We offer an initial consultation for free. You can meet us at our office, or we can come to you, whichever option is more convenient. We often meet potential clients in their hospital rooms or at their homes. It’s more convenient for you if you don’t have to drive anywhere or find transportation because of your injury.
It’s best if you obtain the following information
before your consultation:
If you meet with us for the first time completely prepared, we can get a clear picture of what we’re dealing with and whether we can take your case.
Once you retain our services, we will notify all parties involved in the case that we represent you and that they should communicate with us instead of with you. Your only responsibility should be to focus on recovering from your injuries. We will handle all aspects of your claim, so you don’t face any of the burdens that go with pursuing compensation.
Many accident victims don’t have health insurance. You might wonder how you’ll afford your treatment if you don’t have the financial means to pay out of pocket.
We can send a Letter of Protection (LOP) to your healthcare professionals to place a lien on your bills. This prevents them from sending your account to collections while we’re working on your case. Once we reach a settlement or jury verdict, we can pay your medical providers with the compensation we recover on your behalf.
We can begin to request copies of your medical records and bills from every healthcare professional who provided treatment for your accident-related injuries once you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI). MMI means additional medical intervention isn’t likely to improve a patient’s condition further.
The records we receive, along with additional information, can help us determine the value of your case. The amount of your financial award will depend on a range of factors, including the severity of your injury, your total expenses, and the impact the accident had on your life. We will prepare a demand letter, indicating the compensation we’re requesting from the insurance company to cover the losses you suffered in the accident.
Settlement negotiations can begin after the insurance company receives and reviews our demand letter. We will regularly follow up with the insurance adjuster to ask if they’re ready to negotiate a settlement. They might agree to the amount we demand or provide a counteroffer. We will continue to negotiate with the insurance adjuster until we reach a settlement amount we believe is fair.
After settling the insurance claim, we will follow up with the insurance company to ensure that they promptly deliver the settlement check to our office. After paying the medical bills and other expenses you owe, we can disburse the remaining proceeds directly to you.
The insurance company might offer an inadequate settlement amount or deny the claim entirely. If that happens, we can proceed with a lawsuit.
We will file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver and their insurance carrier. We can prepare the necessary legal documents, such as the complaint, outlining what happened, who we’re holding liable, and the amount of compensation we’re pursuing. We will also continue to gather the available evidence to prove fault and show your injuries happened because of someone else’s wrongdoings.
Pursuing a lawsuit is often a complicated ordeal. The Yates Firm will guide you from start to finish of the litigation process, so you understand what to expect going forward. You won’t have to work on anything alone. We will provide frequent updates during each step, so you’re always aware of where we are in the process and what we’re going to do next. You will also have access to your attorney’s cell phone number, so you can call anytime you want to discuss the status of your case.
