Do you have a career in the construction industry? Have you been injured while at work and been unable to get compensation for your losses? Being injured while on the job at a construction site can be quite a bit more serious than an injury received as part of an office-based career. Despite this, you may be told that the injury was your own fault and that you are owed little to nothing as a result. If this sounds like you, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer to help you get what you deserve. But before you hire any attorney, here are some questions that will help you determine which one will be right for you:
Have you handled many construction accident cases before? A construction accident lawyer may be part of a law firm that advertises that they handle other types of workers compensation claims, but not all workers compensation lawyers handle construction accident cases. In addition to being familiar with workplace safety laws, a lawyer who deals with construction accident cases should also be familiar with various relevant laws governing construction site safety. The more familiar your lawyer is with these things, the better chance you have of receiving a favorable outcome.
What fees do you charge? As a subset of workers compensation law, a construction accident lawyer will often charge you nothing up front. In lieu of being paid by you directly, he or she will take a percentage of the settlement that he or she is able to get for you. This percentage can vary greatly between different lawyers and law firms but is typically somewhere around a third of your settlement. This may seem like a lot at first, but remember that you would be getting nothing at all if it weren't for the help of your lawyer.
How long will this case take? If you have a very strong case, it's possible that your construction accident lawyer will be able to negotiate a favorable settlement out of court within a matter of a couple weeks or months. If your case isn't as strong or if the other party is simply stubborn, your case may need to actually go before a judge in order for a decision to be reached. Your lawyer should be able to give you a reasonable estimate as to how long each section of the process will take and whether or not they think your case will be settled quickly.