San Francisco Injury Lawyer: Your Credibility is Essential to Proving Your Case

Most lawyers are well aware that the credibility of their client, especially in larger cases, is essential to a successful prosecution of an injury case. However, few attorney explain to their clients why being credible and believable is so important. 

Let's face the cruel but obvious truth. The jury of twelve strangers does not really care about someone else's injuries. We are all jaded with all the tragedies and injuries we constantly hear about through different channels of media and through are friends and co-workers, and we are often unable to really sympathize with yet another injured person  unless he is our close friend or relative.  This means that the jury is fair and generous to those victims who the jury likes as people. Ironically, an injured claimant who feels sorry for himself, gets much less compassion from the jury who determines whether to award plaintiff damages and how much that award should be. 

If you have been injured and are about to testify at a deposition or trial, it is critical that you don't exaggerate your injuries. It is very important that you don't say that your condition is worse today than it was right after the accident (because that's almost never possible or believable). Unless you have been involved in a catastrophic injury, don't make your injury sound like a global disaster. Be honest about how you hurt yourself and what pain you experience today but do not exaggerate. The moment the opposing attorney and/or the jury doesn't believe one, seemingly insignificant fact about your case, they will doubt everything else, and you must avoid being caught in that situation. 

Remember: casting doubt on your credibility and honesty is one of the strongest defense weapons that the insurance companies might have. If you don't give them that ammunition, they will likely settle your claim sooner, and likely for a larger amount of money.