You could represent yourself in a Bergen County court following a car accident or you could hire a Bergen County car accident lawyer. Each option has merits and demerits that you should weigh against each other to make an informed decision.
The greatest advantage of self-representation following a car accident is that you will save money. You will represent yourself and you see fit and you will have control over your fate. Hiring a car accident lawyer, however, has many benefits over self representation.
If you have suffered a serious injury following the car accident, hiring a Bergen County car accident lawyer is the only option. Note that there is a statute of limitation when it comes to personal injury lawsuits, meaning you have to file the lawsuit within a particular period, otherwise you will not have a right to sue. With a lawyer, you will have time to recover from your injuries. There is always a risk of your emotions clouding your judgment if you represent yourself.
Even if you are not seriously injured, hiring a lawyer is still better than self-representation because it means you can continue with your life as normal. A car accident lawsuit can be time and energy consuming and it could interfere with your social life and your business/job.
Hiring a car accident lawyer is a good idea because a lawyer will have the necessary law knowledge. Court case determinations are based as much on the arguments made as on the merits and demerits of the cases. A good Bergen County car accident lawyer will have the training and experience necessary to make a good argument.
Your car accident lawyer will deal with your insurance claim. Note that insurance companies want to ensure that they make the smallest payments possible. Your lawyer will know what makes for fair compensation and he/she will not be intimidated by the insurance company?s lawyers.
A lawyer will advise you on the merits of your case. This is important because you will avoid wasting time, money, and effort on a case you are unlikely to win. This also helps you determine if the case should go to trial or you should go for an out-of-court settlement. A lawyer will also advise you on how much you should seek as compensation. With self representation, there is a risk of asking for too little, which means you will lose out, or asking for too much, which brings you out as greedy.
A big percentage of car accident lawsuits end up in out-of-court settlement. Hiring a car accident lawyer for such a settlement is important because he/she will not be intimidated by the proceedings and by the opposing attorneys. The law firm will also have the necessary facilities such as conference facilities.