What is the best way to proceed in a personal injury matter? If you’ve been injured, settling your case for a reasonable amount may be the best answer.
Litigation Is Expensive, Settlement Doesn’t Have to Be
Litigation is expensive. In fact, it’s often more expensive than settlement. A recent study found that litigating a personal injury case can cost an average of $9,000 in legal fees and court costs, while obtaining a settlement through mediation or arbitration costs around $7,000.
Settlements don’t have to be this way! If you’re looking for ways to save money on your personal injuries claim, consider settling with the insurance company before going to trial—and if they don’t offer enough money for what you need or want, then negotiate until they do.
Trials are Stressful
The stress of a trial can be overwhelming, especially if you’re not prepared. The stress of a trial can make it difficult to focus on the case and may cause you to lose sleep.
Liability and Damages are Unpredictable at Trial
At trial, liability and damages are often unpredictable. For example, jurors may not understand the facts of your case or what you’re asking for in terms of damages.
Additionally, juries can be biased because they don’t like being sued or feel that their personal lives are affected by a verdict (e.g., losing employment).
The Trial and Appeals Process Can Take Years
The trial process can take months or years, and the appeals process may take even longer. You may have to pay for your attorney’s fees even if you win the case, which could add up to thousands of dollars in legal fees if you’re pursuing an injury claim on your own.
Settlements are Private, Trials are Not
A settlement is a private matter between the parties. The terms of a settlement are not disclosed to the public, and neither party can disclose them without written consent from the other party.
A Settling Defendant Does Not Need to Admit Liability
One of the biggest benefits of settling a personal injury case is that it doesn’t require you to admit liability. You can still deny any liability in settlement, or even at trial. This is great because you don’t want to give up your right to sue someone who did something wrong and caused your accident.
Litigation is an expensive process. Settlements can reduce costs and allow you to take control of your case.
If you’re lucky, your case will settle before the trial date. But if it doesn’t, you still have the option of going to trial. In most cases, though, settlements are cheaper than trials and allow plaintiffs to take control of their cases without having to worry about whether or not they’ll win on appeal or in front of a jury.
Settlements can also be more private for people who don’t want their case publicized—a luxury that lawyers don’t always provide at this stage in litigation (which might be why some people prefer settlements).
Settlements tend to happen faster than trials do too; there’s less court time involved with them so plaintiffs aren’t tied up waiting around for years while injury lawyers in Woodbridge argue over issues like whether or not an injury was caused by someone else’s negligence instead of their own fault.
