injury lawyers

There are a number of reasons why you may be looking to hire an injury lawyer to help you with your personal injury case. You may have slipped and fell at the grocery store, you may have been in a car accident, someone’s dog could have bit you, you may be the victim of medical malpractice or nursing home neglect, or a product may have malfunctioned and injured you. Prior to hiring an attorney for your case, you will sit down with an attorney for what is known as a consultation, or an initial interview. During the consultation, an attorney will ask you questions about the accident and your case. At the end of the meeting, they will decide if they want to represent you or not. The lawyer has the option of not representing you, and if this happens, you may find yourself wondering why a lawyer would reject your case. Here are a few of the most common reasons why injury lawyers reject some cases?

They Do Not Have the Time or Staff to Take on The Case Right Now

One of the reasons why injury lawyers may reject some cases is simply due to a lack of time or staffing. A lawyer or law firm may reject a case because they do not have the time or staff to take on the case right now. They may be working a large case that is taking away from their ability to work on other cases, or they may have staff that is on vacation, on maternity leave or recently had surgery, which can leave them shorthanded and understaffed. 

They Do Not Feel You Have a Compensable Case

Another common reason why injury lawyers may reject your personal injury case is because they may feel like you do not have a compensable case. Different types of personal injury cases have different requirements that must be met in order for someone to be held accountable for your injuries. One attorney may feel like your case does not meet those requirements, while another attorney may see things differently. If one attorney feels like you do not have a compensable case, talk to another attorney to get another opinion. 

The Statute of Limitations May Have Expired On Your Case

If the statute of limitations has expired on your case, no attorney will be able to take your case on. Different counties and states have different statute of limitations. The statute of limitations dictates how much time you have to file a case. If you do not file before this deadline, you give up your rights to ever file a case against a party for your injuries. Attorneys cannot help extend the statute of limitations. If it expires, there is nothing that can be done, so you always want to ensure you file prior to this timeline expiring. 

There May Not Be Enough Money In the Case For Them

Another common reason why a personal injury lawyer may reject your case is because there is not enough money in the case for them. A personal injury lawyer works on a contingency basis. This means that they get a percentage of your settlement, rather than charging you an hourly fee. If you sustained minor injuries in an accident, the settlement you may be entitled to may be small. There may not be enough money in your case to entice a lawyer to work on it. 

The Case May Be Out Of Their Wheelhouse

One of the things that may people do not realize is that not every personal injury lawyer works on every type of personal injury case. Some personal injury lawyers focus only on one type of case, such as car accidents or medical malpractice, while other personal injury lawyers handle multiple types of personal injury cases. A personal injury lawyer may decline to take on your personal injury case because your type of case is out of their wheelhouse, or not a type of personal injury case that they normally work on. 

The Case May Be Out Of Their League

Another thing that people may not fully understand is that some cases may be out of the league of some personal injury lawyers. Small law firms or relatively new lawyers may be hesitant to take on large cases or cases with large and powerful defendants. A lawyer may decline to take on your case is they feel that the case is too large for them or out of their league. For example, think about the personal injury case where the defendant spilled hot coffee on her legs and sued McDonalds. McDonalds is a large company with powerful attorneys. Not every law firm can take on their lawyers. 

They May Simply Not Want to Work With You

The final reason why injury lawyers may reject your case is because they simply may not want to work with you. Let’s face it. There are people that just do not get along well with other people. The lawyer may think you will be a high-maintenance client, may think you will make a bad witness, or may not fully believe your story. If a lawyer does not want to work with you for any reason, they do not have to. It is important to note that this goes both ways. You also want to ensure you like your lawyer, trust and believe in them, and feel you can communicate and get along well with them. 

If one personal injury law firm rejects your case, it does not necessarily mean that you should not move forward with a legal case to recover money for your injuries. Another group of injury lawyers may gladly take on your case and help you to move forward. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer today to schedule a consultation to discuss your case and find out if they are the right lawyer to help with your case.