Running a law firm is no different from running any other business in that you want the greatest return for the least amount of effort.
Therefore, while I have a personal desire to pursue complex cases where my client has suffered a serious injustice, I have a commercial desire to pay for the enormous costs of handling these claims.
Likewise, a surgeon has a commercial desire to perform a particular procedure because it is easy, well-paid and several can be performed in a single day.
This does not have an impact on the surgeon's desire to perform much more complex procedures where the patient's future is at risk and insurance coverage is limited.
From a business point of view alone, the most desirable case is one where the defendant's liability is obvious, where it is inexpensive to litigate, and where my client's injuries are the most serious.
In New York, auto cases cost relatively little to process. An example:
- the defendant admits.
- or credible witnesses attest.
that my client was completely stopped for several seconds at a red light or a stop sign when the defendant hit my client from behind.
Almost as desirable is when the facts conclusively demonstrate that my elderly client was walking slowly in the center of a marked pedestrian crossing.
and in the middle of the street with the pedestrian sign in his favor when an automobile driver, who concedes that he was looking straight ahead but saw nothing, hits my client.
It is more expensive to litigate in court, but often with clear responsibility, some “labor law" cases involving workers injured as a result of violations of the law.
For example, a worker on a scaffold that has been improperly used or maintained by another in such a way that it has collapsed from a height is desirable.
Although medical malpractice claims can be very expensive to process, there are some cases that are particularly desirable.
For example, the doctor reads the X-rays incorrectly and operates on the wrong part of the body, or the nurse fails to remove the surgical sponges. Another is when the doctor applies unnecessary force to the forceps during childbirth.
But this is where the practice of personal injury law differs greatly from most other companies.
When the legal liability is unmistakable, the commercial benefit to the lawyer is proportional to the grief suffered by individuals and families. Without financial return, a good lawyer must understand and listen to the suffering expressed by his clients.
And once the case has been successfully resolved, this lawyer must take the time to ensure that the funds obtained are invested safely and at the highest return.
Long after a case has been settled, I always listen and try to help former clients. Not only do I appreciate it, but it is my ethical duty.
Can I handle my personal injury case on my own?
Seriously,. There is a saying, the guy without the lawyer always loses. Without commenting on your specific situation, a case could be worth a lot more than you think.
If there is lasting physical damage, loss of work, career delay, property damage and initial medical expenses could only be a problem.
Your lawyers will advise you, but on the other hand, the pain and suffering, family problems and poor work performance could be too attenuated from the actual event to show it, and even if they were legally recognizable damages, a jury would be skeptical about it.
Knowing this, a defense insurance company will stand up, and insurance companies and their lawyers are usually calculating, heartless and ruthless.
It's about achieving the financial goals to deny and downgrade the claims, they will use all possible procedural tricks that the law allows (and quite a few that are not) to delay, intimidate and discourage you.
They could accuse you of faking things, dredging up bad results at work or drug use, accidents or enemies from your past, hiring detectives and trying to say that because you go to the gym or dance, you must not have a real injury.
You would think that trying to be reasonable and get by without the lawyers would encourage good behavior on both sides, but no way. It's like putting down your bear spray and then asking the bear not to bite.
If your lawyer thinks this is an economically viable case, he will say so. If they agree to take it in an emergency, they will take a large percentage, but on average they justify more than their salary in terms of the bottom line for you.
Accident victims rarely get rich or even get back to where they were before the accident financially (this is mostly a myth), but a good verdict or a more likely settlement can help people get back on their feet. If you don't like the first avocado, try a second one.
The only difficult decision is that if you can't find a lawyer with whom you feel comfortable to take a case in an emergency, do you pay as you please? Most people can't afford it.
If and when you find a lawyer, listen to him. You are the consumer here and it is your case and your decision, but they are pros in this field and you are not.
It is better not to do things on your own that could jeopardize the case, such as contacting the other party.
It's like admitting things to a police officer, if it's good for your case, they'll ignore it, but if they can use it against you, they'll pounce on it.
To be frank here, your message contains typos and grammatical errors. If you do this in a letter to the other side, they will think that you are naive and that they can take advantage of you.