subject: Personal Injury in Pennsylvania [print this page] Personal Injury in Pennsylvania
"Can I handle my own personal injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania?" The short answer is yes; it is within your right as a Pennsylvanian to represent yourself in a Pennsylvania personal injury lawsuit. Is it in your best interest to do sorarely.
It is risky logic to assume that the best solution is to do something yourself simply because you can. For example
It is possible to install a garage door yourself, but it is an inherently dangerous task, one that has often resulted in serious injury or death, which is why even skilled do-it-yourselfers usually leave this job to professionals.
You are legally permitted to operate on your own body rather than have a hospital do it. But the risks are enormous, so the prudent let professionals do this for them.
Likewise with personal injury lawsuits, the results you get from self-representation are often inferior to the results of a lawsuit settlement or award when you are represented by an experienced personal injury attorney in Pennsylvania.
Three self-representation risks in Pennsylvania personal injury cases
Many have found that going it alone proves to be penny wise but pound foolishsaving themselves from having part of their settlement or award go to an attorney (penny wise), but either losing their case or being outgunned from a fair settlement by powerful defense attorneys (pound foolish). Consider three things before you choose self-representation.
Risk #1Understanding process and personal injury law
Some aspects of personal injury law in Pennsylvania are highly complicated, as are some of the processes involved. Unless you have a great deal of insight (education and experience) in such important concepts as causation and fault, damages and compensation, defenses, statutes of limitation, jurisdiction, and the procedural challenges involved in proving your case, there is a chance that you may miss important opportunities to build a strong case.
Risk #2Waging war against powerful legal opponents
Odds are that, even if you choose self-representation, the defendant will not. This means you are up against highly trained and highly skilled adversarieslawyers who have spent their lives becoming very successful at tearing apart plaintiffs' cases, making them look foolish, selfish, or ignorant and making plaintiffs' evidence or witnesses appear inaccurate, unfounded, or unreliable. Having an equally skilled, battle-hardened Bucks County personal injury lawyer on your side can help you avoid personal legal bloodshed.
Risk #3The critical skill of settlement negotiation
In spite of what television shows about law firms may suggest, very few personal injury lawsuits are tried in a courtroom. The vast majority of these cases are settled between the defendant and the plaintiff in advance through negotiated out-of-court settlements. Even when the evidence indicates a measure of guilt against the defendant, no worthy defense attorney is going to write out a blank check for you to fill out accordingly. Getting a strong, fair settlement is nearly always a battle, with the defense offering insufficient settlements and your attorney countering appropriately until both sides agree on a fair settlement amount. This stage of the lawsuit is critical to the outcome of your settlement. Working with a Bucks County personal injury attorney that is both skilled and experienced in settlement negotiation can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars' difference in the final settlement amount.
Pennsylvania personal injury representation
Yes, it is possible to represent yourself. But we encourage you to seek representation for your Pennsylvania personal injury case from a lawyer with experience and a history of results to ensure that you have the strongest chance of winning your case or winning a fair settlement.
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