Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Personal Injury Lawyers Minneapolis


Personal Injury Lawyers Minneapolis

When retaining Minneapolis personal injury lawyers to represent you in your civil action, there are several key considerations. For the state of Minnesota, the law allows up to two years for the claim to filed in this type of case. Cases that are filed for this category of civil claims often relate to pedestrian, motorcycle, car or boat accidents. The goal of the claim filed is for the injured party to win money damages from the at fault party.

One type of case that can be filed is based on the plaintiff's claim of negligence. Negligence is when the person who caused the harm to take place was not doing it with intent, however they did not take the reasonable steps to prevent the harm from happening. To win a case based on a claim of negligence, the plaintiff needs to prove by preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant had the responsibility to exercise reasonable care, and their failure to do so has directly caused the harm. Minneapolis personal injury lawyers know the state laws that apply to claims of this nature and can assist injured parties in building a strong case to support their claim.

Another category of personal injury case is based on a claim that the defendant was acting intentionally in a manner that directly resulted in the harm of the plaintiff. This type of case may be based on an incident that was also charged as a criminal case in the district courts. The existence of a criminal case for the same incident can be helpful for proving intentional wrongful conduct. These cases are called "torts" a legal term that refers to the cases that are filed in civil court when one party's intentional wrong acts causes damage to another party, this intentional act gives legal right for the injured party to seek legal remedy.

Minneapolis personal injury lawyers have the experience in this specialty area of law to work with the injured parties who wish to file their cases to recover damages in their cases. The first step in finding an attorney to work with is to look for referrals from people you know and trust. Coworkers, friends or relatives may know someone who has filed a similar claim in the past. It is very common for the first meeting to be free of charge. This initial consultation can often be arranged at a location that is most convenient for the client. Many Minneapolis personal iinjury lawyers will meet with potential clients in their homes to help ease the burden on the family.

The first meeting with the personal injury attorney will be a chance to tell them the facts of the case and to see if they feel the case has legal merit. Once the injured person has decided to retain the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers, they will discuss the way the lawyers will be paid. The typical payment agreement for this type of case is on a contingency basis. This is an arrangement between the lawyers and the client that the fee for the lawyers will be a percentage of the total amount of damages won. If there is a negotiated settlement with an insurance company or a defendant, the fee for the attorneys will be deducted from that and the only costs to the client could be for court filing fees or other such expenses.

The fact that the fee paid to the attorney is contingent upon the case being won is an important vote of confidence on the part of the attorney that the plaintiff can prevail in the action. Lawyers will not take on cases that they do not believe they can win. There are several ways that the claim can be settled with the help of the Minneapolis personal injury lawyers. The case can be negotiated in mediation with a third party neutral, there may be direct negotiations without the aid of a mediator, or there may be settlement offers made at various stages of the negotiation process. If there are attempts made to settle the claim, but no success in reaching an agreement, the case can go on to district court to be litigated. The plaintiff will then have the option of a judge or a jury to hear the facts and make the decision.

So choose your Minneapolis personal injury lawyers wisely.

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