If you find yourself in legal hot water, what are your options? You can represent yourself, possibly with the assistance of some online legal help, or you do the responsible thing and find legal help experts. Maybe you think that the attorney cost is not worth it, that you can handle things on your own. But there are plenty of numbers out there that tell you otherwise. A lawyer fee is worth far more than you could ever imagine. Weigh saving attorney costs against proper and professional representation, a full law education, and how much grief, stress, fines and potential jail time you could avoid.
Still not convinced? Read on. Below are some numbers of what the simple price of attorney costs can actually save you.
1. General Knowledge
When it comes to self-representation, over 60% of people fail to effectively and efficiently represent themselves in court. Even in simple situations, all it takes is a single slip up, a lack of a single piece of knowledge, to seal the deal. Only 45% of self-represented litigants feel confident that they can manage their case, without any legal assistance. Representing yourself means that your case is not privy to such simple law information as procedural rules, plea bargains, and any needed and appropriate legal forms or documents.
2. Bankruptcy
The following five percentages represent the most common misconceptions in bankruptcy that lead to repeated case failures. Nearly 70% of people believe that bankruptcy only affects a person for five years, leading them not to realize the severity of the situation. Over 50% of people actually believe that filing for bankruptcy excuses them completely from paying off credit card debt, and nearly a quarter of people believe that bankruptcy excuses them from school loan debt.
Almost 40% of people believe that, if they file for bankruptcy, they do not have to go through with it, because creditors will work with them once they have filed. And almost 25% of people believe that bankruptcy is not public information, that no one can find it out if they do file. And a bonus fact for you, the failure percentage for those who represent themselves in bankruptcy court is almost 80%.
3. Personal Injury
As if law in general were not confusing enough, personal injury claims are an additional can of worms. Hiring a lawyer to represent you means that they can explain any and all of the complex rules that may be involved with your case. Not only can they get you a settlement that you deserve, but they can help you settle things with the insurance companies involved as well. Those who hire personal lawyers receive a settlement of about one-third more than those who try to represent themselves. And the average awards for 85% of those who had representation was just over $200,000.
If you want less of a chance of success, and less winnings if you do succeed, then you do not need a lawyer at all. But if you want someone to back you with a working knowledge of the law, and the expertise and experience that you cannot bring to the table, you should really consider hiring a lawyer for whatever situation you find yourself in in court.
