Are oftentimes very stressful, and depending on the exact circumstances of the event, getting an outcome in your favor can be difficult. Even if someone’s dog seriously harmed you, there are various factors that might make it difficult to get compensation.
To help navigate the courtroom and increase your chances of being properly compensated, you need to find the best dog bite lawyer possible to represent you.
That can be a challenging task if you haven’t dealt with the legal field much in your life, but today, we’re going to go over 8 tips for choosing the best dog bite lawyer for your needs.
Let’s get started.
The first thing you need to do is ensure that you’re dealing with a qualified lawyer with all of their education requirements met, professional training, and professional experience. All of these things are provable, and they will typically be very easily verifiable just by checking the lawyer’s site or asking them outright. Much like doctors who frame their achievements and provide in-depth portfolios of their credentials, lawyers don’t hide their core qualifications or make you look for them.
It’s very unlikely that you’ll even find someone who isn’t properly qualified from an educational or certification standpoint, but it is important to ensure that you don’t hire a lawyer with no real-world experience. That is a plausible scenario, and it can go poorly for you.
Beyond the core qualifications being met, you also need to ensure that the lawyer you hire specializes in dog bite cases. This is the case for almost any type of court case. You don’t want to hire a lawyer that handles car accidents to work on your medical malpractice case, a Workers’ Comp lawyer to debate civil case with your neighbor, or any of that. You want one with lots of experience working on cases just like yours.
The fact is, the law is extremely complex, and each type of case is subject to its own niche laws. Without specializing in dog bites, a lawyer can be extremely talented in one principle of law, but they can miss very simple details specifically pertaining to dog bite cases. That can cost your case even if you technically deserve justice.
A lawyer will typically list their specialties on their website, and oftentimes, their core specialty is part of their marketing and branding. You’ve probably seen this with a lot of the lawyers who have ads taken out on television.
Of course, don’t look for a lawyer who only has “dog bites” listed as their specialty. Most lawyers work with multiple specialties that are similar to one another.
Dog Bites are often blown off or undermined as minor situations. In the average person’s life, a dog bite isn’t a serious injury. Overzealous nipping during playtime or when meeting a new person is common. However, when it goes to court, it’s typically far more serious. Even bites that don’t seem to be too serious can have dramatic side effects depending on the shots the dog has gotten, where the bite was, and more.
You want a lawyer who fully understands how serious a dog bite can be. Not only does it mean they’ll be able to present the case appropriately, but it also means that they’ll fully understand what your case is worth.
Hiring a lawyer is a lot like drafting a new quarterback in football. You have a lot on the line, and you want to know that your lawyer can get you the result you’re looking for.
In the simplest terms, you want a lawyer who wins a lot. If they have a history of losing cases or making bad decisions that leave their clients with minimal compensation, then you don’t want to hire them for your case.
However, don’t just look at their wins. Many cases end in settlements, and no one wins or loses on paper when that happens. Instead, high payouts that resemble what the client was originally asking for are good signs.
You’re not just hiring a lawyer. You’re also gaining access to all the resources that lawyer might or might not have.
Lawyers can have good relationships with expert witnesses, the ability to get more evidence that you don’t have access to, resources that help you with insurance claims, etc.
See what the lawyer has to offer beyond just representing you in the courtroom.
This can happen when the at-fault driver has low insurance limits (Illinois only requires $25,000 minimum coverage), when liability is disputed and there's a risk of losing at trial, when the injured person has significant comparative fault, or when the medical treatment was excessive or not clearly related to the accident. Low insurance policies are the most common reason.
Your attorney will negotiate with your medical providers and health insurance company to reduce the amounts owed. Medical providers often accept less than the full amount when they know the settlement was limited by insurance policy limits. Your attorney can also negotiate reductions on health insurance liens. A good lawyer fights to reduce what you owe so you keep more of your settlement.
Technically yes, but practically it rarely makes sense. Most people don't have significant personal assets, and even if you get a judgment against them, collecting it is extremely difficult. The better approach is to make sure you carry adequate uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy so you have additional insurance to tap when the other driver's coverage falls short.
Carry high uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own auto policy — this is your safety net. Hire an experienced attorney who will identify all possible sources of insurance coverage. Make sure your medical treatment is reasonable, necessary, and well-documented. And don't over-treat with providers who charge inflated rates that make your bills disproportionate to your injuries.
Q5: Should I accept a settlement that doesn't cover my medical bills? Sometimes it's the best available option — for example, if the at-fault driver only has $25,000 in coverage and no assets, that $25,000 might be all that's available from their policy. But before accepting, make sure your attorney has explored all other coverage sources (your own UM/UIM, umbre
Would you like to know more about tips for choosing dog bite lawyer?
If you or a loved one is dealing with a situation like this, give us a call any time, day or night. We are here to help. 312-500-4500
Scott DeSalvo founded DeSalvo Law to help injured people throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1998, IARDC #6244452, Scott has represented over 3,000 clients in personal injury, workers compensation, and accident cases.
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