Litigation: It Isn’t Dirty Word
When you have been injured in an accident because of the negligence of someone else – you should – without question, get representation from a DC Personal Injury Lawyer. You’ll be able to focus on getting better, your lawyer will handle your insurance claim and he or she will also be the point of contact for the insurance company, so you’ll no longer have to field those communications.
It takes a highly skilled DC Personal Injury Lawyer handle those communications. Sometimes, things don’t go as anticipated because of the insurance industry’s “low ball” way of negotiating settlements, and your case enters a new phase: litigation.
How Personal Injury Cases Are Settled
When an accident is clearly the fault of a specific individual, talks with the insurance company often go very smoothly. For example, if Driver A runs a red light, hits Driver B, and there are witnesses to give statements on what happened, the insurance company will, in most cases, offer a fair and reasonable settlement after your medical treatment is completed. This is a simple liability case, because there are no conflicting stories. But the amount of damages your case may be worth requires consideration of several elements:
- The length of your treatment
- The consistency and regularity of treatment
- The amount of your medical bills
- Whether you have residual impairments upon medical discharge
- Whether your injuries have resulted in a permanent injury which can be identified by your physician
If in the case a fair and reasonable settlement is not offered by the insurance company, your DC Personal Injury Lawyer will investigate your case, thoroughly review the insurance policies and will also evaluate the value and extent of your injuries and property damage. Your DC Personal Injury Lawyer will then determine what is, in fact, a fair and reasonable settlement.
If the insurance company refuses to settle fairly, your lawyer shouldn’t hesitate to enter into the litigation phase of the court proceedings.
It is important to note: most cases do, in fact, settle without litigation. The most frequent reason litigation occurs is because of situations like the one noted above: an offer from the insurance company is inadequate when the nature and extent of the injuries are taken into consideration. Too many times, the insurance carrier refuses to recognize a factual dispute. If there are no independent witnesses who can provide their own statements regarding the accident, the insurance carrier will side with its insured, unless the insured accounts are obviously in error.
Why is Litigation Considered Bad?
It depends on whom you’re talking to about litigation. Insurance adjusters typically don’t want to enter into the phase of litigation, because it takes ample time and effort to build a strong case. However, if it means avoiding a large payment, many insurance adjusters will give it a shot in the name of paying far less than what is owed.
For a skilled, award winning DC Personal Injury Lawyer who is well versed in insurance claims and the laws surrounding car accident cases, litigation is an important tool in pressuring an insurance company to “get serious” about your claim. This is true especially for the team of DC Personal Injury Lawyers at The Lapidus Law Firm.
Larry Lapidus leads his team of talented DC Personal Injury Lawyers and to him, litigation is an excellent opportunity to increase an offer.
“At our firm, we don’t hesitate to litigate. We only take those cases that we believe we can truly help our clients.” He continues, “We have year after year of experience in litigating cases with extremely impressive outcomes, so when our cases go to trial, we look forward to it.”
DC Personal Injury Lawyer
When you choose your DC Personal Injury Lawyer, be sure you choose representation from a law firm that has a reputation for having strong litigation skills. The online reviews should be mostly positive – a quick Google search for the firm you are considering should take you to the review page to see previous client experiences.
Don’t be concerned about choosing a big law firm: what you need is a lawyer with experience and a successful track record so you’ll know your case is in capable hands. That’s exactly what you’ll get at The Lapidus Law Firm. Call our team of stellar litigators and DC Personal Injury Lawyers at (202) 785-5111 and if your case needs to go to court, you’ll be glad you chose The Lapidus Law Firm.