The very first part of starting down the path of a personal injury claim is deciding which law firm to choose. There are many ways to choose your law firm and finding one that is the best fit for you requires asking the law firm the right questions.
When the time comes to meet with your legal professional, you will be asked many detailed questions about the facts, and details surrounding your injury. You may be asked about what certain individuals said. You may be asked several medical questions. These questions are the attorney’s way of finding out about your likelihood in recovering money damages for your injury. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to make a fairly good estimation on both your chances of success and the amount to which you may be entitled. However, different attorneys may draw different opinions about your case’s prospects.
It is very imperative that the timing requirements are met for your personal injury legal claim. Your time to pursue your claim will probably be limited by your state’s laws. This time period is generally referred to as the “period of limitations” or “statute of limitations period”. In a nutshell, you only have a certain amount of time to bring your case. If you fail to meet the timing requirements, you may be unable to bring your case at all. That is why this issue needs to be addressed up front by both you as the injured party and your law firm.
The first step to actually getting your personal injury lawsuit going, is usually the filing the filing of the complaint. The complaint is the legal document that notifies the court and the other parties that you are claiming damages do to the fault of someone else. Generally, filing of the complaint requires that a fee be paid to the court. The complaint must also be served to the other parties to the case. This means that the other parties must be properly notified that you have filed a lawsuit against them. Proper service is outlined in your court’s local rules and will be handled by your legal professional.
Following proper service, the defendants are required to respond to the complaint. Sometimes the defendants will offer a formal ‘Answer’. In some jurisdictions, it is permissible for the defendant(s) to respond with a motion. Usually, the defendant(s) will deny the crucial allegations that you have made in your complaint. In some cases, they may ask the court to dismiss your case entirely. Once an answer has been made, the discovery process begins. Discovery is the pretrial investigation by the parties of the salient facts, testimony, and other evidence that may be used a trial. The purpose of discovery is to give the parties adequate preparation to have a fair trial.
During and following discovery, the parties may begin discussing resolving the case through a settlement agreement. A settlement agreement usually involves the defendant paying the plaintiff a certain sum of money in exchange for the plaintiff’s dropping of the lawsuit. Generally, most personal injury cases are resolved through some form of settlement. However, if the parties cannot reach a settlement, the case continues to the trial phase. At trial both parties present their cases and the matter is resolved by a judge or a jury.
If you have been traumatically injured by the wrongdoing of health care providers: doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, pharmacists or others in Washington DC you need to talk to an knowledgeable DC injury legal professional today. A DC injury legal professional who handles serious injury cases can tell you your options.