Because you’ve been seriously injured, it seems your life is now in shambles. So why complicate it more by getting involved in litigation?
People often assume that prosecuting a lawsuit will be a time-consuming hassle for them. Not so.
Typically, you meet with an attorney for 30 to 40 minutes to provide necessary information and signatures. Within two weeks, a lawsuit is filed. Why so soon? Because the court schedules a trial approximately one year after the lawsuit is filed. So filing the lawsuit ensures your case will be over within about a year of seeking legal representation. Also, you will not receive the defendant’s top settlement offer until trial is approaching.
Two to three months after the lawsuit is filed, the defense will submit written discovery for you to answer. It generally seeks information and documents which pertain to your case. It usually takes an hour or two to complete. A few months later you will attend a deposition with your attorney, at which you will be asked in detail about the incident and your damages. A deposition typically lasts two to three hours. In most cases, your one-time response to written discovery and your one deposition is the extent of time you will spend dealing with litigation.
Over 90% of all cases settle before the trial date. But if you expect to get the maximum settlement amount (and you should), we must litigate and prepare for trial. Lawyers who settle cases without litigation receive a fraction of the settlement amount which would be paid to the client of a top trial attorney; an attorney who poses the threat of a substantial jury verdict unless there is a settlement.
