When medical attention is needed, especially emergency medical treatment, most of us don’t think twice about whether we can trust in the care we will receive. For the most part, we trust in the doctors, nurses, and other specialists that will care for us in a clinic or hospital setting. Could this trust be misplaced, though? Could something go wrong? What if medical malpractice comes into play in your situation?
Knowing when you’ve been cared for or treated wrongly is the first step, but then what? How do you know if your case is just a personal injury case or something more? If you’ve been pondering these questions, hiring an attorney to assist you will be the most valuable move you make.
Do I Really Need an Attorney?
It’s possible to take care of a medical malpractice case all on your own, but it’s probably not the best idea. Examining what is at risk if you were to lose your case and really understand how complicated the legal system can be will usually push you one way or the other.
Medical malpractice cases often deal with acute damages and loss. There’s a lot at stake, and it can take a lot of time to deal with all the paperwork, communications, fighting insurance companies, and more. Your attorney handles all of this in an efficient and effective manner, all while you concentrate on healing and recovering from your health conditions. Besides that, your attorney knows what to say (and what not to say) in legal communications and in court to get you what you deserve in the way of compensation.
What Will My Medical Malpractice Attorney Cost?
While the rumors about high attorney costs are at the front of your mind when you think about hiring an attorney, the payment situation may not be quite what you think.
Usually, a medical malpractice attorney is hired on a contingency basis. They don’t receive payment for their work until after the patient is injured by the negligence that hired them receives settlement payments or has had a successful trial. If no compensation is received or the case is lost at trial, the lawyer does not receive any compensation.
Before signing the agreement for payment, though, make sure you fully understand if there will be extra fees and costs involved. There could be things like filing fees or more. You want to be sure what additional fees you’ll incur and what percentage of your attorney’s compensation you will get when all is said and done.
All in all, contracting with an attorney will often make up for their cost in a big way when you compare what is rewarded to you versus what you probably would have received without their knowledge and assistance.
Benefits of Hiring a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Some of the biggest benefits you will find when hiring a lawyer include:
Having an experienced professional working on your behalf.
A medical malpractice attorney will know:
- How to calculate and fully understand what your case is worth, including what you should be asking for in terms of compensation.
- The best ways to deal with insurance companies. It can be scary dealing with the big insurance companies on your own, but your attorney will know when to discuss things with them as well as what to discuss with them. Gathering information will also be quicker when a legal team is involved!
- How to negotiate best to get you the most compensation possible. You better bet that the defendant will have a strong legal team fighting for them. You need to be ready with your own negotiator that isn’t afraid to fight for you.
- About resources to help your case that you might otherwise not be privy to. Your attorney will have connections and resources to help your case that you wouldn’t know about. For example, there may be medical experts or an entire medical legal team that they can tap into. Don’t underestimate what your lawyer can bring to the table.
Someone to handle all the mounds of paperwork and documents.
If you’ve ever been part of any kind of legal case, you know how much is involved in the way of paperwork and keeping track of all sorts of communications. Being able to hand off the bulk of this to your legal team will give you the time and ability to move on with your life, even during your legal case.
Avoiding pitfalls of the legal system.
Unfortunately, the legal system has pitfalls that many of us just simply aren’t knowledgeable about. Your medical malpractice lawyer knows all about these and how to best navigate around and through them.
An attorney will not only avoid the pitfalls but will also be able to help you avoid even the most minor mistakes that could end up costing you big in the end. It’s not all something you can quickly learn one night on the internet. This is something that takes time and experience to discover. Hiring an attorney will be a protection to you in more ways than one.
Arriving at your outcome much quicker.
You need your case to be handled correctly and as fast as possible. An excellent medical malpractice attorney will understand your situation and how you need compensation quickly. After all, you’re probably receiving continued treatment, there are medical bills stacking up, and you are ready to move past all this legal stuff! Your attorney can help ensure that things don’t drag on unnecessarily and that you get fair compensation and in good time.
Your Experienced Medical Malpractice Legal Team
The team at Wormington & Bollinger is an experienced team ready to get to work on your case. When it comes to medical malpractice cases, you can trust that we will work hard to get you the compensation you need to right the wrong that has been done. Give us a call today for more information.