We can say it is not a legal requirement to have a Boston slip and fall attorney represent you in court. It is completely possible to file a lawsuit or an injury claim alone. You can also represent yourself when in court and negotiate settlements. However, this is quite difficult to do and there is a very good possibility you will be faced with an uphill battle that will be really stressful.
Most slip and fall cases will be very tough when it comes to litigation. It is difficult to establish fault and the property owner will surely fight the case. And insurance companies will want to pay as little as they can as a settlement.
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How Can Attorneys Help?
Most slip and fall attorneys will agree to represent you based on the contingency fee. This means you do not have to pay any upfront costs. Your attorney only receives money in the event that the claim or lawsuit is successful. So, there is no real reason why you should not hire such a lawyer. And you can definitely gain the following important benefits if you decide to hire.
Legal Advice
Even very soon after the initial consultation, the attorney is going to give you important advice about the legal options you have. You can receive recommendation about the best steps to take so that you can get the compensation you deserve and the justice that is offered by law.
Proving And Establishing Negligence
A big problem with many slip and fall claims is that negligence needs to be proven. Basically, you need to prove that the business, government entity, or property owner of the property where the incident happened was negligent. Lawyers can help out a lot with this since they can analyze everything related to the accident. Then, they can gather evidence so that the negligence of the property owner can be proven.
The Calculation Of Damages
Besides proving fault, you also need to prove the damages you suffered and that you want financial compensation for. You cannot recover compensation without proving your losses.
The big problem is that calculating all the present and the future potential damages in a correct way is not at all easy to do. The attorney can easily calculate all expected future, present, and past damages. This is important since you can actually figure out how much you need to ask for in your claim.
Settlement Negotiation
In many cases, it is advantageous to settle out-of-court, as long as the deal that is offered is a good one. The problem is that negotiating settlements is quite difficult. The insurance company will do all that it can to reduce how much money it gives you and you need to work hard during the negotiation phase to convince them of something else.
The great thing about having an attorney in your corner is that the insurance adjusters will not be able to take advantage of your lack of knowledge. They will easily handle all negotiations and then review settlement offers to make sure you are being offered exactly as much as you should receive.