When do you need a lawyer? When do you NOT need a lawyer? There are many circumstances when someone who needs a lawyer ends up not getting one. Similarly, there are cases when people do not need a lawyer, but still, end up getting one. How do you know whether you need one or not? Well, this article should have some common circumstances for both cases.
Times When You Need a Lawyer
Are you on the fence on whether you need a lawyer or not? Well, here are some circumstances when you might certainly need one.
1. You’re Going Through a Nasty Divorce
If you and your ex-spouse broke up as friends, with no hard feelings, then you do not need a lawyer. You can come to a mutual agreement over the details of your split. However, if your divorce is complex or downright nasty, then you might want to consider hiring a lawyer. Attorneys from Andrews Bongar Gormley & Clagett say that the easiest way to get over the legal aspects of a divorce is to have a good lawyer representing you.
2. An Accident with Injuries
Say that you were in a car accident in which you got injured, and the accident was not even your fault. In that case, you might want to hire a personal injury lawyer, as you can get the other person’s insurance to cover your medical bills. As a regular person, you might not know the law or the compensation rates, so an attorney should be able to get you a better deal from the insurance company.
3. You Are Facing Criminal Charges
It’s very scary to be faced with criminal charges, no matter if you are guilty or not. Plus, as the accused person, you might not even know what your rights are – and how you can get away from this without facing God knows how many years in prison. However, a lawyer will know exactly how to protect your rights so that you receive the best defense possible – regardless of your guilt.
4. You’re a Victim of Medical Malpractice
If you are a victim of medical malpractice, then you will need a medical malpractice lawyer. The hospital’s insurance company might try to get in touch with you if the malpractice is discovered, but you should make sure that you have a lawyer hired on your side. The hospital might try to tone things down, but your lawyer should know the law well enough for you to receive the compensation that you deserve.
5. You’re Dealing with Trusts and Wills
Family disputes can get rather messy, no matter if you are one of the people trying to get their share, or if you are the actual person leaving the assets behind. As the owner, you should make sure that all of your assets are set up beforehand with a reputable attorney. This way, your children or descendants will not have to worry about hiring their own lawyers, only for things to get even more confusing.
6. You Are Starting a Business
Startups can be fairly complicated, with a lot of tricky paperwork to take care of. As a new entrepreneur, you might have the idea of the business and the overall plan to make it profitable – but you might not know how to handle the legal matters. With that in mind, you might want to hire an attorney for your startup so that they can help you navigate through all that complicated paperwork.
7. You Are Being Sued
Lawsuits are never nice – and if they do end up getting out of control, you may have to pay colossal amounts to the company suing you. You might have a part of your guilt in there, but if the party suing you has a good lawyer, they might end up skinning you of everything you have.
8. Disability Claims
Disability claims are very often denied in court at the first hearing, mainly because the companies know the individuals will usually give up. With that in mind, if you are a believer in your rights, you need to hire a good attorney to help you get your rights. Plus, if you hire a well-reputed lawyer, you might just end up getting the settlement fees removed as well.
Times When You Don’t Need a Lawyer
There are certain legal circumstances when you’d think you might need a lawyer – but in truth, you don’t. Here are 3 of those situations.
1. You Get a Traffic Ticket
In most situations, paying the lawyer to get you out of the traffic ticket might cost you more than paying the ticket itself. The only exception to this would be if the ticket would cause your insurance rate to fly out the roof or if the offense might cause you to lose your driver’s license. If you aren’t at the risk for any of those, simply pay the ticket and move on.
2. You Have a Small Claims Court
Normally, small claims courts are for the smaller civil disputes that don’t cost too much in the first place. The procedure is fairly informal there, and the only thing that needs to be done is to tell your side of the story. Once the judge hears both sides, they’ll decide based on the facts who is in the right.
3. Lawsuits You Don’t Want Contesting
Sometimes, you may have a lawsuit filed against you that you don’t want contesting. For example, someone may be suing you, and you may be willing to pay what they ask of you because you know yourself to be guilty. In this case, you won’t need a lawyer and you can just go to court without one by your side.
The Bottom Line
Depending on the case, you may or may not have to choose an attorney. Make sure that you weigh all the aspects. With that in mind, the more complicated the case, the more you should focus on getting a good lawyer.
