers Handle?
Posted on: 24 July 2019
The concept of injury law is an umbrella term that covers many types of legal practices. A personal injury lawyer may decide to run a general practice or one that's highly specialized. Let's take a look at how this works and what impact it might have on you as a prospective client.
How Injury Law is Different
Foremost, personal injury law is distinguished by the fact that the attorney handles cases that are considered civil torts. This is distinct from criminal law in a couple of ways. The defendant isn't subject to the possibility of imprisonment as a result of the claim made by the plaintiff. Likewise, it is possible for an injury claim to move forward separately from a criminal case. For example, someone might sue for compensation as the result of injuries sustained during a criminal assault, even if the state has failed to convict the person.
At the core of injury law is the notion of a duty of care. This is the idea that all of us have a responsibility as citizens of a civil society to prevent our actions or failures to act from causing others harm. A personal injury lawyer must prove there was a duty of care, such as when a grocery store's management fails to clean up spilled fluids in a public walking area at the establishment. Reasonable jurors would expect someone to take care of that kind of problem, giving rise to a duty of care.
Specialized Practices
Injury law firm specialties are as diverse as the ways humans might cause others to come to harm. An attorney might elect to focus on being a car wreck lawyer, for example. It's more common for firms in highly populated areas to be narrowly focused on specific injury cases. Some lawyers also hone in on specific practices due to their previous experience, especially after they've established strong professional relationships with expert witnesses who can flesh out their clients' cases.
When you discuss your case with an attorney, it's wise to inquire about what cases they prefer to accept. Also, you should ask them for examples of previous claims they've handled that were similar to yours. If possible, ask them to produce case studies and testimonials from the clients who hired them. This will allow you to get a sense of how they pursue a claim, and their former clients can attest to their skills, too.
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