Northern Virginia Personal Injury Litigation
How Do I know if I Have a Virginia Personal Injury Case?
If you have sustained an injury as a result of someone's intentional conduct or failure to act responsibly, you may have a civil personal injury case for damages. Personal injury law is complicated and the facts of every case are different, therefore, a Virginia personal injury attorney must analyze the details of your particular situation and assess whether you have a viable case. At Manikas Law LLC, we offer a free, no obligation consultation so that we can meet with you face to face and discuss the specific facts of your case. We devote individualized attention to each case and client.
What is the First Thing I Should Do If I Have Been Injured in an Accident?
If you have been injured in an accident, the first thing you must do is seek immediate medical attention. Before you talk to a lawyer or take any steps to prosecute your potential personal injury claim, you must see a doctor for your injuries. A doctor will document in his records what he finds during the examination and the treatment of your injuries.
Many people are in shock after being injured in an accident. This can sometimes camouflage even serious injuries. Some people initially deny being hurt because they do not want to make a "big deal" out of their situation. This is the worst thing you can do for your heath and your case.
Insurance companies routinely use the failure to seek immediate medical treatment against car accident injury victims. They claim "If you were hurt in the accident, then why didn't you go to the doctor right away?" Worse yet is the situation where someone waits weeks or months until they see a lawyer and then go to a doctor hand chosen by the lawyer. Not only is this unethical for a lawyer to do, but it will destroy your case. Get the legitimate medical treatment you need as soon as possible after the accident.
What Do I Do if the Insurance Adjuster Offers Me a Settlement?
If you accept the settlement an insurance adjuster offers you your case will be over. You do not get to reopen your case if you later find out that the offer was substantially under what it should have been. The reasonableness of an offer and the value of your case depend on a number of factors. It is not the adjuster's job to look out for your best interest. In fact, the adjuster may pressure you to settle quickly, and may advise you that you that you do not need an attorney. He may ask you to sign papers that waive important rights you have. The adjuster works for the insurance company, not you. His objective is to settle your auto accident claim for as little as possible. In other words, his job is to get you to settle your case for significantly less than what it is worth if he can convince you to do so.
How Much is My Case Worth?
This is the most commonly asked question by those involved in a car or other type of accident, or who are injured by the negligence or intentional conduct of another. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula to apply to provide this answer. When this question is asked, what one really wants to know is "what will a jury believe my case is worth?" There are many factors that go into this analysis. Juries can base their verdicts on the costs you have already incurred (such as medical expenses) and estimates of future expenses and/or lost wages. They can also consider your personal suffering (pain and suffering). There is no equation juries can use to decide the cost of someone's pain. Therefore, it is extremely important that you have a skilled trial lawyer with broad based experience so that the extent of your loss and suffering and can be effectively conveyed to the jury.
How Do You Charge for Legal Services for Handling a Personal Injury Case?
At Manikas Law LLC we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. In other words, you pay nothing up front and you will not be responsible for any fees for legal services we provide unless we obtain a settlement or judgment on your behalf. In many cases, we also advance the case costs (costs for medical records, depositions, filing fees, etc.) until a resolution is reached. Therefore, you can hire Manikas Law LLC to handle your personal injury case without putting a single dollar down. If we do not recover a settlement or judgment for you, you are not responsible for paying us any legal fees.
Contingency fee arrangements play a vital role in the American system of civil justice. It is through such arrangements that all individuals are provided access to the court system, including those who would otherwise be unable to afford to hire an attorney. Not only does this system provide just compensation to victims of injury, but it ultimately holds corporations and individuals accountable for actions that would otherwise go unpunished.
What Kind of Lawyer Do I Need for My Personal Injury Case?
First and foremost you need a trial lawyer and you need one with significant jury experience. Many people believe that all lawyers have the same training and experience and that if a lawyer is admitted to the bar he can handle any type of case. Many people are surprised to learn that the majority of lawyers have never been to court and will never go to court at any time during their career. Only a small percentage of lawyers actually have experience in court and an even smaller percentage know how to conduct a trial and have actually litigated cases. Trial experience may not be important if you are having a will drafted or closing on real estate; but, it is critically important in the personal injury cases.
To effectively handle a personal injury case, a lawyer must prepare for and be willing to go to full-scale litigation. This is not to say that litigation is always necessary, but the other side has to know that if push comes to shove, the lawyer is willing to go to trial, but even more importantly, that they are skilled at trying a case. Trial proficiency is a unique skill that very few attorneys have because it is something that very few attorneys do on a regular basis.
Trial skills require a combination of knowledge of the law, common sense about people, and the ability to question witnesses, present evidence and speak the accepted legal language necessary to persuade the judge and jury. Effective trial tactics cannot be demonstrated by a lawyer who is just learning, or has never tried a case before and is relying only on what they have read or observed. There are real world and long lasting consequences for clients when lawyers make mistakes because of their incompetence or inexperience.
Lawyers and law firms are not an interchangeable commodity. There is no experience for skill, reputation, and respect. Kyle G. Manikas is a former prosecutor and corporate lawyer that has represented both corporate defendants and plaintiffs in personal injury matters. Mr. Manikas has had the opportunity to litigate hundreds trials, jury and bench, and has earned the respect of judges and his colleagues alike. Read about Kyle G. Manikas and Why Choose Manikas Law LLC for Your Personal Injury Case.
