
Most people are honest, fair, and hardworking. We’ve been taught to take responsibility and own up to our mistakes. As a result, we think when a mistake is made, the person responsible should make it right. Unfortunately, this is not how most litigation typically progresses. In many cases, such as vehicle accident cases, the driver responsible will have insurance, and the driver’s insurance company, not the driver, will take an active role in litigation. In these situations, the insurance company is not concerned about being fair or trying to do the right thing. They do not have any obligation to the person injured.
While a driver or other defendant often would like to admit fault and have their insurance company pay, in most cases if they did apologize and admit fault, their insurance company could claim that the driver damaged case representation, and, possibly, that the insurance company should not have to pay. In other words, once an insurance company becomes involved, defendants must not take actions that could be detrimental without the consent of their insurance company.
MORE INFORMATION
- Advancing Costs for Client Case
- Answering Your Questions and Helping Compile Medical Bills
- Arizona Board Certified Injury Specialists – What This Means To You
- Arizona Statute of Limitations – How Long Do You Have to Bring Your Case?
- Helping You Receive the Immediate Benefits to Which You May Be Entitled
- How We Protect Client Rights in Litigation
- Legal Fees – Does it Cost More to Have an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer?
Litigation in the Real World
Litigation in the real world typically does not proceed as it does on TV shows or in movies. Through these mediums, once defendants realize they are at fault, they write a check for millions of dollars, or the jury makes an award in their favor the following week.
To do so, we typically take depositions, serve interrogatories, interview witnesses, retain experts, and develop legal theories that will favor our client’s case.
Depositions and Interrogatories
Similarly, the parties in civil litigation matters are entitled to serve questions on the other party, which the other party must also answer in writing under oath.
Interviewing Witnesses
We interview witnesses to injury accidents and those involved in other matters related to a plaintiff’s case. But also those working with clients through rehabilitation. Witnesses are helpful not only in proving liability but also in conveying the true manner of suffering endured by an accident victim and his or her family.
Experts
While there are many different types of experts, in litigation experts tend to fall into two categories. One category includes those that help establish fault and liability (such as accident reconstructionist) and the other includes those that help establish damages (such as medical and vocational experts).
When it is beneficial to do so, we retain experts to help advance the cases of our clients. The particular type of experts will vary depending upon the facts and circumstances of a case. For instance, in a severe car accident, our car accident attorneys in Phoenix the following experts may be helpful:
- Accident reconstructionists, to help establish facts such as the speed and location of the vehicles at the time of impact
- Motor vehicle experts, such as those that can provide opinions concerning the crashworthiness of cars
- Roadway experts, who can provide opinions on the design and maintenance of a road
- Doctors and healthcare providers, who can establish the degree of injury and the likely future medical care and impairment that will be expected
- Vocational experts, who can opine as to matters such as the impact that an injury (such as a severe burn injury) will have on future earnings and wages
Legal Theory Advancement
In some cases, there will be a number of purely legal matters that must be considered. Matters may include whether certain evidence is admissible at trial. The court’s ruling on such matters sometimes will have a significant impact on the value of a case. We will want to take whatever legal actions are prudent in order to best advance the cases of our clients.