Any citizen in America can bring a lawsuit. It’s their right to go after compensation should they feel they have been wronged or they have been injured. They can file the paperwork themselves and even represent themselves in court. However, as the old saying goes “only a fool would have himself as his attorney”. The fact of the matter is that American law is complex and requires understanding and practice. Your average layman has neither of these.
Hiring an attorney to handle your case is really the only logical way to go. If an attorney and their legal team are not working on your case, the odds of success are very low. This is because they spend 8 years in formal education and training to receive law degrees.
As far as pricing is concerned, it can vary greatly. Some attorneys charge a flat hourly fee while other charge a standard fee for the entire case from beginning to end. Then there are other types of attorneys who only get paid if you win. These are usually personal injury attorney and disability lawyers in Melbourne, Florida.
The better your attorney is the better odds you have of winning your case. This goes for cases when you are doing the suing and ones where you are getting sued. If you have a bad lawyer, then chances are the outcome of your case will also be bad. A good lawyer will plainly explain to you what is happening and stay on top of your case from beginning to end.
Legal counsel will coordinate with you on a daily or weekly basis to keep you in the loop. As your case approaches, communication will pick up. Then as the case is in full swing, you may talk to your attorney several times per day. This is the most important time to be clear and honest with your attorney. It will help the, win your case.
Trial Attorneys
Trial law in the United States is a specialized field, with only a small fraction of legal professionals focusing exclusively on courtroom litigation. According to the American Bar Association, as of January 1, 2024, there are over 1.3 million active lawyers in the U.S., but Zippia estimates only about 7,030 are trial lawyers, making up roughly 0.54% of the legal profession.
A 2019 Pew Research study found that just 2% of criminal defendants go to trial, with 90% pleading guilty and 2% having cases dismissed, while fewer than 1% of federal defendants win at trial, resulting in a federal conviction rate exceeding 99%. In civil litigation, approximately 95% of personal injury lawsuits settle before trial, with over 90% of trials favoring plaintiffs when cases do proceed.
Federal court trials have declined significantly, dropping from 20,581 in 1997 to 11,754 in 2016, a 43% decrease, driven by high costs and risk aversion, particularly among corporate defendants. Trial lawyers, with an average age of 46, are predominantly male (70.8%) and White (75.1%), though diversity is slowly increasing. These statistics highlight the rarity and high-stakes nature of trial law.
