Practice Areas for Personal Injury Law

12/13/12

What Is Personal Injury Law?

Considering the variety of lawyers that are currently available today to assist potential clients, it is no wonder that many people with a claim have no idea what personal injury law is and exactly what these highly specialized attorneys do.

So what is personal injury law anyway? A personal injury lawyer, that may also be referred to as a trial lawyer or plaintiff lawyer, is a type of litigator that offers legal representation to individuals who allege that they have suffered a psychological or physical injury due to the negligence or reckless behavior of another individual, group, or entity.

Personal injury attorneys receive all the same training and education that your average lawyer does, but these particular kinds of attorneys have chosen a specialization in a very particular kind of law known as tort law. This type of law includes any civil injuries or wrongs, including breach of contract and defamation. The primary foal of tort law is to ensure that the injured person in the suit is made whole and to discourage other people or entities from committing the same acts of negligence that contributed to the injury.

Personal injury lawyers can do a multitude of things for personal injury clients, from settlement negotiations with an insurance company to representing plaintiffs in a trial situation. They can help injured parties to receive compensation for any losses they may have incurred, such as loss of wages or ability to work and make a living, reasonable medical expenses (current and future), pain and suffering, emotional distress, legal costs and attorney fees, as well as loss of companionship. Essentially, a personal injury lawyer will do everything possible to make sure that clients are not taken advantage of by the insurance companies or fall through the cracks of the legal system.

Types of Cases in Personal Injury Law

Typically, any kind of claim or case that involves a person who has been injured, either psychologically or physically, will fall under personal injury law. This means that there are a whole host of cases that would require the skills and experience of a personal injury lawyer, including:

Auto Accidents
Airline Accidents
Animal Attacks
Pedestrian Accidents
Boating Accidents
Traumatic Brain Injury Cases
Burn Cases
Construction Accidents
Product Liability
Insurance & Bad Faith
Motorcycle Accidents
Truck Accidents
Medical Malpractice
Slip & Fall Accidents
Wrongful Death

The Work of a Personal Injury Lawyer

In most cases, personal injury attorneys will manage a case from the beginning to the end, from the initial claim to an appeal. They will do all the things that any other attorney working on an active case would do, including investigating the claims made, gathering evidence, formulating important legal theories, researching the pertinent case law, drafting legal documents such as motions, pleadings, and discovery, contacting and deposing witnesses, getting ready for trial, and representing you in any pre-trial and court proceedings.