Nada. Zero. 100% FREE
As your attorney on an injury or wrongful death case, I will work on a contingency fee basis. This means that my legal fee is contingent on me being to provide you with a successful outcome. If I don’t win your case, you don’t owe me anything. There are different attorney fee percentages for different types of cases, but I can assure you that mine are more than fair and reasonable for the quality of legal services provided. Your best bet is to call me and we will discuss your potential injury or wrongful death claim and what attorney fee will be applied.
There is no magic formula for determining a case value, but the main factors I will consider are (a) the extent of your injury/damages; (b) whether you have a permanent injury that will require future medical attention; (c) how much time and income did you lose from work; and (d) how much pain and suffering did you endure. Additional factors to consider are the defendant’s conduct, aggravating circumstances and what levels of insurance coverage are in play.
The honest answer to this question is that there’s no way to accurately predict how long any injury case will take before it is resolved. Each case is different with its own individual facts and players involved. A personal injury claim may settle and resolve in a few months from the date you were hurt without the need for a lawsuit, while others must be filed, worked toward trial and can take years to complete. I’ve handled hundreds of different types of cases and I am constantly monitoring Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi jury verdicts and settlement amounts so I can best provide you with the most up to date information on how cases similar to yours are being resolved and for what amount. My advice to clients is that the case will resolve when it resolves. The best bet is to forget about it, focus on getting well, stay positive, stay patient and know that I am doing my best to bring you the best outcome possible.
If you are my client and I am your lawyer, then we should have each other’s cell phone numbers programmed. Every client of mine will receive my personal cell phone number so you can reach me when needed and vice versa. I may not always be able to talk when you call, but you can leave me a voice message or send a text. I’m also available anytime by e-mail, and my clients can always call my staff at the office number with general questions if I am out of town or in court.
No! Not before talking to me. The insurance company for the person/company that hurt you is not your friend. Let me repeat – Not Your Friend. They are recording you and the adjuster is trained to ask questions and seek answers that will not help your claim. This is their job. There is no law that says you have to give a recorded statement over the telephone to a liability insurance company after an injury. Call me first. I’ll send a letter to the insurance company and get them off your back so you can focus on healing and getting better.
This coverage is the best way to protect yourself and your family. You can control what amount of insurance coverage you have, but you cannot control what amount others will have. In Alabama, a person is only legally required to carry $25,000 in liability policy limits. If this person decides to drink and drive and causes you serious injury in an automobile accident leading to $100,000 in medical bills, their insurance company is only on the hook for $25,000. This is where underinsured insurance coverage from your policy comes into play. After the $25,000 in liability coverage is offered, I will help you turn to your insurance company to make a claim because the person who hit you was “underinsured.” If that same drunk driver had no automobile insurance of any kind, I would help you turn to your insurance company to make a claim because the person who hit you was “uninsured.” These claims get tricky, and you need to have legal assistance in making these claims so you do not accidently waive any rights to insurance coverage that may be available for you.
Of course. Children have the same rights as adults if they are injured by the fault of another. A parent or legal guardian can bring an injury claim in their child’s name. I’ve represented many children and their parents. Injuries to children are very emotional. Most always, any proposed settlement involving an injury to a minor will require court approval.
You bet they are!! Trucking Accidents or collisions involving “big rigs” or commercial carriers are an entirely different animal when compared to a car accident. A commercial transportation company that is involved in interstate trucking is governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. This means that an additional set of rules, technology, business practices and insurance coverage’s come into play.
That person is called a “runner,” and what they are doing is illegal and unethical. If there is no connection or relationship with a person, attorneys are not allowed to directly contact folks and solicit business. “Runners” go out and find folks who have been injured and try to steer them to an unethical lawyer for some kind of kickback. Be careful of someone you do not know approaching you when you are injured and offering you promises and things too good to be true. If I already represent you and you are being contacted by a runner, do me a favor and play along – get the runner’s name, contact information and take a picture of their face and license tag if you can. I’ll handle it from there…
Yes – of course you can. You are the client, and you will always have the choice of who you want to represent you. However, that is a big decision that you should consider thoroughly. Sometimes it’s not the best decision to switch coaches at halftime…
A trial setting is what makes things happen in litigation. Once the trial date has been set, each party is on notice that they better be ready. One of the best times to negotiate a settlement is when the trial date is looming and the insurance company has no additional time to stall and drag things out. Unfortunately, older cases always take priority within the court system, so many times a trial date will be “bumped” by an older case, or the case will be continued to a later date due to circumstances beyond the control of the attorneys, parties and/or the court.
On the day of trial, the jury will be assembling and a panel we be selected to potentially sit for your case. Jury selection (or what’s called voir dire) takes place. In this process, potential jurors are asked questions by the attorneys for both sides, and the panel is narrowed down through a series of strikes until the final jurors are selected. Each side then has the opportunity to present opening statements explaining what each side expects the evidence will show. Testimony is then taken of witnesses for the plaintiff. The defense will then have an opportunity to introduce testimony from their witnesses. At the close of evidence, each party will give a closing argument to the jury, and the judge will then instruct the jury on the law that is to be applied to the facts. The jury is instructed to elect a foreperson and deliberate until a unanimous verdict can be reached on which side the jury finds in favor of, and for what amount, if any.