It’s not pleasant to suffer from an accident. Whether the damage is physical or psychological, there’s a lot of trouble connected with it. Instead of focusing on recovery, you have to think about all the stuff connected with the insurance company, paying the bills for medical treatment, worrying about your work, etc.
All those things cause a lot of stress which can be somewhat partially mitigated. If one were to suffer harm, they can reach out for the help of a Personal Injury lawyer. Do you know how much do personal injury lawyers make an hour or yearly?
Who is a personal injury lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer is an attorney who specializes in working with personal injury cases. Those include physical and mental injuries, such as Literal injury (being wounded), car accidents, aviation accidents, animal bite, professional malpractice, neglecting, etc.
A personal injury lawyer is a professional who helps their clients receive compensation for wrongs and harms done to them by another person or organization. They file legal complaints, offer advice, prepare documents, and represent their clients in court.
This type of low is called tort law since tort means civil wrong, which enables the victim to make legal claims for compensation.
What is it that they do?
If one suffers an accident or harm, the PI attorney offers legal advice and help.
At first, they make their clients aware of their legal liability. They inspect the case and assess whether the case is winnable or not even worth going for.
They explain their client’s rights and legal consequences to every action that is undertaken. This makes sure their clients are aware of everything before they issue a claim for compensation.
They also provide advice. If a client is desperate for getting the compensation money, they advise on what to do, and if they should do anything at all. After all, it all comes down to specifics of the case.
When the arrangement is made, they gather all documentation and clever “lawyer stuff” and represent their clients in court. They make sure justice is given to them in the form of financial reimbursement.
How much money do personal injury lawyers make?
Personal injury lawyers make, on average, around $70.000 a year. However, this depends on a couple of factors.
If the attorney is hired by a large company, they can earn anything between $80.000 – $160.000 a year.
Attorneys hired by non-profit organizations earn the least, while government-employed lawyers make around $70.000 at a state and around $120.000 at a federal level.
How do personal injury attorneys make their money?
Unlike regular lawyers, personal injury ones don’t earn an hourly wage. They are paid a percentage of the compensation admitted to their clients.
This can sometimes go all the way up to 40% of the compensation. That is only if they win the case, of course.
They are paid on a contingency basis. This means they make money only if they win the case. In the event the case is lost, the client doesn’t pay the attorney. All the money these lawyers make is a percentage of the compensation. No compensation – no money.
Is it worth hiring a personal injury attorney?
Although it might seem almost every time worth the money, it sometimes is better to go without an attorney.
If the settlement is reasonable, damage minimal, and not much harm done, after all, it might be better to leave all the money for yourself. In such cases, an attorney could have problems negotiation a higher reimbursement but you’ll still have to pay them a commission.
Hiring a professional personal injury lawyer should be done if the case becomes too complicated to handle.
This could mean involving multiple parties. Such cases can be quite a mess, especially if you don’t have any experience with courts and legal stuff, so it’s a good idea to have the lawyer handle things for you. After all, they are professionals.
Sometimes the claim for compensation is denied, or the amount is not sufficient at all.
This is a good time to call up a personal injury lawyer and consult things. It might so happen, that insurance companies take advantage of their clients not knowing their rights and thus getting away with stuff they shouldn’t.
The attorney helps you receive justice for what has been done to you and does their best to make sure you’re not getting scammed in any way (the more you get, the more they make).
If you feel like the case needs an attorney or you just can’t get your head around the court stuff, it is definitely worth it hiring a PI attorney. After all, they only make money if you win the case, so they do that for you, and you just share a percentage of the compensation.
What does it take to become a Personal Injury lawyer?
To become one, you need at least a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor degree, which is usually awarded after graduating from a law school.
In addition to that education, many exams have to be taken. Surely the first one is the State’s bar exam.
Moreover, many states require you to pass a few additional ones, like the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), and the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE).
I suggest you go and check what’s required for the state you live or wish to work in.
After all of that, in order for a lawyer to be certified in personal injury, they need to complete a specialty certification program accredited by the American Bar Association.
This makes you able to work as a PI attorney, however, there’s always a need for extra courses and training to stay up-to-date with the industry. In the end, you want to be able to win cases, don’t you?
Conclusion
A personal injury lawyer is a professional who helps their clients receive reimbursement for done harm, whether physical or mental.
The salary on average is $70.000/year, but depending on who they usually work for, it can go up to $160.000/year, with exceptional individuals earning 7-figures.
This kind of attorney only gets paid if they win the case, and the payment is a percentage of the compensation’s amount.
All things considered if one feels like hiring a PI attorney to help them get financial justice, it’s worth the shot.
