When you are injured in an accident and are seeking compensation for your injuries, you should always contact a personal injury lawyer. That lawyer should work to settle your case as quickly as possible with the goal of obtaining a fair and reasonable settlement in your favor. However, there are times when that goal comes with many hurdles that prevent the legal process from unfolding in a timely manner.
In most cases, this happens when the insurance company of the individual or company who is held responsible for your injuries refuses to compensate you fairly. Under these circumstances, your personal injury lawyer should begin the litigation process.
Litigation: Defined
Litigation occurs when one party exercises it’s legal rights to defend their rights as they relate to the law. In other words, when you and/or your lawyer feels that you deserve a fair and reasonable settlement and the insurance company for the at-fault party is not doing their due diligence, your personal injury lawyer will aggressively pursue every aspect of the case supporting the idea that you deserve a fair and reasonable settlement.
How Long Does Litigation Take?
There is no standard answer to this question. The length of time it takes depends on both the case and the court. In most cases, litigation takes significantly more time than a case that is settled, but it is often more beneficial to exercise patience and go through the litigation process because in most cases, the settlement is much larger than the settlement amount offered prior to litigation.
Does My Lawyer Need to Be Skilled at Litigation?
Absolutely! There is no way to predict the outcome of your personal injury case, so when you are choosing your personal injury lawyer, you need to choose one that has not only extensive experience litigating personal injury cases but also one that isn’t afraid to litigate and one that is willing to litigate.
The sad fact is, many personal injury lawyers will tell their clients they don’t have a strong case and will advise their clients to accept what is genuinely an unreasonable settlement for their injuries. They do this because they know litigation takes more time, more effort and expense requires extensive investigations, and must be very detail oriented. In the eyes of some personal injury lawyers, it is much easier to tell their clients to accept a settlement offer and move on to the next case.
Where Do I Find A Personal Injury Lawyer Whom Will Litigate?
You already have! Personal Injury Lawyer Larry Lapidus of The Lapidus Law Firm is a highly skilled litigator and was recently named as the 2019 Best Lawyer in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the 15th consecutive year. His litigation experience is extensive and he has received compliments from judges and peers for his professional work in the courtroom.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, call The Lapidus Law Firm today for a free consultation at (202) 785-5111. You’ll be glad you did!