Index
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Sponsor
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Attorneys
at Law
LEADING BRAIN INJURY LAW
FIRM
RESULTS OF PROVEN TECHNIQUE,
DEDICATION AND HARD WORK
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Sponsor
Centers for
TBI Rehab
800-296-5462 |
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 9/11/01
| Basic Premises: |
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The purpose of this site is to help you become a knowledgeable personal
injury legal services consumer.
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It is designed to equip you, the injured party, with essential tools and
insights into the claims resolution process.
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This guide will help you to understand the personal injury claims
resolution process, identify problems, implement solutions, and track and
measure results.
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Practical and easy to use, information on this site is presented
in a form that will allow the reader to easily gain a comprehensive
overview of a complex legal process.
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It provides brief "to the point" explanations, summaries of pertinent facts,
and tools to measure the quality and performance of personal injury legal
services.
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In brief, this is a personal injury legal services self-help guide,
it is not intended as a substitute for legal advice.
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Its goal is to encourages interdependent client-attorney relationships.
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Based on principles of self-help, this site will help you establish, maintain
and evaluate an interdependent relationship with your attorney. In-so-doing,
not only will you feel better about the outcome of your claim, you will
also enable your lawyer to do a better job for you.
The (defense) the party responsible for your injuries, will present
evidence which is intended to rebut your injury claim and, thereby, limit
the amount of money they must pay you for your damages or losses.
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| Nuts and Bolts of a Personal
Injury Claim |
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Each case is unique and handled in its own way, but as a rule, all cases
fit into the following framework:
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In personal injury cases, the injured party, you the person or persons
bringing the action (plaintiff) must prove his or her case by presenting
evidence that is more compelling than the opposing evidence.
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In general, personal injury claims are difficult, frustrating, time-consuming,
expensive undertakings.
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Personal injury claims are best handled by experienced, skillful personal
injury lawyers.
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| Opening Rounds: |
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Preparation of your case requires:
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Investigation and analysis of the facts.
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Identification and research of the legal grounds of your claim.
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Preparation and service of the Complaint.
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Obtaining an Answer from the defense.
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Properly filing the Complaint
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Negotiating a settlement of your claim, and when that process
fails, trying your case in a court of law.
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| Rebuttal: |
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The party responsible for your injuries, (the defense) responds
to your Complaint by:
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Gathering and investigating the facts of the case.
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Reviewing and researching the legal validity of your Complaint.
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Identifying defenses to the Complaint.
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Preparing and filing attacks on the Complaint.
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Preparing and filing an Answer to the Complaint
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| Your Duties: |
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In addition to choosing the right attorney it is also important to
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Take the following with you to the initial meeting with your lawyer:
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Accident or incident report.
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Medical information and your insurance information.
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Information on defendant and insurance company.
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Information on witnesses.
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Familiarize yourself with the facts of your case by doing the following:
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Outline a chronology of events since your injury
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List names, addresses and telephone numbers of any doctors, clinics and
hospitals where you received care or treatment.
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Do not conceal facts concerning your past medical care or conditions.
Such omissions might backfire and could work against your best interests.
Seek your lawyer's advice about such matters.
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Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your case.
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Avoid emotionalism -- keep emotions to a minimum.
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Do not hesitate to request clarification or expansion of things you do
not understand.
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| On-going Matters: |
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Keep medical and therapy appointments.
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Maintain a daily journal concerning your injuries.
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Maintain duplicate copies of all documents regarding your case.
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Keep your lawyer apprised of any changes in your circumstances.
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This
site was created and maintained by:
Head
Injury Hotline
212 Pioneer Bldg.,
Seattle, WA 98104-2221
206-621-8558
http://www.headinjury.org
brain@headinjury.org |
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