Hiring An Attorney: How Long Will My Case Take?
Whether you are injured in a car wreck, have been hurt at work, or have been injured in a fall, there are some common questions that people have while they recover from their injuries. As a lawyer at Crocker Law Firm, I would like to address one of the more common questions people have when they initially meet with us: How long will my case take?
In every case, our goals are to get the client as much money as we can, as quickly as we can, so that the client can put the incident behind them. This means we do everything we can to be proactive, efficient, and not waste time, but that we don’t get in a hurry where doing so would diminish the value of the claim.
While every client would like to have his or her case concluded quickly, nobody wants to settle a claim for less than they deserve. You may be entitled to payment for medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering. If you are still seeking medical treatment, we may not yet know how much your medical bills will be, how much work you will miss, or how long your suffering will continue. We often wait until medical treatment is complete, or until the extent of the injury is clear and any long-term problems are known before we suggest agreeing to a settlement.
So, the answer to “how long will my case take?” is that it depends on how long for you to recover from your injury. Once a client is finished with treatment, or at maximum medical improvement, we began preparing our case, including gathering opinion letters from you doctors and other experts where we think will help tell your story.
Most cases are resolved without us having to sue the at-fault party. We present our evidence to the insurance company. They can see that we are prepared to sue and have a strong case. Based on that, in most cases, we reach an agreement outside of court. Cases settled outside of litigation take much less time than cases that must be litigated.
That said, we sue when our clients are not being treated fairly. Often, cases can still be settled out of court after a suit is filed, but the process will likely be slower. Litigated cases are often settled after formal proof is taken by both sides, which can take many months.
Regardless of what steps we are taking, our goal is always to get the client as much money as we can, as quickly as we can.
