Once you are through with your medical treatment, or you’ve reached maximum medical improvement and gathered all the documents necessary to make your settlement demand, it’s time to write a settlement demand letter. Here’s a common format: Quick intro, and usually the settlement demand amount (some people prefer to have it at the end) How the […]
Category: Personal Injury
Hasbrook & Hasbrook specializes in various areas, including car accidents, slips and falls, medical malpractice, and more. Learn more about their services.
Should I Settle or Go to Trial?
This question will plague most personal injury plaintiffs at some point during their lawsuit: Should you settle and take less than what you think your case is worth, or risk it all at trial? Most plaintiffs will choose to settle — and for good reason. Jury verdicts are, at best, hard to predict. Settlement — […]
Mediation Advice for Personal Injury Plaintiffs
Mediation is a formal settlement conference that usually gives you the best chance to settle your personal injury lawsuit before trial. This article will give you an overview of the mediation process and some advice on how to make the most of your mediation. Most plaintiffs are very nervous going into mediation — don’t be. […]
How Much is My Personal Injury Lawsuit Worth?
This is the most common question plaintiffs have and one of the most difficult to answer. There is no exact formula to use, but there are several factors your attorney will consider in arriving at a fair value for either settlement or trial. At one point, a garden variety car accident case would settle for […]
IME – The (not so) Independent Medical Exam
What is an Insurance Medical Exam? So, what is an IME? In a personal injury lawsuit, an IME is a medical exam that the plaintiff must undergo at the defendant’s request, using the defendant’s choice of doctor, pursuant to discovery rules. While plaintiffs’ attorneys can have their clients undergo an IME using a doctor of […]
Whose Depositions Should You Attend?
As a plaintiff, you must submit to a deposition by opposing counsel. If you are married, you likely plan to attend your spouse’s deposition, often scheduled for the same day as your own. Beyond that, you probably don’t plan to attend any other depositions in your case. Most lawyers will not encourage you to attend […]
Why Did the Defense Attorney Ask Me for That?
The discovery process can make you, as a plaintiff, feel like you are the one on trial. In a very real way, you are. When you file a personal injury lawsuit, you open yourself up to any questions and requests for documents and other items that are “reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence.” Note […]
5 Deposition Tips
Unless your case settles immediately, the odds are pretty high that, at some point, you will have to give a deposition. Depositions are not fun for anyone (even lawyers don’t like having their depositions taken), but some tips can make your deposition smoother and keep you from hurting your case. You may even want to […]
The Plaintiff’s Deposition — Be Smart and Be Prepared
Too long, didn’t read version: If you don’t know an answer at your deposition, tell the truth and say you don’t know. Your attorney has told you that the defendant’s attorney has set your deposition (make sure the date and time are good for you — you should have been consulted about this before it […]
How to Answer Interrogatories
If your case goes to litigation, you must answer interrogatories within the first few months after the lawsuit is filed (others can be served later in the case). Interrogatories are written questions from opposing counsel — part of the discovery process — designed to give them basic information about you and your case. They must […]