FAQ

If you have been injured, do not discuss your injury or the way it happened until you have consulted a lawyer. Your statements might be incomplete or taken out of context so as to be harmful to your claim at a later date. Do not sign any papers or agree to any settlement, as this may affect your right to pursue your claim. Always seek competent legal advice first. There is no charge for the initial consultation.

No., I will meet with you to discuss your injury free of charge. If I accept you as a client, I will obtain the necessary records and evaluate them.

You pay no fee unless we are successful in obtaining compensation for your injury. I handle personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. This means that the legal fee is a percentage of the amount recovered, and there is no fee due unless and until money is actually collected for you.

There are certain expenses, such as court costs and expert witness fees, involved in bringing a medical malpractice or personal injury claim. You do not pay these expenses until the conclusion of the case.

You will not have to go to court unless your case cannot be settled and must be tried. The vast majority of claims are settled before trial; however, because of the many factors involved, it is impossible to predict whether your particular case is one that will be settled or one that must be decided by a jury.

Almost all personal injury claims are defended by insurance company lawyers and paid out by insurance, so the person or corporation you sue will usually not have to pay any money out-of-pocket. A personal injury claim or medical malpractice claim is a civil case, not a criminal case, and the defendant will not go to jail because of the claim.

It is important to consult a lawyer as soon as you are aware that you have been injured, because there are statutes of limitations that prohibit the bringing of old claims, and because it is easier to gather information about a recent injury. However, even if you were injured some time ago, you may still be able to bring a claim.

If you are injured through the fault of someone else, you are entitled by law to compensation for your injuries. This compensation is available not only for expenses you have already incurred, but for losses you will suffer in the future. If you or someone in your family is severely injured, this compensation can protect against changes in family situations, so that the injured person’s future is secure. Also, by bringing a claim you may be able to prevent a similar injury from happening to someone else.

Yes. You are entitled to compensation for your medical bills regardless of whether or not they have been paid. In addition, you may be entitled to compensation for any other aspects of injury, such as time lost from work, scarring or disfigurement, future medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

The value of your claim depends on a variety of factors, such as the severity and permanency of your injury, the amount of your medical expenses, the liability of the defendant, and whether the case is to be tried or settled. It is impossible to estimate the value of a claim until the case has been fully investigated from all aspects, and you should be wary of anyone who tries to tell you the value of your claim at an early stage. As each person’s claim is very different, you should not be misled by verdicts or settlements you hear or read about for similar inquiries, because your individual claim may be worth much more or much less.

After I have completed a thorough investigation of your case, I can offer you my opinion as to the value of the claim. If the insurance company offers to settle your claim, I will discuss the proposed settlement with you, and give you advice about whether or not to accept the amount offered. Of course, the ultimate decision as to whether or not to accept the insurance company’s offer of settlement or to allow a jury to determine the value of your injuries is always up to you.

The initial evaluation of a medical malpractice claim or other personal injury claim may take up to six months. Most cases take between two and four years to complete. During this time medical records and other documents are requested and thoroughly reviewed by my firm as well as by experts in the field. After a lawsuit is filed, the length of time depends on how crowded the court calendar is, and whether the insurance company is willing to settle the claim before the trial.