A PI Attorney, or Personal Injury Attorney, is someone who can provide legal advice to someone that was injured physically or psychologically, caused by negligence of a business, government organization, or an individual person. These lawyers specialize in “tort law” or more commonly known as injury law. This law includes damage (monetary or non-monetary) to a person’ property, reputation, rights, business, or body. Injury attorneys are licensed and trained in all areas of the law; they will typically only handle cases dealing with injury law. Normally, the most common cases involve injuries, medical malpractice, auto accidents, slip and falls, and defective products.
Personal injury attorneys are also experienced trial lawyers, but for the most part, injury cases will never go to trial, opting instead to be settled out of court. The bar association publishes a standard of ethical and professional codes that all lawyers must adhere to and this of course includes injury lawyers. Injury attorneys can file legal complaints, argue cases, draft legal documents, and offer legal advice to clients amongst other things. The terms “injury lawyers” and “plaintiff lawyers” are interchangeable and they are responsible for client interviews and evaluations of the presented case, identifying smaller issues within the larger complaint, and researching in order to build the best case possible in order to win. The main purposes of their work are to ease their client’ loss and suffering by bringing justice to the situation at hand and winning compensation.
An injury attorney must prove that they consider their client’ best interest at heart and that all personal information is kept confidential. Practicing attorneys must pass long written examinations given by the bar and pass long written ethics exams. They must also complete a four-year degree from a law university or college that is accredited. If all examinations are passed then they are then admitted to the bar, but PI attorneys must remain on top of all legal developments in their field in order to continue practicing personal injury law. In order to be on top of developments in their field of law, they must complete a number of courses on a regular basis. Personal injury attorneys must also complete special certifications in order to practice tort law, this allows the bar to keep track of the lawyer’ knowledge level, and that they are keeping to strict standards required to practice personal injury law.
By: Jes B
Posts Tagged ‘Trial Lawyers’
What is a Personal Injury Attorney and Their Qualifications?
November 21st, 2009Oregon Personal Injury Attorneys Lawyers – Selecting the Right Attorney
November 20th, 2009
Your first appointment with a personal injury attorney can be intimidating when you do work with lawyers or the legal process on a regular basis. Here are some things to keep in mind when consulting with a lawyer concerning your personal injury case:
Interview different lawyers: There are oodles of personal injury lawyers vying for your business. If you don’t feel supremely confident after you interview a prospective lawyer, go out and interview a different lawyer and keep doing so until you find a lawyer that suits your needs.
Do a gut check: Do you like and respect the lawyer? The lawyer does not have to be “a nice guy or gal” for you to like him or her. They simply need to fit within your needs matrix. Some people need the aggressive “junk yard dog” type lawyer to feel comfortable and some people need the consummate diplomat. No matter what, remember that you will have to work closely with this person through some pretty tough issues so select a lawyer that you like and respect.
Watch out for the sales pitch that tries to compensate for lack of trial experience: Many lawyers say that they are members of organizations in an effort to impress you. WHO CARES? The only thing that matters is the lawyers experience. Most importantly, TRIAL experience. Ask the lawyer about his/her trial experience and ask them to show you their verdict forms if they say they have large verdicts.
Don’t wait too long to look for a lawyer: In personal injury cases there is always a statute of limitations that will bar your claim if you do not act timely. Don’t wait until the last minute to see a lawyer! Many lawyers will turn your case away if you are too close to statute.
By: Joe Durkee