How do I choose the right attorney for my catastrophic loss case?
Choosing the Right Attorney for a Texas Catastrophic Loss Case
It is crucial for victims of serious injury to understand that it can take substantial resources to secure financial recovery after such a tragedy. Examples of catastrophic loss cases include brain injuries, spinal injuries, and wrongful death. In these types of cases, it is highly unlikely that an insurance company will pay the amount deserved by the victim and his or her loved ones. Many disputes will arise ranging from liability to the amount of past and future damages owed to the victim. Resolving these disputes can become very expensive.
One reason why serious injury cases require substantial resources is that they can require multiple experts. An accident reconstructionist is often required to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident in order to determine liability. Other experts may be required to testify in regards to the victim’s injuries, prognosis, and the extent of future care that will be needed. Expert testimony can be very expensive. Because most personal injury lawyers are not paid until the Plaintiff recovers damages, it is important to hire a firm with the financial resources to retain and pay experts during the catastrophic injury litigation in order to build the best possible case to present to a jury.
A second reason why large-scale injury cases are expensive is the fact that they are complex and can last for several years. The discovery process, which we discussed in our last post, can become very lengthy in large-scale cases. For example, serious injury cases may require an extensive number of depositions. These depositions take up a large amount of an attorney’s time and require payment to a court reporter and video service. If an expert has to appear for a deposition, the expert may also require payment for their time away from their normal duties such as a doctor closing his office in order to testify in a case. Also, the complex nature of these cases means that a large amount of time will be devoted to document analysis and investigation. Document and evidence analysis can require a large-number of hours by well-paid professionals. In a case involving catastrophic loss, it is crucial to hire a firm with the staff and resources to aggressively and diligently handle the discovery process without leaving any stone left unturned.
When selecting a personal injury attorney it is important that you select a firm which handles major injury cases and in which the lawyers have substantial experience. You should also determine whether the attorneys are board certified and whether the firm employs a full time investigator. Finally, you should determine whether the firm is large enough to advance court costs and whether the office can devote multiple attorneys to your case. This is true whether you were injured in counties including Tarrant, Dallas, Johnson, and Wise as well as Fort Worth, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Haltom City, Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Watauga, Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Arlington, Keller, Grand Prairie, and Dallas.