Research consistently demonstrates that hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can lead to a higher settlement in your injury claim. Studies highlight how legal expertise helps navigate complexities, understand insurance limits, and ultimately secure greater victim compensation.
At GJEL Accident Attorneys, we operate on a contingency fee basis, ensuring you can access quality representation without upfront costs to maximize your potential recovery.
Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can increase the value of your personal injury claim.
But don’t take our word for it.
Here is what peer-reviewed studies do about compensation from personal injury cases
At GJEL Accident Attorneys, we understand the significant role a personal injury attorney plays in maximizing the value of a case. This understanding is rooted in various scholarly studies that have explored the impact of legal representation on the compensation received by tort victims.
In the article “A market in personal injury tort claims,” MJ Shukaitis suggests that hiring an attorney, whether on a contingent fee or an hourly basis, can increase the value of compensation for the victim (The Journal of Legal Studies, 1987).
This is because an attorney’s expertise and knowledge can help navigate the complexities of the legal system, ensuring that victims receive the compensation they deserve.
J Van Hoy’s study “Markets and Contingency: How Client Markets Influence the Work of Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Lawyers” also provides insight into this matter. The research found that attorneys who work on contingency seem to increase the value of their clients’ cases (International Journal of the Legal Profession, 1999). This is likely since these attorneys are vested in the case’s outcome, as they only get paid if it succeeds. One clear advantage attorneys bring is access to expert witnesses. Most claimants cannot easily reach an accident reconstructionist, a vocational expert, or an economist on their own. Attorneys on contingency have these contacts. They also know how to present expert input so it moves a case from disputed to documented. That shift is often what turns a low offer into a fair one.
The article “Access to Justice in a World Without Lawyers: Evidence from Texas Bodily Injury Claims” by C Silver and DA Hyman argues that hiring a lawyer can increase the value of a claim, especially when the limits of the defendant’s insurance coverage are considered (Fordham Urb. LJ, 2010). This is because a lawyer can provide a more accurate assessment of the potential damages and can negotiate with insurance companies to ensure that the victim receives a fair settlement. Personal injury claims involve two kinds of damages. Economic damages have a price tag: medical bills, lost wages, future care. Non-economic damages cover losses that hurt just as much but are harder to prove: pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost enjoyment of life. Unrepresented claimants tend to recover economic damages fairly. Non-economic damages are where most of the gap shows up. Insurers count on the fact that most people do not know how to build those claims.
Lastly, LL Jaffe’s research “Damages for personal injury: The impact of insurance” discusses how the size of the personal injury verdict has increased over time, which could be attributed to the involvement of an attorney (Law and Contemporary Problems, 1953). This suggests that having an attorney can significantly influence the outcome of a personal injury case.
The studies point to a general finding, but specific mechanisms drive the result. Attorneys identify all liable parties, not just the obvious one. They project future damages, not just current bills. They bring in expert witnesses to document causation and financial impact. They send preservation letters early so key evidence does not disappear. And they set demand amounts based on what similar cases have settled for, giving insurers a number that is grounded and harder to push back on.
What you need to know before hiring a personal injury attorney
Do I need money to hire a lawyer?
At GJEL Accident Attorneys, we understand that financial constraints should not be a barrier to accessing quality legal representation. That’s why we operate on a contingency fee basis, a common system in California and many other states.
You don’t need to pay any upfront fees to hire our services. Instead, we only get paid if we win your case. This arrangement allows us to level the playing field, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their financial situation, has the opportunity to pursue justice. A fair question is whether you come out ahead after the attorney’s fee comes off the top. The research cited here found that represented claimants received higher gross settlements than those without counsel. The net amount, after a standard fee of around 33 percent, was still higher than what people recovered on their own. The fee reduces the advantage. It does not erase it. We are committed to fighting for your rights and ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve without the added stress of financial burden.
When you hire an attorney matters almost as much as whether you hire one. Early retention means evidence is preserved before it disappears. It means no recorded statement is given before your injuries are fully understood. It means your medical treatment is documented from the start in a way that supports your claim. And it means the attorney, not the insurer, controls the early narrative. Hiring a lawyer after months of back-and-forth with an adjuster is still worthwhile, but you may have already given ground that is hard to recover.
In summary, the evidence from multiple peer-reviewed studies robustly supports the notion that engaging an experienced personal injury attorney significantly enhances the value of a personal injury claim. For small claims with limited injuries, the picture is different. If your damages are modest and the insurer is working with you, the attorney’s fee may cancel out much of what they add. Most personal injury lawyers will tell you this directly during a free consult. The research is clearest for cases with serious injuries, disputed fault, or an insurer that is not dealing fairly. These findings underscore the crucial role lawyers play in navigating the intricate legal landscape, effectively negotiating with insurance companies, and ensuring victims receive the full compensation they are rightfully entitled to for their injuries and losses.
By leveraging their expertise and understanding of the legal process, attorneys can often uncover avenues for maximizing recovery that individuals acting alone may overlook, ultimately leading to more favorable outcomes for their clients.
At GJEL Accident Attorneys, we deeply understand and appreciate the impact that skilled legal representation can have on our client’s financial recovery. This understanding is not merely anecdotal but firmly grounded in the research highlighted in this article.
Our commitment to providing experienced and dedicated advocacy, coupled with our contingency fee structure, ensures that individuals needing justice can access top-tier legal services without the burden of upfront costs. We firmly believe everyone deserves the best possible chance at a fair settlement, and our firm is structured to make that a reality for our clients.
If you’ve suffered a personal injury, the decision to hire legal representation is a critical one that can profoundly influence your financial future. The studies discussed clearly indicate the potential for a significantly increased settlement value when you have an experienced advocate.
Don’t navigate the complexities of your claim alone. Contact GJEL Accident Attorneys today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let our proven expertise and commitment to your best interests work for you, ensuring you have the strongest possible chance at securing the full and fair compensation you deserve.
Sources
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/467833
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09695958.1999.9960470
https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2331&context=ulj
https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2562&context=lcp
