Personal injury attorneys are attorneys who represent injured victims. Personal injury attorneys represent clients in civil law systems such as tort law in the United States. Personal injury lawyers are different from criminal lawyers or criminal prosecutors who prosecute or defend clients in criminal cases.
In most jurisdictions, individuals have the right to sue anyone they believe has been injured. For example, in the United States, a person who has been injured or harmed as a result of negligence or willful conduct may sue under a common law called the tort law system. Most other countries have an associated legal system that allows victims to be compensated for the injuries they inflicted.
The tort law and civil law systems are designed to return injured individuals to the position they were in when they were injured. This means that if a person is injured and suffers medical expenses, pain and suffering and damages, the victim can sue the injured person to recover damages. Punitive damages may also be appropriate to punish the individual who caused the injury.
If the injured person decides to claim damages from the responsible party, he or she must hire a personal injury attorney. The attorney files the necessary documents with the court to file the case. The parties agree or proceed in court, a common occurrence in personal injury lawsuits.
Personal injury attorneys help plaintiffs prove the cause of their behavior. This may be based on negligence or willful error. For example, a victim may sue someone who has been injured without acting responsibly because of their irresponsible behavior, or who intentionally harmed someone.
In many jurisdictions, personal injury attorneys pay fees incidentally. These systems are located in the United States and Canada and several countries in the European Union. When a lawyer works on a conditional fee, he recovers only if the client wins the case and the plaintiff pays part of the damage recovered.
Personal Injury Attorneys can represent clients injured as a result of assault and battery or motor vehicle accidents, medical negligence due to slips and falls. There are many other situations in which a personal injury attorney can represent a victim. Personal injury attorneys can bring civil or tortious action.
