When you have a great lawyer by your side, you won't need to know all the processes and paperwork that you need to have in order to win. They will explain what you need to do and you will build a strategy together. That's how crucial their role can be especially in major cases when a lot is involved. Try to focus more on finding the right attorney instead of doing it yourself because you won't have proper knowledge and tips and tricks.

If you want to be included in the processes, you can help them gather information and build a strategy. Your role is also very important because you are one of the witnesses. You need to prepare what you need to say in court so you won't look clueless. Analyzing and assessing the strengths will take most of your time but it will be the reason why you won the case.

What is a Good Lawyer?

Besides having all the qualifications, there are a few things they need to have as a part of their personality to be a great lawyer. The first thing is that should be a great listener and for many reasons. Mainly because they will listen carefully to what you have to say and later on in court, they will catch every detail the witness said and try to use against them. It's much easier for that person to understand what your goals are. Find out more on this site.

It's well-known that attorneys shouldn't empathize but make the jury like them. Their goal is to seek the truth and stay objective at all costs. A lot of cases won't be won so you shouldn't expect them to make big promises and if they do, they probably are not very professional and are just looking for clients. They need to be cautiously optimistic because nothing is guaranteed.

Analyzing the Case

In many situations, you will hear the term negligence which means that the person accused was careless. The individual that was sued maybe harmed someone intentionally which can be a big factor. You will need to analyze this with your lawyer and figure out what kind of injury it was. It will only work if you can prove it. For example, if it happened in the workplace, there is a duty of care towards an employee by the contractor.

Employee cases are much easier to win because there is a responsibility that owners or managers have and there is usually a lot of evidence. On the other hand, if that isn't the case, you will need to show that the defendant's carelessness was the cause of the injury. The damage done has its limits, so ability to function and emotional impact are taken into account. Everything is calculated, usually in percentages.

Participate in Discovery

The discovery can start even before the case was opened but usually, people focus on it when each side files documents. You can request documentation from the other side and your lawyer will tell you what you need depending on the situation. This process can take up to 2 years when they want to build a strong case.

When you are the one accused of causing the injury, you will want to get their medical records. If they had a problem before the incident happened, that can be the reason behind the damage. If you are the plaintiff, you might want to prove that the defendant knew the situation was dangerous. You need to be honest about pre-existing injuries because they can easily find it out and liars don't do great in court. 

Assess the Strengths

The strength of your case will depend on what happened and the law. The law differs from state to state and in some cases, you don't owe a duty of care against the injured. This will be researched by your lawyer so don't invest too much effort if you believe in their experience. The plaintiff has a week case when the facts can't prove each element of negligence.

Achieving Your Goals

Winning the lawsuit is your goal but what you are trying to achieve with it. If you want to get a lot of money from it, you need to put a price on your injuries. Financial compensation is always the main purpose to sue someone and there is no reason not to exaggerate in these situations. Some people won millions of dollars for something that others won a few thousand. Find more information here: http://www.nationaljurist.com/smartlawyer/how-approach-settlement-negotiations

Another way to go is to negotiate a good settlement. When negotiating, your attorney should set a bigger amount because they won't accept the first price unless it is very low. An important thing to remember is that the end decision is yours, not your lawyer's.You should listen to their advice but also see how long the injury will affect you.