You need information to run a successful business no matter what industry you’re in. Accurate and thorough information from processed data enables you to allocate resources and make informed decisions.
While many understand how data analysis benefits businesses, they may not consider how data benefits those running organizations, medical facilities, academic institutions, and law firms. Attorneys in all legal fields, including personal injury law, benefit from data analysis. Continue reading to learn about what these attorneys do, the type of data they analyze, how data analysis works, and what is a master data management platform.
What data do personal injury lawyers analyze?
Lawyers provide legal counsel and prepare court cases for their clients. A personal injury lawyer represents individuals who’ve sustained injuries or property damage stemming from accidents. People affected by car accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, faulty products, and dog bites may file a personal injury claim. Personal injury attorneys also handle premises liability, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and birth injury cases.
Potential clients can pursue a free consultation before hiring a law firm to handle their lawsuits. Once they do, their legal team prepares paperwork and files the case with the court before the statute of limitations expires. They gather evidence, including dashcam footage, security camera videos, and witness statements. They may also subpoena records relevant to the case. Suppose someone driving a company vehicle caused an accident and hit your car. If they failed to maintain their vehicle and perform essential repairs, the company may be liable. Your legal team may sue them for negligence based on supporting evidence found in their maintenance records. The lawsuit’s objective is to ensure victims receive fair compensation for their medical bills and other expenses stemming from their accident.
The data personal injury attorneys review varies based on the nature of the case. For example, gathering and analyzing accident statistics may enable them to justify a lawsuit against a municipality for failing to improve a dangerous roadway that’s caused multiple accidents. Prior case histories may establish that some trucking companies have a record of negligence and that their lack of vehicle maintenance contributes to multiple accidents per year. Attorneys may also gather data about faulty products, medical treatment outcomes, and vehicle safety features. Any information demonstrating the defendant’s negligence would be beneficial when building their client’s case.
How does data analysis work?
Like businesses, lawyers can turn to data analysts using sophisticated software programs to mine data from various sources. Data from businesses, vehicle manufacturers, police reports, arrest records, recall notices, and social media may be relevant when analyzing data. Using data analytics techniques, data analysts identify patterns and clean the data. Analysis may reveal historical trends, or predictive analytics may project future outcomes based on current trends.
Lawyers also benefit from analysts using master data management software. Master data management refers to a platform used to store and manage data. With this software, analysts can establish standards for data storage and collection, ensuring they have access to complete files when they need to perform an analysis. This management system enables analysts to provide real-time analysis to help them make sound business decisions. Suppose a bicyclist causes a minor accident and offers the victim financial compensation. The victim may contact a lawyer before accepting the offer.
With master data management and powerful computers, the firm’s analysts can evaluate their case records to determine the likely outcome of the case and determine whether it’s financially sound to offer representation. Suppose the victim suffered a minor injury and no property damage. In that case, the analysis might determine the victim won’t receive more from a lawsuit than the amount of the settlement offer they’ve received.
Personal injury attorneys benefit from analyzing data they can use to build their legal cases. The data may vary from case to case and include accident statistics, police reports, vehicle safety statistics, and maintenance records.