December 22, 2021
At some point in your life, you will most likely interact with at least one attorney— if not more. As with many other professions, each legal specialty fills a specific need. In fact, there are over 1.33 million lawyers in the United States alone. But what do they do? There are many different types of attorneys and the kinds of cases they handle cover a vast range of possibilities. Below you will find five different types of attorneys you may find yourself in need of within your lifetime and precisely what they do:
A personal injury attorney is someone that provides legal representation to a person or persons that have suffered an injury due to the negligence of another person or party. Personal injury attorneys work in tort law, which includes negligent and intentional acts, and they pursue compensation for accident victims.
Personal injury cases are made up of three primary issues: liability, fault, and damages. In order to have a personal injury claim, you must be able to prove that these three things are connected— meaning the accused is responsible for the injuries that you have undergone. Oftentimes these types of claims are hard to prove because of the complex legal and financial issues required in order to be awarded compensation for the damages that you have suffered.
If you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence of another person or party, you only have two options: you can hope that an insurance company of the negligent person or party at fault for your injuries provides you with legitimate advice, or you can hire an experienced personal injury attorney to represent you in the best way they can with your best interest in mind. Unfortunately, many insurance companies only have their best interest in mind and are strictly committed to increasing their profits. Personal injury attorneys represent only the injured victims’ and will serve their best interests, and will only be committed to getting you the compensation that you deserve.
Personal injuries can happen in a plethora of ways. A few of the most common types of personal injury cases include automobile accidents, trucking accidents, premises liability, product liability, workplace injury, nursing home abuse, aviation accident, boating/maritime accident, police misconduct, and dangerous drugs & medical devices.
Injuries that can result from the above accidents include: death, amputations, burn injuries, broken bones, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, scarring & disfigurement, paralysis, and more.
When you suffer one of these severe injuries, you will often be faced with many setbacks, including pain and suffering, the inability to work, and significant medical expenses. Because of these expenses, the experienced personal injury attorneys at The Cochran Firm will fight for the maximum compensation the law will allow. The right personal injury attorney will seek damages far beyond the small offerings an insurance company usually makes. The types of compensation that are often awarded include past and future medical/rehabilitation expenses, loss of income, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
The specific actions of personal injury attorneys typically depend on the type of case they are dealing with and where that case is in the legal process. Some of the things that personal injury attorneys may do during your case include investigating the claim, gathering evidence, negotiating with insurance companies, sending demand letters to the insurance company, preparing pleadings, organizing discovery processes, and representing their clients at trial (if the case gets to trial).
Without the representation of a personal injury attorney, accident victims are at the mercy of insurance companies that sadly put their profits over your recovery. With a personal injury attorney at The Cochran Firm, you are guaranteed to have a legal team with the resources and experience that has your best interest in mind.
A medical malpractice attorney is a legal professional who focuses on helping victims who have been injured by a physician or hospital while under their care. Both personal injury and medical malpractice law serve to correct the civil wrong when someone is injured due to negligence of another. In fact, medical malpractice is a subset of personal injury law. Although there are many similarities between the two practice areas, medical malpractice cases are oftentimes much more complex than routine personal injury cases.
Regrettably, medical malpractice happens much too often. In fact, according to a recent study done by Johns Hopkins, over 250,000 individuals in the U.S. die each year due to medical errors, making it the third leading cause of death.
Medical malpractice attorneys resolve legal disputes on behalf of their clients. Those clients could be the patient themselves or surviving family members of patients. Medical malpractice clients are suing medical professionals for malpractice.
Malpractice refers to professional wrongdoing on the part of a medical professional or hospital. Medical malpractice typically involves the negligent acts of nurses, doctors, therapists, dentists, technicians, and any other medical professionals and healthcare providers.
In order to have a medical malpractice case, the victim must show that a doctor-patient relationship existed, the doctor acted negligently, the negligence of that doctor was the sole cause for your injuries, and the injury led to specific damages including mental agony, physical pain, additional medical bills, and lost work and lost earning capacity. If these things cannot be proven, then you may not have a medical malpractice case. If you are unsure of whether or not you have a medical malpractice claim, contact one of our experienced medical malpractice attorneys for a free, no-obligation initial consultation.
Medical malpractice cases can arise from many different errors. Those include birth traumas, medical misdiagnosis, anesthesia errors, failure to treat, surgical errors, medication errors, and more.
Medical malpractice attorneys perform many daily tasks of a typical civil litigator. This means that there is a legal disagreement, but there are no criminal charges involved. Medical malpractice attorneys will spend much of their time interviewing their clients, organizing investigations, drafting motions, creating trial strategies, and litigating the cases themselves. Many other tasks will be performed by a medical malpractice attorney, including:
If you or a loved one has received less than standard medical care and it led to harm or injury, hiring a medical malpractice attorney is a good idea. The Cochran Firm’s medical malpractice attorneys know just how to handle your case and are ready to help fight for the medical malpractice recovery you are entitled to.
Criminal defense attorneys fulfill many important roles during a criminal case. Within the complicated criminal justice system, a defense attorney has the responsibility to defend a person who has been charged with a crime as well as to speak on their behalf. A criminal defense attorney can be contacted directly by the accused or can be assigned the case by the court.
There are two types of criminal defense attorneys: public defenders (paid by the public defender’s office) who are appointed by local, state, or federal courts and criminal defense lawyers hired by private firms (usually work out of a legal office that they run themselves).
Once a criminal defense attorney meets their client personally, they will gather as many details as possible about the case. One major job duty for a criminal defense attorney is similar to that of an investigator. Much of their time is spent going through evidence pertaining to the charges their client is facing. Criminal defense attorneys will ask specific questions in order to learn about possible defenses, strengths, and weaknesses regarding the case. This takes careful and thorough questioning of the accused. Once those questions are asked and answered, further investigation into the case will begin to determine any possible routes of acquitting the defendant. This can include questioning law enforcement about procedures they used and talking with witnesses who have information on the case. Each piece of information is used to build the strongest case they can in order to defend their client.
Criminal defense attorneys also help prepare pleas, analyze prosecutor’s cases, assess the potential sentencing, and more. Defense counsel advises on possible consequences of a plea, conviction, or criminal record and negotiates deals with their prosecutors. Those deals may include reduced bail, reduced charges, and reduced sentences. In addition, criminal defense attorneys hit the defendant with a reality check in regards to the possible outcomes and help the defendant navigate the frustrations and fears that result from the criminal justice system. If there is no plea deal made, a criminal defense attorney will represent their client at trial.
Criminal defense attorneys are equipped to handle all types of criminal charges, even ones that may seem insignificant. Experienced criminal defense attorneys know exactly how to navigate the criminal justice system to ensure that their clients are not at the mercy of prosecutors and judges who are only concerned with acquiring a conviction.
Criminal defense attorneys represent individuals that are charged with murder, drug-related crimes, fraud, extortion, embezzlement, white-collar crimes, violent crimes, marijuana violations, and more.
If you or a loved one is facing charges for the above charges or any other criminal offense, and are in need of a criminal defense attorney, contact The Cochran Firm for a free no-obligation initial consultation today. Our criminal defense attorneys have over 30 years of experience in criminal defense law and are ready to defend clients charged with criminal offenses in federal, state, juvenile, and military courts.
A civil plaintiff attorney is usually referred to as a litigator or trial lawyer. This is a particular type of attorney that is hired by a client in order to pursue or defend a civil lawsuit. Civil plaintiff attorneys manage all phases of a case from the investigation, pleadings, and discovery all the way to the pre-trial, trial, settlement, and appeal process. A civil plaintiff attorney may specialize in any of the following legal fields:
Civil disputes typically involve a party or establishment seeking compensation for damages or injuries suffered due to the negligence of another person or party. The nature of civil disagreements usually focuses on people, relationships, and property.
Civil plaintiff attorneys represent clients in non-criminal legal suits. Clients can be government entities, businesses, or individuals. Civil attorneys provide legal strategies and advice on civil cases and they will represent a variety of proceedings for their clients, including pretrial hearings, depositions, arbitration, mediation, and the trial itself (if the case makes it to trial). Many of the processes during these proceedings are geared toward having the two parties (defendant and plaintiff) reach a settlement without having to invest the time and money into going into court.
Some general job duties a civil plaintiff attorney will perform include:
Experienced civil plaintiff attorneys have the skills and knowledge that are essential to litigation practice, including strong written and oral advocacy skills, the ability to combine complex legal and factual materials, analytical and logical reasoning capacity, client development skills, negotiation skills, knowledge of research techniques and software, and more. All of these skill sets aid in successfully representing their clients.
During the investigation process, civil plaintiff attorneys will conduct an initial case investigation in order to decide if there is an adequate amount of evidence to warrant filing a claim. The investigation process will include finding witnesses, taking witness statements, collecting relevant documents to the case, interviewing the client, and investigating the facts that lead to the disagreement.
Oftentimes civil plaintiff attorneys will partake in pre-litigation settlement discussions in an attempt to settle the matter before a lawsuit is even filed.
If you or a loved one find yourself in the middle of a civil dispute and in need of a civil plaintiff attorney, contact The Cochran Firm for a free no-obligation initial consultation today. Our tenacious attorneys have the knowledge and experience in handling civil cases to help fight for the compensation that you deserve in this trying time.
Employment attorneys provide a wide variety of services to not only employees but employers as well. Some of the tasks that employment attorneys help with include helping clients understand their legal rights as well as helping them fight for these rights to recover from injuries that have happened within the workplace.
Employees that experience discriminatory or unfair labor practices at their place of work can include harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, employer retaliation, sexual harassment, Family and Medical Leave Act violation, and more. Another part of employment law is workers’ compensation. Worker’s compensation claims arise when employees become injured on the job or become ill due to their job. Oftentimes employees experience these violations but are too scared to speak out or are simply unaware of their rights.
For most employment law situations, a claim must be filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or other government agencies before an employee is able to pursue a private cause of action. An employment attorney can help an employee with filing the complaint with the appropriate agency and explain the time limit in which you must file a claim, also known as the statute of limitations.
Employment attorneys who have an employee as their client are solely responsible for that employee. They can make sure that their client is receiving fair compensation and that they are working in a safe environment. They also represent workers in court when an employer mistreats them in any way. Employment attorneys help negotiate with insurance companies for a higher payout (for an injured worker in a workers’ compensation claim), help seek a higher amount for their client in civil court, and in some cases, they can negotiate with the employer or insurance company for a settlement before they even get to court.
It is important to have an experienced employment attorney on your side because of the power imbalance that is involved. Employers almost always have more money and better resources than their employees. This allows for the employer to hire the best representation for themselves, leaving the employee to fend for themself with less money and resources. Plus, many employers have insurance policies to protect them from claims like this. Most employer-based insurance companies’ goals are to pay out the least amount possible, resulting in paying minimal settlements to their victims. Employment attorneys have the resources and tenacious attitude to hold employers and insurance companies accountable to ensure that the victim receives the right amount of compensation.
It is not uncommon for employees to find themselves working under intolerable conditions or being denied income and benefits when injured in the workplace. When you find yourself in these situations, you should not have to worry about losing your job in this trying time. If you believe that you have been the victim of any of the above employment violations, contact an experienced employment law attorney at The Cochran Firm for your free, no-obligation initial consultation today.
No matter what area of legal trouble you find yourself in, you deserve to have the best representation possible. The attorneys at The Cochran Firm have been serving its clients for over 30 years and are devoted to bringing quality representation to clients around the United States. Contact us today so we can start serving you the best way possible.
Johnnie Cochran had long dreamed of creating a national law firm of men and women from all races, religions, creeds, and backgrounds to show how well we could all work together to make the world a better place. When Mr. Cochran started The Cochran Firm, his mission was “a journey to justice.” Today, with more than 35 offices across more than 20 states, the attorneys at The Cochran Firm work every day to fulfill that dream and continue that mission by working for our clients with the same work ethic and dedication to justice exemplified by Mr. Johnnie Cochran himself.
The Cochran Firm is a diverse group of highly skilled and experienced lawyers that are dedicated to bringing high-quality representation to injured people and their families. Our experienced attorneys at The Cochran Firm are among the nation’s most recognized and successful attorneys in the country. When navigating through the legal process, you deserve to have an experienced attorney by your side. Our attorneys at The Cochran Firm know how to fight for you.
Here at The Cochran Firm, each of our attorneys is ready to help victims receive the maximum compensation and financial recovery for all of their pain and sufferings. Our attorneys work closely with each of our clients using pooled resources and their access to legal expertise to ensure the most effective legal representation available is provided.
You need the help of an experienced attorney who has proven successful results in other similar cases to guide you through the process and help you to receive the monetary damages you are entitled to under the law. The Cochran Firm’s results have been well documented and demonstrated both in the courtroom and at settlement conferences. At The Cochran Firm, we have the offices, the experience, the results, and the resources to aid clients throughout the United States.
If you’re looking for an experienced attorney to help you pursue justice for your case, please contact our attorneys at The Cochran Firm today for your free, no-obligation initial consultation today. We serve the entire country with offices in many major U.S. cities.
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