Firm Overview
Our Philosophy
We are committed to our clients and provide a personal, hands on approach to each case we accept. We strive to make sure every client we have is aware of the posture of their case at all times. We do this by speaking to our clients regularly and by copying the client with every piece of correspondence we send and receive on their case. Our goal is to make the client feel like they are part of our team in prosecuting their personal injury claim.
In addition to keeping our clients well apprised of their case, we also know that all good work begins with getting to know the client and his or her family. Without a genuine personal interest in the individual, the full impact of the client’s injuries cannot be adequately presented to an insurance adjuster or a jury. We feel this approach garners a relationship of trust that makes our clients as comfortable as they can be when they are dealing with a life altering injury.
We pride ourselves on our preparation, experience and creative solutions to the client’s case to ensure the best possible result. We are passionate about giving individuals their strongest voice in our civil justice system.
The Process
All of our work is contingent on the outcome of the claim we make on behalf of the client. Unless a settlement is obtained, for example from an insurance company, or a collection is made supported by a favorable jury award, we charge no fee. Although we may recommend filing a lawsuit in some cases, often settlement is possible without the need to file a lawsuit. Other times, the only way to obtain full compensation is by letting twelve members of the community, in the form of a jury, award money damages.
We would like to meet with you to learn about your claim. If an initial meeting at our office is impractical because of your injuries, we will make arrangements to visit you at your home. This allows us to get to know each other and helps each of us decide whether we are comfortable with developing an attorney/client relationship. Often, at the client’s request, we begin the investigation of the claim before having a face to face meeting.
Settlements
We spend several months preparing your file before drafting a “Demand Brochure” for your review and approval. This process typically includes some or all of the following:
- collecting medical records
- making or acquiring important photographs
- obtaining pertinent documents such as incident reports
- securing information on all available insurance
- interviewing witnesses
- investigating the circumstances of the harmful event
- analyzing local and state ordinances that may affect the claim
- researching the law of the courts as it particularly applies
- consulting with experts on technical parts of the claim
- meeting with treating physicians to discuss the nature of the injury
- preparing affidavits to support pivotal factual issues
Once all pertinent information has been retrieved and developed, we prepare a “Demand Letter” that synthesizes the information important to the claim. The demand letter tries to anticipate any objection or defense that might be raised to the request for full compensation of all injuries, past, present and future. The Demand Letter is usually two to five pages in length, depending on the level of harm and the complexity of the claim. The demand letter supports all of its conclusions with specific references to attached documents that are tabbed for quick reference. We believe a quality initial presentation facilitates a favorable settlement of the client’s claim.
Lawsuits
If we are unable to obtain a fair offer from the wrong-doer (usually their insurance company), we often recommend filing a lawsuit. Once the Defendant files an Answer to the Complaint, a six month period begins called the Discovery Period during which time both parties file written questions on each other (Interrogatories) and also file Requests for Production of Documents held by each other. These questions and responses are made, and then, typically, each side takes depositions of the other party. A deposition involves answering questions asked by the Defendant’s lawyer under oath in the presence of a court reporter who takes down everything that is said. We sit with you during the deposition and will take the deposition of the Defendant. Usually several other depositions are taken by each side to obtain the testimony of others who know facts or have opinions relevant to the lawsuit.
A lawsuit usually takes from one to three years to come up for trial, depending on the complexity of the claim, the number of parties sued, and whether the court’s docket is crowded.