Tuesday 29 November 2011

Points To Remember When Choosing The Best Personal Injury Attorney

When you have been the victim in an accident, whether at work or on the road and it clearly was not your fault, you should not hesitate to put in a claim. Regardless of the place where the accident took place, you can claim for loss or earnings, injuries and medical expenses and this process is a lot easier with the help of the best personal injury attorney.

If you decide to employ a professional to help you make your claim against the third party, you will be guaranteed more compensation as well as emotional support throughout the whole process. Having been involved in an accident may not seem like a big deal at the time, but the scars can often last for life.

There is no point in hesitating about making a claim after an accident. You should not worry about fees or how you will afford to employ a professional; all the best companies work on a no win no fee basis. What you do need to be concentrating on here though is making sure that you hire a professional who is suited to the job.

When making a claim, you will need all the relevant medical evidence and this will require that you visited your doctor at the time of the accident. It is very important that the personal injury attorney who will take on your case is experienced and has a good reputation and some positive past customer comments that you can look at.

When you are searching for a firm or an individual to take on your case, then make sure you do not take too much notice of colorful adverts that you see on the television. All reputable firms will work on a no win no fee basis and this should therefore never allow you to change your mind when you are choosing amongst companies.

What you should be looking for therefore is a firm or an individual who has excellent ratings and some real experience in your required specialty. There are attorneys who specialize in whiplash claims and others in motorbike accidents or fall in the work place.

Your search for this individual or firm can start by asking family or friends or alternatively it can start by conducting an online search. If you are going to use the Internet to find a firm then be careful that you do enough background checks and that the company in question really is reputable.

The whole process for choosing the correct personal injury attorney for your case should not be a difficult one but it is one that requires some time and deliberation. The individual you will hire should be able to help you through all stages of your case and they should be the person who can support you emotionally too during this tough time. When you use the services of such a person, you will often be able to reach an out of court settlement and if not you should receive a substantial payout to cover all your expenses.

Recommended Links:

South Lake Tahoe California

Wednesday 23 November 2011

How A Criminal Defense Lawyer Protects Clients

Being charged with a serious crime such as extortion or assault can quickly cause problems in a person's personal and professional life. But criminal defense lawyers can help individuals navigate the legal system while protecting their rights to fair treatment under the law. Attorneys can also make sure the accused do not make any innocent mistakes because they are unfamiliar with the legal system.

Once suspects are taken into custody, they have to appear in court for an arraignment. By hiring their attorneys now, they can get legal counsel before entering their plea of guilty or not guilty. They can also try to convince the magistrate to let their clients out of jail until the trial or ask for them to be given a reduced bail.

A magistrate holds a preliminary hearing to decide if there is enough evidence to hold a trial. The judge hears evidence and witnesses from both prosecutors and the defense lawyers. The judge then decides if, based on the evidence, a reasonable group of jurors would find the defendant guilty. If so, the magistrate sets a date for the trial. Under some circumstances, the accused may have their legal counsel try to work out a plea bargain to avoid the risk of getting a harsher sentence if the jury hands down a guilty verdict.

To determine what evidence will be allowed in the trial, a pretrial motion hearing is held. Both sides meet in court so the judge can decide what kind of evidence and testimony will be allowed or forbidden. Ground rules will also be established concerning how the jury will be selected.

Before the gavel comes down for the trial, defense attorneys continue to build their cases to make sure they have not missed anything. In the first phase, they give their opening statements. They must also be familiar with the prosecution's presentation, so they can quickly object to anything they feel is improper. When it is their turn, they challenge the state's evidence with witnesses of their own. Once they rest their case, the judge turns the case over to jurors so they can reach a verdict.

If the jury finds the defendant guilty, then the judge will set a date for the sentencing. The guilty defendants could then face anything from probation to hard time in prison or in some states or countries could even be put on death row to be executed. But, the sentencing phase may not be the end of the case. If their lawyers believe legal mistakes were made by the court, they can immediately start preparing an appeal.

The defendant's legal counsel can submit a document for the appeal called a brief to a higher court. In it they argue that the conviction or sentence should be overturned or reduced. They can only challenge the record of the proceedings and cannot introduce new evidence. Prosecutors also file a document, saying why they believe the appeal should not be granted.

Being charged with a serious crime can be devastating and it can ruin the person's personal life and career and could also ruin them financially. A competent defense attorney can help protect their civil rights by making sure they get a fair and unbiased trial by a jury of their peers.

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Criminal Defense Attorney Sparks Nevada