Essential Facts To Know About The Eminent Domain Process

The eminent domain process refers to the power of the Government to take any property/land for any sort of public use. There is usually some complex process involved when the law needs to balance the conflicting rights. Both the State and Federal Government have the right to exercise their authority. The good part is though the Government has the authority to take away private land for public use, this power is not unlimited. The United States Constitution does offer certain protections for the citizens of the country. The government cannot take away someone’s private property without giving fair compensation.   Since the process involves a lot of complexities, one needs to hire an eminent domain lawyer for expert interpretation and acquire the deserved compensation from the government. 

Reasons to hire an eminent domain lawyer

During the process of taking private property under the authority of the eminent domain law, the government might not all the time act in the best interests of that private property owner. A Qualified lawyer experienced in eminent domain law will protect the interests of the private landowner and also explain every aspect of the law. Here are some reasons to hire an eminent domain lawyer:

•       Helps in understanding the rights- Before taking away private property, both the Federal and the State Government needs to meet a few criteria. The Government needs to produce papers to show that the land will be used for some public interest. For example, the Government can capture a property for the construction of an important bridge, building highways or water lines and similar purposes that serve the public interest. An experienced lawyer in this field will help the property owner to understand the authenticity or urgency of the purpose, and whether the land will actually be used for some real public interests or not. A professional will provide you with an expert interpretation of these complex legal matters.
•       Helps to get fair compensation- A professional lawyer in this domain will help the property owner get fair value for his property. A lawyer might further help to get compensation for any damages made to the existing property or for improvements & fixtures required to the damaged property.  The property owner might also need to hire surveyors, environmentalists & engineers to evaluate the actual value of the property.
•       An attorney in the eminent domain field will evaluate and calculate the overall cost of all these expenses and will help the property owner to get the maximum compensation possible.
•       Navigating the clients through the complex process- Needless to say, the laws of eminent domain are extremely complicated. There are several aspects and lope holes which if not understood properly will end up in the client’s loss. These laws require expert interpretation in order to make sure that the interests of both parties are thoroughly protected.

Conclusion

An Eminent Domain lawyer guides the clients from scratch, further advising the property owner of his rights & fight till the end for his interests. Sometimes few property owners start taking action before the actual proceedings start. This might impact the outcome of the case negatively. To avoid such negative impacts, it is highly recommended to hire a promising lawyer in the eminent domain field.

Joseph Cisneros