Monday, September 27, 2010

Persistence pays

Being the victims of another's wrongful conduct, clients regularly are frustrated about why their cases are not resolved promptly.  The short answer is because a lawyer is necessary to make insurers and others do what they do not want to do, i.e., pay what they owe.  I recently had the experience of collecting a debt in a small case.  An abusive boyfriend was unwilling to pay for a vehicle he had "taken" from a client and we were forced to file a lawsuit, obtain a judgment, and collect on the judgment.  It has taken 13 months but every cent has been paid.  Persistence pays.  See http://www.junelawyer.com/

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Is the insurance adjuster the true ambulance chaser?

Met a young man yesterday paralyzed below the waist who was visited in the hospital by an insurance representative who then had a lawyer draft some "documents to take care of medical bills."   The young man lost his legal rights partly due to the ambulance chasing insurance adjuster and partly out of ignorance.  To this day, the young man is not able to describe the documents he signed.
It is always in the interest of an accident victim to consult a lawyer and make certain he understands his legal rights.  At the same time, the motives of anyone who asks that you sign something in the midst of a crisis is suspect.  You get one chance to play the card hand of life and want to do it well.  See http://www.junelawyer.com/.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Why are the jurors most similar to the client the least sympathetic?


   At a recent seminar, the presenter shared the surprising information (backed by studies) that the jurors most difficult to persuade are the jurors that have the most in common with the accident victim.  While one would think these jurors would be the most supportive, the reasoning is that they need to find fault with the client in order to convince themselves that these jurors would not experience a similar tragedy.

   Examples of this bias include:

    Homemakers acting as jurors for stay-at-home mothers.
    Persons with back injuries acting as jurors in a back injury case.
    Motor vehicle accident victims acting as jurors in motor vehicle accident cases.

Of course, there are exceptions to every Rule but the lesson is to be careful and to not assume that a juror with a similar background is the best juror in your case.

 
   Always play your hand smartly.  See http://www.junelawyer.com/

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Welcome to My Blog

8/1/10

    There are so many legal blogs that discuss the complexities of the legal issues.  This blog is dedicated to the pragmatic, nuts and bolts, experiences of being an accident victim with a personal injury claim to assist in playing your hand smartly and deciding what is best for you.