Many personal injury victims consider taking their claim to small claims court in order to avoid costly legal fees from a personal injury lawyer eating away at their compensation—and in many situations this is correct. Specifically, if your claim is under $25,000 you may be able to represent yourself well in small claims court, while avoiding legal fees that could usurp a large chunk of any compensation won. Small claims court isn’t for every personal injury claim though, as for some it is simply what it’s name implies: small. Is YOUR claim too big for small claims court?
Too Big for Small Claims Court—When To Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
The general rule of thumb of when to hire a personal injury lawyer and avoid taking your claim to small claims court is when it breaks (or nearly breaks) the $25,000 limit. But the claim value alone isn’t the sole reason you need a personal injury lawyer—the overall stakes are raised outside of small claims court. There are a number of solid reasons why your too-big-for-small-claims-court claim should be handled by an experienced, professional personal injury lawyer:
- The opposing party has sought legal representation.
- Your insurance company has refused to pay your rightful claim (they will have lawyers—which means you need one too).
- It was an at-fault accident.
- Help gathering evidentiary support (which will win, or lose, you the claim).
- You plan on taking the claim to court.
- You are considering negotiating an out-of-court settlement.
- You are unable to invest time in preparing and attending court due to a work engagement or physical disability.
Personal injury lawyers help you build a solid, winnable case. The evidence needed to win a case needs to be practically indisputable, even though only a small percentages of cases ever make it to court. Over 90% of personal injury cases are settled out of court. Out-of-court settlement negotiations however also require rock-solid evidence—which is why preparing your evidence with the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer is vital. Once a rock-solid case has been prepared we will be in a great place to either negotiate a healthy settlement, or take the case to court. If you’ve been injured in a personal injury accident—don’t go it alone. Let our experts help you prepare a case that will get you the compensation you need, and are entitled to.