This is the next post in our series on dealing with insurance companies in Peoria, Illinois personal injury cases. Our last article discussed why personal injury cases may take a long time to settle. It is important to understand that one should not resolve their matter until their long-term prognosis can be reasonably ascertained. Accepting a “quick settlement” can result in one not receiving the amount of compensation they need to make up for long-term care, lost wages, etc. By retaining an experienced lawyer, one can help to ensure that they are receiving good advice as to whether or not a settlement offer should be accepted. We will use this article to discuss the importance of retaining a personal injury lawyer who has the resources necessary to handle your matter. If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident then contact our office today to schedule a consultation.
Personal injury firms pay all the costs of litigation up front and are not reimbursed unless the matter settles or unless the victim prevails at trial. This means that a) the attorney loses those costs if no compensation is granted and b) at best, counsel has to wait until the case is completed to be reimbursed. Accordingly, any law firm you retain after a car accident, a trucking accident, or any other injury must have the resources available to front these costs and possibly wait years to be reimbursed. Such costs can run in excess of one million dollars if a victim has been seriously injured. These expenses can include expert fees (for medical professionals, vocational rehabilitation professionals, accident reconstructionists, etc.), discovery costs, fees for an investigator, etc. Retaining a firm without the resources necessary to handle a serious injury case can result in the matter not being handled properly.
An injury victim risks their case being mismanaged, if not outright lost, if they retain an attorney without the resources needed to see the matter to completion. Counsel not having the necessary financial reserves can result in needed experts not being retained, discovery not being completed, etc. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for smaller personal injury firms to accept matters which they do not have the means to handle. In such cases the firm may be forced to drop the matter, due to expense, in the middle of litigation. This is detrimental to the victim for obvious reasons. In more extreme (and possibly unethical) situations, an attorney may even suggest that a client take a settlement offer which is “low ball” in nature so the firm may get out of the case. Unfortunately, such situations do occur.
When selecting counsel to handle your matter, we suggest that you retain a firm in which personal injury law is a significant portion of their practice. This differs from a firm in which the lawyer typically practices in another area and takes the occasional injury case. Our firm devotes a substantial part of its practice to personal injury law and we handle serious injury cases from beginning to end. We take pride in providing a high level of service and we look forward to being of assistance. If you or a loved one have been injured then contact us today to speak with a Peoria personal injury lawyer. Our firm also serves clients in the Illinois cities of Bloomington, Eureka, Galesburg, Morton, Normal, Pekin, Springfield, and Washington.
