Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer

Most personal injury lawyers in Atlanta work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t have to pay any upfront or hourly fees. You only pay attorney’s fees if your lawyer successfully resolves your case.

Typically, your lawyer will receive about 33% of the jury verdict or settlement they secure for you. However, this percentage can vary depending on the specifics of your case.

Your attorney is incentivized to recover the maximum compensation possible with a contingency fee arrangement. This means you can hire a top-rated injury lawyer regardless of your financial situation.

In Georgia, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases is two years. That means you have two years from the date your accident took place to file a lawsuit in court. If your lawsuit isn’t filed timely, you could lose your right to pursue compensation.

However, an exception to this law could change the time limit for your particular case. Contact a lawyer with our team to get help determining how much time you have to file a lawsuit.

Under state law, Atlanta accident victims can recover economic and non-economic damages. These are called “compensatory damages” and are meant to make you whole again after an injury.

Economic damages are for measurable financial losses, such as:

• Lost wages
• Current medical bills
• Property damage
• Future medical expenses
• Diminished earning capacity
• Out-of-pocket expenses

Non-economic damages represent other types of losses, including:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety
• Emotional distress
• Mental anguish
• Loss of quality or enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium

Georgia law allows for punitive damages, but only in rare cases. To get these damages, you must provide stronger evidence and demonstrate that the opposing party acted egregiously.

Every Atlanta personal injury case’s value is unique. The cases involving the most serious types of personal injuries are usually worth the most, but there are various factors to consider. These include:

• The strength of the evidence supporting your claim
• Whether you can return to work, and in what capacity, if so
• Whether you contributed to the cause of your injuries
• The amount of your financial expenses
• Whether you’re expected to make a full medical recovery
• The details of any relevant insurance policies

The skills of your lawyer can also impact how much your case is worth. An experienced attorney can negotiate effectively with the insurance companies to raise their settlement offer. They can also take your case to court if that’s in your best interest.

Negligence, which basically means “carelessness,” is the legal theory on which most personal injury claims are based. Someone is negligent when they act differently from how a reasonable person would have acted in the same situation. There are four legal elements needed for proving negligence liability:

• Duty of Care, such as the duty to obey traffic laws and drive safely
• Breach of Duty, such as running a red light
• Causation, meaning the other party must have caused your accident
• Damages, meaning you must have suffered an injury and/or financial losses

Each element must be supported “by a preponderance of the evidence,” which means roughly a 51% or more likelihood. Evidence you can provide includes:

• Medical records
• Financial documents
• Eyewitness reports
• Expert analysis
• Physical evidence
• Photos and video

Contact our award-winning Atlanta injury attorneys today to learn more about proving negligence in your case.

Statistically, not very many Atlanta personal injury cases go to trial. They are generally resolved through out-of-court negotiations for a settlement. However, our lawyers are experienced at trial and prepare every case as though it might get to that point.

One reason why is that sometimes, liability might be in dispute or the insurance company might not offer a fair number. In circumstances like that, your lawyer might file a lawsuit. At that point, we can gather more information (and possibly evidence) from the opposing party through pretrial discovery.

Also, defendants notice when the plaintiff (injured victim) has a qualified trial attorney with them. Trials take a lot of time and resources, which the other side might not want to dedicate. As a result, they could raise their settlement offer.

Many factors could determine how long your Atlanta personal injury case takes. Some only take a few weeks, but others might take significantly longer. A few relevant considerations are:

• The value of your case
• How complex your case is
• The type of injuries you’ve sustained
• Whether your case requires a lawsuit
• The identity of the at-fault party

We can offer more information about how long your specific case may take during your free consultation.