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Frequently Asked Questions Do
you provide a free consultation?
Yes. When you call our office, an experienced paralegal takes the
initial information and sets up a time for you to meet with an attorney. In addition, an
investigator on our staff can set up a time to meet with you at your convenience, at your
home or business. There is no obligation at this initial consultation and no charge to
you. Our goal is to meet with you promptly to determine how best we can serve your legal
needs.
What do you charge for your services?
We work on a contingency fee basis and our rates our competitive
with other personal injury firms. We only charge you an attorneys fee if we successfully
resolve your case by way of settlement, arbitration award or verdict. Our fee is based on
the total recovery we obtain for you. We charge a fee percentage, depending on the stage
at which the case is resolved. We will be happy to discuss the retainer agreement with you
in detail at the time of the initial consultation.
Who pays for the costs and expenses required along the way?
We may also advance all the costs necessary to prepare your case
for trial. We recover the money we spend on your behalf at the end of the case. These
costs include not only filing fees and deposition costs, but expenses for consultants
(i.e, expert witnesses in fields such as accident reconstruction, biomechanics, vocational
rehabilitation, economics, etc.), when we deem them required.
How long will it take to resolve my
case?
Naturally, this depends somewhat on the type of case. Cases can
be resolved within a matter of weeks in some situations. Usually, the time for resolution
runs to many months, and in some cases as much as 12 to 24 months. We promise to make
every effort to push your case forward as quickly as possible. However, we also want to
make sure that you obtain full compensation for all of your injuries, so we do not rush
any cases to resolution until we have thoroughly investigated every possible avenue of
recovery for you. In addition, we strive to make sure that your injuries have reached a
"permanent and stationary status." Through contact with your medical
professionals, and expert witnesses whom we retain in many cases to prove the value of
your case, we will make sure that you receive excellent medical care, so that you know the
full nature and extent of your injuries before we resolve your case.
How much money is my case worth?
Estimating the value of any personal injury case requires consideration of many issues.
Personal injury law provides the right of recovery for several items, including:
Pain and Suffering --- The amount of money
necessary to compensate you for the physical pain and emotional suffering you have
endured, and that which you are likely to endure in the future. Some severe injuries
result in permanent limitations and a lifetime of pain for which you have the right to be
compensated.
Wage loss --- (1) The amount of money you
lost because your injuries prevented you from performing your usual work. You may be
entitled to recover such damages even if you are not employed at the time of the incident.
(2) The amount of money you are likely to lose in the future, as a result of not being
able to work again, or the loss you will suffer due to the diminution in your earning
capacity caused by your injuries.
Medical care costs --- Those incurred from
the time of the accident to the time of trial, and those which you are reasonably likely
to incur in the future.
Rehabilitation Costs --- Those expenses you
incurred up to the time of trial and those you are likely to incur in the future to
retrain yourself in a new line of work, because the injuries prevent you from returning to
your old job.
An attorney can only give you a legitimate evaluation of your case after learning the
relevant facts. However, at the initial consultation we can discuss these issues in depth
and provide a much more detailed analysis of your claim.
What size of case do you handle?
We handle a wide variety of cases, from small to large, extremely
complex cases. We assign an attorney, paralegal and investigator to each case from the
very beginning, regardless of its size. We prepare each case toward trial and work hard to
maximize the value of each case, no matter the size. We attempt to provide all of our
clients with the utmost attention and care.
How involved will I be in the case?
Our entire office works as a team on your behalf. You are an
important part of the team and we keep in touch with you on a regular basis, keeping you
informed of developments and working together with you to prepare and present the case. We
welcome you to visit the office at any time and will arrange appointments at your
convenience. As the case progresses, we will meet periodically to review the case, to
monitor your recovery, to make sure you have obtained the medical care and evaluation
necessary to speed your recovery and to document and present your claim. Depending on the
case, we will meet to prepare your responses to discovery, to prepare you for deposition,
arbitration and trial. Of course, we will make ourselves available to you at any time to
answer questions you have along the way.
Will you help me with my medical bills, arranging for doctor's visits, etc?
Our highly trained staff will work with all available resources
to provide for the best medical care possible. We can arrange for medical treatment,
facilitate processing of the bills and retain highly qualified medical experts from a
variety of fields to review your case. Many clients do not have insurance and we can
usually arrange care with doctors who will treat you and await the resolution of the case
to collect payment for their services. We strive to make sure that all of our clients
receive excellent care from highly skilled medical professionals so that before any case
is resolved the client knows the full nature and extent of their injuries, their diagnosis
and prognosis.
What do you charge if we lose the case?
If we accept your case, it is very unlikely that it will be lost.
On those rare occasions when a case is lost, you are not responsible for our attorneys
fees. In some situations, a defendant may seeks its costs from you; for this reason, we
will advise you at the earliest opportunity if your case is not worth pursuing.
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