Tri-Cities 509.735.5555 | Yakima 509.573.3333
RESOURCES
American Arbitration Association
The American Arbitration Association® (AAA), with its long history and experience in the field of alternative dispute resolution, provides services to individuals and organizations who wish to resolve conflicts out of court. The AAA role in the dispute resolution process is to administer cases, from filing to closing. The AAA provides administrative services in the U.S., as well as abroad through its International Centre for Dispute Resolution® (ICDR).
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional association in the world. With nearly 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.
Supreme Court
The U.S. Courts are an independent, national judiciary providing fair and impartial justice within the jurisdiction conferred by the Constitution and Congress. As an equal branch of government, the federal Judiciary preserves and enhances its core values as the courts meet changing national and local needs.
Findlaw
Looking for legal information? In legal trouble? "Learn About the Law" is your starting place for help understanding the law. A legal resource for up to date online legal information about popular legal topics such as will preparation, divorce and child custody and specific legal issues like legal credit repair and street legal pocket bikes.
Better Business Bureau
BBB sees trust as a function of two primary factors – integrity and performance. Integrity includes respect, ethics and intent. Performance speaks to a business’s track record of delivering results in accordance with BBB standards and/or addressing customer concerns in a timely, satisfactory manner.
US Chamber of Commerce
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations. More than 96% of U.S. Chamber members are small businesses with 100 employees or fewer.
Executive Branch
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise.
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How do I choose an attorney?The first thing to consider when selecting an attorney is the attorney's level of success and experience handling the type of case you have. An attorney with a "general practice," who does a little family law, a little criminal law, a little real estate and a little personal injury law cannot master of all these areas. You are best off with a lawyer that devotes his or her practice to representing plaintiffs. Perhaps most importantly, you should feel comfortable with the attorney and the law firm's staff on a personal level. It is important that you feel that you can trust your lawyer and that your lawyer is the type of person who will listen to you and be available to you when you need them. Part of feeling comfortable with your attorney is knowing that your case is as important to your attorney as it is to you.
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How does your firm charge attorneys’ fees?We believe in being up front and honest about our attorneys' fees. If we accept your case, our law firm works on a contingent fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we successfully resolve your case by settlement or verdict.
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I can’t afford to pay for costs: Will your law firm pay them?Costs are separate from attorneys' fees. When we accept your case, we agree to advance all costs necessary to bring your case to a successful conclusion. This includes minor items like copying expenses, medical records, deposition expenses and filing fees. In a larger, more complex case, it may also include expenses for experts such as a doctor, engineer, vocational rehabilitation specialist, or economist. Our law firm uses some of the most experienced experts to help give our clients the best chance at a successful resolution of their case. These experts are not inexpensive, so we will always discuss costs with our client before hiring experts and/or incurring any major expenses on their behalf.
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Do I have a case?This depends on the facts of your case, the witnesses and the injuries you sustained. If you would like us to evaluate your case, call us or click here. We are available to review your case online or by telephone.
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How much is my personal injury case worth?If you have been injured due to the negligence of another, under the law you may be entitled to compensation for past and future out of pocket damages, including medical expenses, wage loss, and loss of earning capacity. In addition, you are entitled to reasonable and fair compensation for what the law calls “general damages.” General damages include such things as pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. Assigning a dollar figure to general damages is not an exact science. Factors to be considered are the nature and the extent of the injury, the degree of pain and/or emotional suffering, the degree of disability, and the length of time and extent to which the injury will affect your life. Our attorneys are experienced at evaluating cases and determining what they are worth. To have your case evaluated by one of our attorneys, call us or click on the “case evaluations” button above.
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What happens after I sign up?One of our goals is to make the process as easy as possible for you. After you sign with us, we will contact the insurance companies indicating that we represent you and that they must now talk to us if they want to talk to you. They will not be allowed to contact you directly and you will therefore be protected from their attempts to obtain recorded statements or obtain irrelevant private information about you and your medical history. We will also immediately take any steps necessary to preserve evidence in your case from important key witnesses. Doing this early is very important because witnesses may forget significant facts, move, or pass away. Obtaining and preserving evidence early can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful result in a case. Once the facts of the accident and the extent of your injuries are thoroughly known to us, we will put together what is called a "demand package" and present it to the at-fault party's insurance company. A demand package is an extensive summary of the evidence that we will present at trial. It includes a summary of the facts of the accident, an analysis of the applicable law, a summary of all past and future out of pocket losses you have incurred, and an analysis of all past and future damages for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, and disfigurement. Our analysis will be supported by important exhibits including relevant medical records, medical bills, witness statements, and expert opinions. The conclusion of the demand package is an offer for settlement for an amount that you and your attorneys will have agreed to in advance based on the factors in your case. A thoroughly prepared demand package is the best way to avoid litigation.
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How does the litigation process work?Litigation begins when the case is filed and defendants are served with a summons and complaint. A complaint is a legal document that summarizes the plaintiff's (injured person's) claims against the defendants. Each defendant is then required to file an Answer to the Complaint, wherein the defendant admits or denies the facts alleged in the Complaint. The next step in the litigation process is called "discovery". During discovery, both sides use formal court procedures to obtain information from each other. These procedures include written questions, or interrogatories. Witnesses may also be placed under oath and asked questions before a court reporter, who transcribes the interview in what is called a "deposition". After both sides have completed their discovery, they are ready to try their case before a jury. Prior to doing this, however, the parties typically engage in a formal attempt to settle the case, called mediation. We find that most well prepared cases will settle at this stage without the necessity of proceeding to trial.
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Should I talk to the at-fault party’s insurance company?We recommend that you not speak to the at-fault party's insurance company unless you have first spoken to an attorney. Even if these insurance companies have advertised themselves on TV as being virtuous and kind and even if the person on the phone sounds friendly, beware. Insurance companies make more money the less they pay in claims. These friendly adjusters are well-trained investigators seeking to obtain information that may be damaging to your case. Unfortunately, these adjusters often misrepresent the truth and the law to unsuspecting accident victims. One common misrepresentation is that you have to give a recorded statement to them. This is false. It is not recommended that you give any recorded statement without the presence of an attorney. Another common misrepresentation made by insurance adjusters is that you have to sign a release allowing them to obtain your medical records. While it is true that any insurance company will need to review relevant medical records in order to evaluate your injuries, it is not true that the insurance company is entitled to review irrelevant private medical records. Typically, the release the insurance company will try to get you to sign is overly broad and authorizes them to invade your privacy. Experienced attorneys in our office will know what the insurance company is and is not entitled to, and can modify any release to protect your right to privacy. Another practice frequently employed by insurance companies is the premature offer of settlement. The adjuster will portray this ploy as providing excellent and prompt customer service, and a willingness to compensate you for your injuries. What is in fact happening is that the adjuster is trying to resolve your case for a small amount and have you sign away your rights before you are fully aware of the nature and extent of your injuries and before you are aware of what you are entitled to under the law. Beware of any offer of settlement made prior to the completion of your medical treatment. Insurance companies know that a certain percentage of injuries do not fully resolve and that a certain percentage of people end up with permanent problems. If you settle your case early for an amount you think is reasonable, and later learn that your injuries were worse than you expected, you will not be able to come back to the insurance company for more money. That is why it is never a good idea to settle before you have all the facts about your injuries, an opinion from your doctor about what the future will hold for you, and have discussed your case with an experienced attorney.