kansas city personal injury lawyer
kansas city personal injury lawyer
kansas city personal injury lawyer
kansas city personal injury lawyer
A Legacy – Legal Examiner
A Legacy
Legal Examiner The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation’s Legacy award is presented to an individual who, by extraordinary effort, demonstrates a unique dedication to the principles of liberty and justice by virtue of professional service, community service …
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Lawyers sending out text messages to try and get work – Kansas City Star
Lawyers sending out text messages to try and get work
Kansas City Star Atkinson said the Bar is controlled by elite, moneyed lawyers who look askance at what they consider their lesser brethren, such as personal injury and criminal defense lawyers, who stand to benefit the most from more liberal rules for soliciting clients.and more »
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GM to pay $575M to settle ignition switch lawsuits – Kansas City Star
GM to pay $575M to settle ignition switch lawsuits
Kansas City Star The company on Thursday said it reached a deal with Texas personal injury lawyer Bob Hilliard to settle 1,385 death and injury cases that he filed over crashes caused by the switches. The money also will be used to settle a 2014 class-action lawsuit …and more »
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What An Attorney Can Teach You About Car Accidents – Articlesbase
If you were injured in a car accident, it is very likely that one of the drivers involved caused the accident. About 98% of accidents are caused by driver mistakes or driver negligence. Common driver “causes” of accidents include: aggressive driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, drunk driving and speeding. The driver who made a mistake or behaved negligently is usually found to be at fault. That means they are liable for the damage and injuries caused by the accident, and their insurance company must bear the costs.
Insurance companies are businesses first. Their goal is to make money, not to give it away. An insurance company will always demand to see your proof of liability before any settlement is paid.
It may seem obvious who caused an accident. If you were idling at a red light and you were rear-ended by a different car, It should be should not be difficult to prove that the driver of the other car is to blame. But, if you were side-swiped in high-speed traffic, it may not be so obvious. If you were hurt in a car accident that was not your fault, it is your car crash lawyer’s job to prove that the other driver was at fault.
You may be asking yourself, how does an attorney prove which party is at fault following an auto accident?
Rear End Accidents
Sometimes, proving fault after an accident is pretty straight forward. When you driving, you are responsible for making sure you are following the rules of the road. For example, you must follow at a safe distance that allows you enough room to stop should the car you are following come to a suddenly brake. This is the reason why the vast majority of rear end accidents are the thought to be the fault the driver of that rear ends the vehicle in front of them.
Left-Turn Collisions
Left turn accidents are almost always the fault of the driver making the left turn. In most cases, cars coming straight into an intersection have the right of way.
Exceptions
There are exceptions, of course. If the car going straight runs a red light or is speeding, that driver may be partially or wholly at fault. While a driver who is rear-ended is usually not at fault in accident, if their vehicle had broken brake lights for example, then that driver could be to blame for the accident.
In these cases, it is important that the not-at-fault driver has the help of an attorney both to prove fault and to make sure that the driver is not held liable for an accident he did not cause.
Proving Fault
When lawyers prove liability they use any and all evidence from the accident scene, including:
• Police reports
• Witness reports
• State traffic laws or vehicle codes
• Vehicle damage
• Photos of the accident scene
• Medical records
• Accident reconstruction
After a car wreck, your accident attorney will use this evidence to support your claim for compensation from the insurance companies and ensure that you get are paid fairly for your medical costs, pain and suffering, lost income, property damage and other losses. Proving which party is at fault is just one of the many ways a Kansas City car crash lawyer can help injured victims fight insurance companies.
Choosing a St. Louis Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Attorney – Articlesbase
Over the years, I have represented countless numbers of Plaintiffs in Personal Injury cases in the St. Louis area. My experience with my clients and my handling of these cases has led me to a number of conclusions regarding the factors which are important in choosing a St. Louis Plaintiff’s Personal Injury attorney. For years I have had clients sitting in my office who have told me that they have been represented by other attorneys in the past. My question has always been “Why didn’t you go back to that attorney?” It has been my hope to learn from the mistakes of other lawyers and to get the perspective of clients who are dissatisfied with services that they have had in the past. In addition, I have tried to listen to clients who were very pleased with the services of my firm in order to determine what an attorney needs to do right. I have also had clients bring me files after firing attorneys and I have seen first-hand what can go wrong when poor service is provided.
First, I have found that the most common reason that clients fire attorneys, or don’t go back to them for future services, is that many of them don’t return phone calls. When I say “don’t return phone calls”, I literally mean that they don’t respond in any way when a client calls, writes a letter, or sends an email. Even if the attorney is in trial, or there are scheduling challenges, a client at least deserves to know that the attorney received the message and will be responding sometime soon. A failure to return phone calls can often indicate a lack of respect and, from the client’s perspective, it undermines confidence in the attorney’s ability accomplish a result for the client.
Secondly, some attorneys will handle any kind of case, regardless of their experience. I recently had a client who fired an attorney who was practicing in the Kansas City area. The client was in an accident in St. Louis City and this is generally a more favorable venue from the standpoint of being a Plaintiff. However, the attorney was unaware that St. Louis City and St. Louis County were separate entities. When he filed a lawsuit on behalf of the client, he described St. Louis City as being a municipality within the boundaries of St. Louis County. Not only did he file the case in the wrong venue and picked a venue which was unfavorable to his client, but he clearly did not have the familiarity of the local court systems. It is important to choose an attorney who is familiar with the court system and the jury verdicts in the various counties throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Mistakes in understanding the various court systems and procedures for courts in the St. Louis Metropolitan area can result in a poor outcome in a Plaintiff’s Personal Injury case.
Third, it is important for the attorney to have experience in the type of matter which is being handled. For example, an attorney handling St. Louis Car Accident cases should spend a lot of his time practicing in this area. While practicing in other areas can complement the attorney’s services, a real estate attorney, for example, may not understand how an investigation should be conducted. This can result in a less than favorable result if witnesses are not contacted and later disappear, or opportunities to take pictures are squandered. In a car accident case, pictures of damaged vehicles could help resolve a dispute as to how a collision took place. In a case involving a fall, pictures of the bad steps, pothole, or heavily waxed floor could lay the groundwork for a successful result. If an inexperienced attorney doesn’t follow up on such items in a timely manner, then stairs may be repaired, potholes can be filled in, and floors may be replaced.
Fourth, some attorneys look for a quick settlement and will either abandon your case, or abandon interest in it, if it doesn’t come together quickly. In all fairness, there are cases that come in the door and look good at first glance, but sometimes, as the evidence is gathered, it becomes apparent that the case is not going to be successful. On the other hand, there are cases in which adjusters simply refuse to be reasonable and attorneys will often have reputations for abandoning cases easily. Such attorneys will often try to settle for a lowball offer in order to avoid the work which comes with taking the case to trial. It is important to get a sense as to whether the attorney will be willing to do battle on your behalf if the going gets tough.
My fifth point is a very basic one. It is important to choose an attorney who speaks with honesty and candor. You do not want to be misled and it is usually a matter of time before you get a sense that your attorney is being less than fully honest. Beyond honesty, your attorney should also speak to you with frankness and candor. As a client, you sometimes need to know the bad news as well as the good news. An experienced St. Louis Personal Injury attorney will tell you if there are circumstances in which cases like yours are hampered by certain factors. If there is light damage to the car, or a problem with your treating doctor’s credentials, then you need someone to pull you aside and tell you about things which may affect your case negatively. In front of certain juries, for example, they may be conservative and it would help to know if they are going to look negatively at long hair, tattoos, or other items. While it is uncomfortable for an attorney to talk about certain subjects, you are looking for frankness and candor. An attorney who politely points out certain prejudices of potential jurors is doing a great service to his client.
Finally, a lot of clients tell me that they didn’t re-hire their former attorney because they couldn’t relate to him. Some attorneys are pretentious and condescending. I have found that attorneys who are down to earth and secure in themselves can develop an excellent reputation with their clients. If you are in the process of looking for an attorney, I would suggest that you consider all of these factors in choosing the best person for you.
The contents of this article are intended for educational use only in order to provide readers general information and a basic understanding of the law. If you are seeking legal advice, please consult a licensed professional attorney in your state. The information in this article should not be substituted for experienced legal advice.
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9/10; 9-16-17