FAQ

That depends a lot on your case. Sometimes those can last for half an hour or so. Sometimes within 5 or 10 minutes, we can tell if we're going to be able to help you or not. Also, some people have more in-depth questions than others and we'll take however long it takes to make sure that all of your questions are answered. Consult with an attorney today. We're available 24/7.

Typically when we answer your questions, we find out what we need to know about your case and make a determination that it's something we can help you with. And you've made the determination that you'd like us to help you with it.

We typically do a retainer agreement electronically by email at the conclusion of the discussion. Of course, you may need to talk with a spouse. You may need to think it over. That's fine. You don't have an obligation to send it right back to us, but the representation does not officially begin until you and we have signed a retainer agreement documenting the fact that you've retained us, giving us the authority to act on your behalf.

Yes. Actually, if cases are prepared properly, most of them will be settled rather than going to trial. The reason for that is this. If you prepare the case properly and send it to the insurance company in a manner that shows them that you've collected all the evidence and that you know how to present it in an admissible way, then there are advantages to both sides of getting the case settled rather than litigating it.

In other words, if we can get the insurance company to come to a similar understanding of our understanding of the value of the case, then both sides can benefit from settling and avoiding having to pay filing fees, court reporters, paying doctors for their time and those kinds of expenses. So the answer is that most of our cases are resolved through settlement.

Now we're prepared, we're willing to file this suit and go forward if that's the smart thing to do, if that's the best way to get your case resolved. The end result is once we've negotiated it to the highest point that we can get it, then it's going to be your decision whether you want to resolve the case through litigation, or by settling the case for the highest amount we're able to negotiate (see case results).

With an injury claim, the fact is that when you're injured, you're typically in the least favorable position to incur a bunch of expenses while trying to get the matter straightened out. Often, you've missed some work. You've got medical bills coming at you. It's just a really bad time to look at a bunch of out-of-pocket expenses. And the solution to that is the contingent fee arrangement that personal injury attorneys work under.

What that means is that the fee is contingent upon the result, or to put it another way, that it is a percentage of the amount that's recovered for you, and it's only due when the money actually is recovered. We also advance any expenses so the net result is that you don't have any out-of-pocket costs.

In an injury case, you will not be able to find an attorney who will handle your case for you and not get paid most likely. However, you have the ability to get representation without any out-of-pocket expenditures through the contingent fee system, by which your attorneys will wait to get paid until the money is actually recovered.

 In the context of a personal injury case, a minor cannot directly hire a lawyer because the minor doesn't have the legal capacity to settle the case. Settling a case involves signing a release, which is a contractual document and the minor can't do that on his own. However, when you have a parent or guardian come to us and hire us to resolve the case on the minor's behalf, we can certainly do that. The end result of that is that the negotiated settlement has to go before a court typically. 

There are a few exceptions, but typically, it has to go before a court so that the settlement can be approved by the judge. This is called a guardian ad litem, who is an attorney who is appointed by the court to represent the interest of the minor since we are hired by the parents.

So you have the guardian ad litem, our firm, and the judge, all looking at the settlement of the case to make sure that it's appropriate for the minor to prosecute an injury claim. It's just done with the assistance of whoever his legal guardian is, typically, the parents.

The easiest way is to just pick up the phone and call us. We will take the time to speak with you. You'll be able to speak with an attorney directly either at the time you call or shortly thereafter, as soon as one of us can get back to you. 

At that first call, we'll take the time to go through all the things that we need to find out to determine if it's something we can help you with. By the end of that conversation, we'll then be prepared to answer any questions that you might have about the process and whether you would benefit from having an attorney or whether it's a case where you might be better off resolving it on your own. If we feel like that's the case, we'll let you know that during that initial call.