It's finally here -- the Governor has signed! After settling a case (some types of cases excepted below), a Plaintiff can now have some form of a "deadline" to expect payment of funds provided certain conditions are met. The new law takes effect January 1, 2014 -- just 5 months from now. Note well that this is just the "deadline" by which the defendant must pay. That is, other issues can still delay "final" fund Read More
Injury Cases and Medical Bills
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When injured due to a car accident, slip and fall, dog bite, nursing home abuse and neglect or from near any cause or issue, medical bills create significant issues from multiple respects. Some various and very "high-level" topics are as follows (and much more details and information is available upon request): Health insurance. Your health insurance may outright deny coverage for Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: The Power of Subpoenas
The fact finding process in civil cases is known as "discovery" -- that is, where you can ask the other side to turn over any document or other piece of evidence/information in their possession that might have some bearing on your case (provided that you ask for it in fairly descriptive terms). Many litigants make the mistake of stopping their focus after obtaining discovery -- once they've gathered everything they Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Attorney-Client Privilege
Conversations and communications between you and your attorney are covered by what is known as the attorney-client privilege. Privilege attaches to such conversations and communications so that you and your lawyer can freely discuss your matters without being judged and without hesitation, amongst other reasons. To be entitled to the protection of the attorney-client privilege, a claimant must show that: (1) a Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Discovery Truths and Process
Parties to a lawsuit (usually with the assistance of their attorneys) are under a duty to answer everythingtruthfully, but that doesn't mean that it's always easy to get a "straight" answer out of someone. This is one of those areas that distinguishes attorneys -- recognizing the difference between a party giving an affirmative yes or no answer, and half-measures such as "I think" or "I believe that is correct." A Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Privacy and Your Medical Records
One of the most sensitive parts of filing a lawsuit after you've been the victim of an injury is the extent to which your private medical issues must come to light. It is unfortunate that you have to give complete strangers access to your most private records, and it is an unfortunate side effect of pursuing your rights. Steep barriers prevent most people from having access to your medical information -- even your Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Technology & Changing Trends in Discovery Process
One of the most important components of the litigation process leading up to trial is the discovery deposition. Deposition is a fancy legal word for a process by which a person sits down in front of a court reporter and gives testimony under oath that is transcribed by that court reporter. A deposition may end up being the only time that a person is allowed to tell their "story" in their own words while being asked Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Lost Wages in Relation to Injuries
One of the first questions many clients have when discussing their legal rights is what can be done about the time at work they were forced to miss after an injury. This is a particularly pressing concern during difficult economic times such as these -- many individuals cannot bear the financial strain of missing a long stretch of work due to injuries, particularly those that were someone else's fault, and the harsh Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: The Importance of Completeness
The Importance of Completeness In every case, there is a "discovery process" where parties exchange information and begin to weed out the issues of a case. Many attorneys make the mistake, however, of assuming that just because materials (be they interrogatories (a fancy word for "questions" in writing), requests to produce documents, requests to admit facts, amongst others) have been sent to the opposing counsel, Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Trial Aspects of a Case
A case often develops and "takes on a life of its own" due to the strategies attempted to be employed by defense attorneys. Essentially, a trial strategy can often draw a striking contrast between the way an incident seemed at the time of its occurrence, and how things are actually presented at trial. A good trial attorney must keep the Judge and Jury focused on the truth at all times - and with the utmost Read More
