Frequently Asked Questions

A personal injury is an injury that is caused by the carelessness of someone other than you, and one that leaves you in a worse physical state – disabled, or requiring permanent or extensive treatment well beyond any normal care you needed prior to the injury.

Every person's situation is different, so it's very difficult to make this kind of decision without a consultation to evaluate your specific condition. For that reason, our initial meeting with you is free of charge.

For our personal injury and medical malpractice cases, our fees are what are known as contingency fees – which simply means that we don't get paid for our time unless you get paid, and then we are paid a percentage of what we recover for you.

At the beginning of the process, we carefully evaluate your case, assess possible courses of action and determine the most effective way to help you gain a fair settlement.

In addition, there are other costs associated with each case – including court costs, travel expenses, special investigation and legal research and the hiring of outside experts. As a matter of public policy, you will be responsible for these costs, but we can advance them for you.

Business and corporate law fees are estimated at your initial consultation with our firm.

There are specific limits on how long you can wait to file a lawsuit, which differ depending on the type of case. It's important to know that if you don’t begin a lawsuit within the mandated time limit, you may lose your right to bring a suit forever – so you should not delay in determining if you have a valid claim. In general, wrongful death cases must be brought within two years of the death, personal injury cases within three years of the date of the injury. The statutes in medical malpractice cases are more complicated and require a consultation. Therefore it is extremely important that you proceed immediately if you think that you have a claim. Delay can result in your claim being barred.

You need to be completely honest about the circumstances of your case, and any past medical conditions or injuries. You need to make sure we're updated on your treatment status and any changes in your condition. And you need to be prepared to assume the costs that are incurred as part of your case, as explained above.

Also – and perhaps most important – because this can be such a lengthy process, we advise you to be patient. Your ongoing cooperation and responsiveness will be essential in ensuring the best possible outcome.

This is, unfortunately, a question without a simple answer. It depends on the type of case, where the incident occurred, who the defendants are, and many other factors. When you come in for your personal consultation we can provide you with more guidance about what to expect, based on the particulars of your situation.

Again, there's no one answer to this question. We can tell you that as a general rule, you must prove three things in each case:

1. negligence
2. causation (a connection between the negligent act and the damage suffered)
3. damages

In our initial meeting with you, we will give you a better idea of whether your situation meets these criteria, and explain more about what these three areas cover.