Your Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers

You pay a personal injury attorney around 1/3 of whatever is recovered in the case. Often fees escalate to 40% at some point in time during the life of the case.

It’s important to distinguish between costs and fees. While fees are based on the recovery amount, costs include expenses incurred during the case, such as obtaining medical records, paying court reporters, or deposing witnesses.

In Virginia, it’s deceptive to claim “No recovery, no fee” without distinguishing between fees and costs. Lawyers advance the costs of the case but must recover these costs from the client, regardless of the case outcome.

You don’t always have to go to court to recover for your personal injury case. We resolve most cases outside of court. Only a very small number of cases are litigated to a verdict at trial.

The deciding factor often involves insurance companies. They may either agree to pay a reasonable value for your case or refuse to do so.

Even with the same insurance company, outcomes can differ greatly—reasonable in one case and unreasonable in another.

While most cases are settled without going to court, there are exceptions where going to court is the only option due to the insurance company’s refusal to act reasonably.

You are not legally required to provide a statement to insurance adjusters following a personal injury incident. Despite claims from adjusters that a statement is necessary to process claims, legally, such a statement is not a prerequisite.

The primary aim behind adjusters seeking recorded statements is to potentially find evidence suggesting the claimant was at fault or not as injured as claimed. This task becomes particularly challenging in the immediate aftermath of an accident when the full extent of injuries may not be evident. Take caution and consult with an attorney before giving any recorded statements to an insurance adjuster.

The time it takes to resolve a personal injury case can vary greatly. Factors that influence the duration include the extent of your injuries, how long you need to recover, and whether your case settles quickly or goes to court.

Our goal is to resolve cases within 12 to 18 months after you’ve reached maximum medical improvement, meaning you’ve recovered as much as expected.The timeline can be shorter or longer depending on the complexity of the case and whether the insurance company makes a fair offer early on. However, if we need to file a lawsuit, expect at least a year to get a court date, plus time for negotiations beforehand.

If you’re involved in a drunk driving incident, immediately go to the hospital to check for injuries. Follow all treatments recommended by healthcare professionals, including any specialist visits.

Law enforcement will investigate the incident, including conducting sobriety tests on the other driver. This process is crucial for any legal action.

In Virginia, if injured by a drunk driver, you’re entitled to both economic damages (such as medical expenses and lost wages) and non-economic damages (like pain and suffering). Moreover, you may qualify for punitive damages, which aim to punish the offender and deter such behavior in the future. Punitive damages are capped at $350,000, however.

If you’re dealing with medical bills after a car accident and are unsure how to cover these costs, here are some steps you can take. Firstly, submit any medical bills to your health insurance provider. If you don’t have health insurance, your next step is to check your car insurance policy for medical expense payments coverage, often referred to as “med pay.” This coverage can help pay for your medical bills up to a certain amount, which varies by policy. It’s worth noting that if you have multiple cars on your policy, you might be able to combine (“stack”) the med pay coverage from each vehicle to increase the total coverage available for your medical expenses. Even if you have health insurance, med pay can cover additional expenses not paid by your health insurer, such as deductibles and co-pays.