Philadelphia Injury Attorney Blog

As important as it is for the client to research the qualifications of an attorney, it is just as important for the attorney to completely research the qualifications of the case and of the client. When you need an attorney, most people ask their families and friends for referrals or look to the prominent legal directory of Martindale Hubbel. No matter how you find an attorney, you should always make sure the attorney is in good standing by placing a call to the local or state Bar Association. You should ask how long the attorney has been practicing law, specifically, how long they have been practicing personal injury law, or even more specifically, how long they have been handling cases such as yours.

Do not be afraid to ask for client references. The attorney should have extensive experience against the insurance carrier or manufacturer you are up against. Ask to see an example of their work. A good attorney will offer samples of their work including settlement brochures, videos, demonstrative evidence, demand letters, or other instruments of a case that will demonstrate his or her ability. The attorney should then be able to give you the steps that he or she would take to settle your case and give you the understanding of the litigation process should a lawsuit be required. Ask how many multi-million dollar cases the lawyer has handled.

People are often uncomfortable talking about money. Society dictates that such talk is impolite. However at the serious injury law firm of Reiff and Bily, we believe that our clients get “one bite of the apple” and it is better to have a large bite to fairly compensate the injury victim for his or her injuries. Obviously, the goal of the lawyers of Reiff and Bily is to achieve the highest compensation possible for our clients’ injuries. Because we work on a contingency fee, the more we receive for our clients’ injuries, selfishly, the more we receive as a fee. Because of this, we need to be able to openly discuss the value of the case, the pitfalls of the case, and what we refer to as the “good, the bad and the uglies.”

Predicting the trial value or settlement value of a personal injury case is often difficult. Assuming that the insurance company believes, based upon past experience, your personal injury lawyer is ready, willing, and able to go to trial, the settlement value of the case is exactly the prediction of what the jury will believe the claim is worth because rarely are serious injury cases decided by a jury.

Different jurisdictions will have different values. We believe that our extensive experience in different jurisdictions is of great assistance in the evaluating, preparing, and trying cases. Adversely, we believe that a lack of experience or a client who is unwilling to allow our experience to play out, will distract from our ability to properly evaluate, prepare, and try the case.

We have many cases referred to our firm by lawyers who have financial or monetary problems or do not possess the resources or professional experience/expertise necessary to fully prosecute the case. Often times, we hear other lawyers tell us that they lack the money to hire a good expert and cannot afford to handle the proper demonstrative evidence in a case. In one of our recent cases, we spent in excess of $100,000.00 on a Pennsylvania auto accident expert and a video reconstruction of the incident. We found this to be very effective in a satisfactory resolution of this case.

It is extremely important, in my opinion, that a lawyer not be considered a “jack of all trades lawyer.” If you are injured, it is important to hire a lawyer who specializes in complex personal injury cases. It is important for the lawyer to define his practice so that it is consistent with his values and needs and to avoid taking cases that will distract from the important cases. The lawyers at Reiff and Bily are proud to be lawyers and proud to promote, persevere the causes of social justice, and silently protect the system from insurance companies and manufacturers who are more interested in profit than in safety. Most of our cases are not “the easy A.” We believe that lawyers are often the unsung heroes of society despite what big businesses, insurance companies, or the government would have you believe.

Unfortunately at our office we hear a lot of sad stories. And unfortunately we are obliged to turn down hundreds of sad story clients every year despite the fact that many are outright tragic.

My partner and I have known each other since college and entered this profession and specialty with the ultimate goal of helping people. We have always felt that if you help people, success will follow and that has proven to be the backbone of our practice. It hurts to turn away people who need help simply because their cases lack sufficient legal merit or lack sufficient collectible damages to justify accepting them. If we were to accept many of these cases, it would take time away from maximizing the value of the good cases that we do accept where the clients expect that we will devote 100 % of our efforts. If we spread ourselves too thin, then we risk harm for our clients.

The goal is that after careful case selection and evaluation in a very detailed screening process, not based upon reflex, that we can accept cases, advance justice, as well as make money. Through our hard efforts and the efforts of our respected colleagues we have made a difference in the safety of products, vehicle design, as well as influence how the insurance companies have treated injured people who work hard for the money to pay their premiums. In the best of times, it is a win-win for all.

If you or a loved one has been catastrophically injured as the result of a car accident or defective product, please schedule a free, no obligation consultation with the experienced serious injury lawyers at Reiff and Bily to discuss your claim. We can be reached at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.