When members of the general public hear about the large settlement on by some plaintiffs, those that have filed a personal injury lawsuit, that information tends to motivate other accident victims to copy the plaintiffs’ actions. Indeed, insurance companies fear the high award that a claimant/plaintiff might win, if his or her case were to go to trial.
A benefit could become a risk
An Injury Lawyer in Richmond Hill must present a strong case, in order to maintain any hope for winning a large reward for his or her client. A strong case normally features a wealth of convincing evidence. The presence of such features can work to increase the size of the compensation that gets awarded to the plaintiff.
On the other hand, suppose that a lawyer does not have much evidence to show to a defendant’s legal team, let alone to jurors in a courtroom. In that instance the same attorney would have a weak case. That could mean that the jury would agree to provide the plaintiff with only a small compensation package.
An additional risk
While personal injury lawyers normally charge each client a contingency fee, one that could remove the need for any upfront payment, most clients must make some type of payment. Normally, the client and the personal injury attorney work out a deal, regarding the percentage of the settlement that will be given to the attorney.
Still, some clients agree to give a larger percent of the settlement to a lawyer that must present the client’s case in court. In other words, clients should anticipate having more money taken out of the sum awarded by the court, if they have chosen to file a personal injury lawsuit.
Moreover, the lawyer’s job might not end with the declaration of the verdict, at the end of the trial. If the defendant chose to challenge the jury’s verdict, there might be an appeal hearing. Naturally, the lawyer that presented the case at the first trial, would probably represent the client at the appeal hearing.
Attendance at the appeal hearing would represent a further imposition on the lawyer’s time. The time-pressed attorney would expect a fair compensation, in terms of a fee. Hence the client would feel obliged to add more money to the amount that had been agreed-to, if the case were to go to trial.
Furthermore, the if the defendant chose to appeal the jury’s decision, then the jury at the appeal hearing might side with the defendant, and reduce the size of the sum being awarded to the plaintiff. That would mean more money for the attorney and less money for the plaintiff, an unfortunate, yet possible ending to what started with the filing of a lawsuit.