Who’s Working On My Accident Case?
WHEN you hire our law firm to represent you after an injury occurs through someone else’s fault, we have a skilled team assisting us on your case. Personal injury claims are often very complex and require the assistance of a number of different professionals in order to help document and process the case from beginning to end. Some of these individuals include:
The Legal Assistant is the person assigned to your case by your attorney and assists your attorney in opening your file; verifying all of your medical service providers and getting their records and bills; obtaining the crash report; verifying the applicable insurance coverages; and compiling all documents and things to go into your claim package. If a lawsuit is filed on your case, the legal assistant is also the person who assists your attorney in scheduling court hearings, depositions, a mediation, and the trial. Our legal assistants are highly trained and experienced, and on a day-to-day basis can answer most of your questions about the status of your case, but do not provide legal advice. Some law firms have paralegals also assisting their attorneys, which are staff who have completed an educational program and/or have had sufficient training/experience to meet and sign up personal injury clients, and perform legal research, draft claim letters and court filings. At our law firm, our legal assistants have many years of experience in doing many of these things. However, what separates our law firm from others, is that we think it’s better for our attorneys perform the critical parts of preparing your case, such as preparing your claim letters, performing legal research and court filings.
Doctors are critical for two things on your case: evaluating and treating you for your injuries, and helping your attorneys prove your injuries to insurance claims adjusters and juries at trial. Your doctors may include: a neurologist, neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon, physiatrist, dentist, plastic surgeon, and/or chiropractor. We pay your doctors to provide their professional opinions in writing, at depositions, and if necessary, at trial. Their opinions will include their diagnosis of your injuries, whether your accident caused them or aggravated them, whether your injuries are permanent, and if you will need future treatment.
Non-Medical Experts are also sometimes needed. A forensic engineer is sometimes hired by our law firm to render an expert opinion about some critical aspect of why your accident happened. Was the negligent driver speeding? Did your seatbelt fail to work properly? Was the floor too slippery which is why you fell? These are things that only certain scientific experts can determine, and their opinions may be necessary to prove your case. We may need to hire an economist and/or vocational rehabilitation expert to determine the extent of your past and future loss of income and medical bills.
Investigators are often used by our firm to locate accident witnesses and obtain their witness statements. The are also used (as well as professional photographers), to take photographs and videos of your injuries, accident locations, and vehicle damage.
Lastly, if your case is in litigation, we may need to employ jury consultants to assist us in picking a jury, and trial exhibit companies to prepare blow-ups of photographs, medical records, and the jury verdict form.
The Lawyer of course is the only person in the law firm who may give you legal advice about your case. Make sure that if you are in an accident and your decide to retain a lawyer to represent you, that you meet the lawyer who will be handling the case. When you contact the personal injury law firm of ROMAN & ROMAN, you’ll first meet with an attorney, not an investigator, legal assistant, or paralegal. This way, you can decide if your attorney is the right fit for you before you hire our firm. Choosing an attorney to represent you in a time of need is an important decision. Let the professionals at ROMAN & ROMAN guide you down the path to your recovery.
