Why do people hire a lawyer? We all know that hiring criminal defense is a good idea, and since the number of people in America who have criminal records today is more than the entire population of the country in 1900, this is happening a lot. But there are other reasons to seek legal help, from divorce, to car accidents, to navigating personal injury law. Here are the main reasons people in the United States hire attorneys:
- When It’s Too Costly To Represent Themselves This often happens in a civil case where money is on the line. In this case, people who represent themselves are often running a huge financial risk if they lose. Being sued for personal injury usually falls into this category, and a whopping 52% of such cases relate to car or other vehicle accidents. There’s a lot of money on the line in such cases, in both medical fees and vehicle damage costs, and a lot of people find it best to get help in these situations rather than risk a huge financial hit.
- When They Can’t Sort Out Things Out On Their Own Some cases are pretty straightforward and definitely not worth hiring legal help to deal with. Speeding or other traffic tickets, for instance, rarely require a law firm to get involved. But other cases can be very complicated, especially if they involve things like personal injury, divorce, or sorting out a company contract. If someone falls or slips at work, for example, 22% of these injuries result in the person losing more than 31 days of work. It can be complicated sorting out who owes what or should be responsible to whom and under which circumstances. A lawyer is your expert at sorting this out. The same is true if complicated contracts are involved.
- When They Need To Ensure Everything is Filed Perfectly Court procedures are among the most complicated issues in the American legal system, and failing to file everything just right and on time can ruin a case. Important evidence to a case may not be allowed in at all because of procedural fails, or a case might be delayed (meaning extra expense), or worse yet even thrown out.
- When They Need a Strategy The law is like any other area of expertise. You need to be able to form a strategy to be successful. An excellent cook knows how to plan out a Thanksgiving week strategy to successfully provide a great meal for 20 people, and a skilled teacher knows how to plan out a learning strategy for students that covers the whole year. This is no less true in law. Especially with complicated cases, a skilled lawyer knows how to plan a successful strategy that looks to the future and considers issues the layman might be totally unaware of.
Having a lawyer is usually something that brings peace of mind and a better chance of getting a favorable outcome in a difficult situation. Hiring one for the right reasons can be one of the best decisions a person makes.
