Blackmore & Blackmore, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, handles both personal injury matters and criminal defense. Founded in 1994 by attorney Robert W. Blackmore and attorney Adele M. Blackmore, our firm prides itself on always being in touch with our client’s concerns, fears, and hopes for the future. You can count on us fighting to protect your rights, whether that means securing the full compensation you need to recover from a serious injury or aggressively defending you against criminal charges before a judge or jury. At Blackmore & Blackmore, our attorneys are straightforward and dedicated to getting to the heart of the legal matter in order to try and obtain the resolution you are counting on.
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At the law firm of Needle & Ellenberg, we are dedicated to fighting for the rights of seriously injured people. We have more than 30 years of experience handling personal injury cases in Miami and throughout Florida.
We are committed to improving lives, one at a time. When you choose us to represent you in your personal injury, we will take the time to learn about your needs. We will design and develop a case to try and get you the compensation needed to improve your life, and help you return to the quality of life that was taken away due to the negligence of another person or business.
Andrew Needle Bio
Mr. Needle, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, is a charter member of the Miami chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a trial lawyer organization dedicated to the preservation of the civil justice system and for which admission is solely by peer recognition and experience. Mr. Needle's courtroom victories include multi-million dollar verdicts in cases that have often pushed the outer boundaries of existing legal precedent. In 2001 and again in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, Mr. Needle was selected by the South Florida Legal Guide as one of South Florida's Top Lawyers in the field of Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice.
For six years he was a member of the Florida Bar's Board of Governors, which sets policy and discipline (under the auspices of the Florida Supreme Court), for all lawyers practicing in the state of Florida.
Andrew Needle has been an editorial consultant to Matthew Bender Law Books: Florida Tort Law Series and author of "Post Trial Motions", Florida Civil Trial Practice, Chapter 18, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions. A frequent lecturer on diverse areas of personal injury practice, his articles on trial lawyer issues have been published in the Miami Review, Caduceus Newsletter, and The Florida Bar News.
The process of a personal injury claim starts when you hire a lawyer, and ends with the conclusion of your personal injury case, whether because a settlement has been reached or because the trial has concluded and judgment has been given.
Consulting with A Lawyer
When you consult with a personal injury lawyer they will ask you questions about the accident and take a number of details from you, including asking you for a medical authority so that your lawyer can request your medical records. It is common for personal injury lawyers to treat your case as though it is going to trial. This is to ensure that your attorney can put forward the most advantageous case on your behalf, even if it is simply a matter of negotiating the settlement figure. In the event that your case remains contentious and goes to trial, your attorney will be in a strong position if the case has been handled properly from the outset.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
Personal injury claims must be brought within a specific period of time after the accident, after which they become ‘statute barred’ and will not succeed. The length of this strict time limit varies from state to state, but is shorter than in most other types of cases and is usually around 3 years. It is very important that you see an attorney soon after your accident, rather than waiting until just before the expiration of the statute of limitations. If there is insufficient time left before the statute of limitations expires, an attorney may not consider that they will be able to undertake the necessary pre-filing work in time and refuse to take your case. It is also worth remembering that it is better to see a lawyer while events are fresh in your mind, rather than trying to recall what happened months or years later.
Your attorney will file papers in court (a summons and a complaint) and pay the appropriate filing fee. A copy of these papers has to be served personally on the individual you intend to sue, or if you’re suing a corporation, an appropriate representative of that corporation.
Discovery
Once the defendant has been made aware of the fact that they are being sued, both parties in the case begin a process of requesting documents and information from each other (‘discovery.’) These may include lists of questions (‘interrogatories’), medical records, doctors’ reports and ‘depositions’, which is when an attorney questions a witness under oath. As the injured party, a doctor acting for the defendant may examine you. The discovery process can take months, or even years, depending on the nature of your case and the complexities relating to it.
Negotiating a Settlement
It is during this period that each side weighs up its potential liability in relation to the case. If the defendant accepts liability for the claim it will simply be a matter of negotiating until a mutually acceptable figure can be reached. If the case has not been settled at the conclusion of discovery, it will proceed to trial.
Proceeding To Trial
The court will give directions as to any issues each party should attend to before the trial, e.g. serving documents. Each party can request trial by jury, but must pay the appropriate fee with the jury demand. Once the trial starts, the court will hear evidence from live witnesses and will also consider written documentation. After the trial concludes, judgment will be given. If the claimant has been successful, but the defendant has not paid, the claimant may take steps to enforce the judgment.
20091003
As you consider the lawyers of Clifford Law Offices when you need to select your Chicago personal injury attorney, it's important to understand that, just as every lawyer is an individual, not every case is the same. We start by talking to you, to get your story. For the cases we accept, we want to assign the personal injury attorney on our staff who has a great deal of experience and success in arguing similar cases. To get an idea of the success record of our firm, please visit our Record of Justice section.
Clifford Law Offices represents many people in personal injury actions. For example, we represented an employee of a major department store who was severely burned in an explosion in the north suburbs of Chicago. Accident lawyers from the Chicago law firm also represented a critically injured victim in an explosive power plant fire in Indiana. Lawyers at the personal injury firm also represented those involved in a gas explosion at a suburban home. There are different degrees of fault and several elements are necessary to prove in court, in order to be successful against the wrongdoer in a tort action. Clifford Law Offices determines if the accident or injury is potentially recoverable in a court of law. Consulting one of our experienced Clifford Chicago personal injury lawyers will provide a sound basis on whether to pursue an action in court.
In other Illinois personal injury actions, Clifford Law Offices represented Rob Komosa, a teenager who was tackled into a goal post and then tragically became a quadriplegic. The high school field where it happened has since moved the goal post further from the field and has added padding to the steel post. Rob has bravely gone on to try to help other quadriplegics. Also, Robert Clifford received a $14.2 million verdict for an 11-year-old Boy Scout who was injured while on an outing in a forest preserve, as reported in the Chicago Sun-Times. Mr. Clifford also was awarded a record amount for a 21-year-old swimmer who was rendered a paraplegic when he broke his neck in a diving accident, according to the Chicago press. Robert Clifford also received a $29.6 million verdict following a month-long trial on behalf of Rachel Barton, an internationally-acclaimed violinist who was severely injured in a commuter train accident. Every Chicago injury lawyer in our firm places the interest of the client first...please call or email Clifford Law Offices about your case.
Sustaining a personal injury is one of the most devastating and life-altering events that you will ever experience. At the Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, P.C., we realize the stress that this kind of injury and accident can place on you and your family—not only physically and emotionally, but monetarily as well.
Our personal injury lawyers take these factors into consideration when we are talking to you or handling your case, and we will do whatever we can to get you through this painful process as painlessly, smoothly, and quickly as possible. We are here to fight for your rights.
Our law firm will take immediate, strategic, and aggressive action on your case—from traveling to an accident scene on the same day that you decide to retain us as your personal injury attorneys to contacting the negligent party's insurance company right away so we can begin negotiating a settlement claim for you.
Unlike many other law firms who believe in waiting until the statute of limitations for your personal injury case runs out before filing a lawsuit, if we feel that we have exhausted the negotiations process with an insurance company and a settlement is unlikely, we will go to court and fight for your right to compensation much sooner rather than later—if that is what you would like us to do. We do, after all, work for you.
When you are injured, whether in a car accident, truck accident, slip and fall accident, motorcycle accident, construction accident, or any other kind of personal injury accident, everything changes. You might not be able to walk or turn your head properly. You might have to undergo multiple surgeries. You might not have the funds or income to pay your medical bills or support your family. Someone has to take care of you, protect your rights, and help you obtain the financial means to pay for your recovery. The Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, P.C. can do all this for you.
Damages recovered from a personal injury claim may vary and can include cost of medical bills, lost wages during treatment and the recovery period, future recovery costs, pain and suffering, and punitive damages to punish defendant(s) for negligent or careless actions.
Personal Injury Loans
We are not allowed, by law, to give you any money to help pay for your bills while we negotiate your settlement. However, if you apply for a personal injury loan, we are happy to cooperate with the loan company of your choosing to get your loan approved as quickly as possible. This will help prevent your accident from taking a further toll on your life and the lives of your loved ones.
We also have a physician on our staff with a law degree. He can assess your injuries and make an accurate assessment of how much compensation you will need.
We represent clients in and around Chicago and from all over Illinois in all areas of personal injury law, including:
Medical Malpractice
Wrongful Death
Train Accidents
Spinal Cord Injuries
Dog Bites
Products Liability
Police Brutality/Civil Rights Violations
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Cerebral Palsy
Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
Car Accidents
Construction Accidents
Slip & Fall Accidents
Motorcycle Accidents
Truck Accidents
We also have a team of attorneys on staff that is dedicated to working exclusively on workers' compensation claims for clients who have been hurt on the job and have filed for benefits related to their injuries.
Many of our clients reside in Lake County, DuPage County, Will County, and Cook County, including Sauk Village, South Holland, Berwyn, Maywood, Olympia Fields, Oak Park, Blue Island, Riverside, Chicago Heights, Dolton, Hazel Crest, Lansing, Cicero, Bellwood, Harvey, Matteson, Oak Lawn, Homewood, and Westchester.
At the Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates, P.C. we believe that everyone is entitled to solid legal representation. If we are unable to collect your compensation for you, you will not have to pay for our legal services. We have the staff, experience, and resources to properly represent you, and we guarantee that your experience with us will be a satisfying and pleasant one. We are available to our clients 24/7, and our law firm's doors are always open to you.
We are conveniently located in downtown Chicago's "Loop," and accessible via all modes of public transportation. We have plenty of free parking nearby.
We offer every prospective client a complimentary, no obligation consultation. If you are too injured to come to us, we will go to you.
To schedule your consultation
Joseph G. Klest - Highest AV Rated
A study conducted by Allstate Insurance Company states "our analysis to date suggest that attorney involvement creates SIGNIFICANT value for claimants." Since it is not in Allstate's interest for claimants to hire an attorney their analysis is not bias and it suggests that you should hire an attorney to help you. Since this study came out, Allstate has engaged in various practices to try and discourage injured claimants from hiring an attorney.
This is all the more reason that you need a competent attorney to help you with your claim. With offices in Chicago, Schaumburg, and the suburbs of Chicago, personal injury lawyer Joseph Klest has been representing injured clients throughout Illinois and nationally since 1982.
Chicago, Illinois, personal injury attorney, Joseph Klest, has experience trying and negotiating favorable settlements in a variety of personal injury claims. He can handle any claim involving serious personal injury or fatality, including traffic accidents, defective products, medical malpractice, work injuries, sexual assault, and other accidents.
We will take your case on a contingency basis. You won't pay attorneys' fees unless you win your case.
Accomplished Chicago, Illinois, Injury Attorney
Joseph Klest earned fame as a personal injury attorney when he was awarded a $1.5 million judgment against a Roman Catholic priest from the Illinois Diocese of Joliet. Please visit the Cases page to learn more about this case and other successes attorney Klest has won on behalf of his clients.
If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence or due to a defective or dangerous product, accomplished Chicago, Illinois personal injury lawyer Joseph Klest can help you in your quest to obtain the maximum amount of compensation possible.
You Can Have a High-profile Chicago Personal Injury Attorney
Help You Obtain the Compensation You Deserve
Contact the offices of Joseph G. Klest to schedule a free initial consultation. The firm represents all personal injury clients on a contingent fee basis. If they are unable to recover compensation for your losses, they will not charge you attorneys' fees.
Morgan & Morgan is a leading personal injury law firm representing accident and injury victims nationwide. We strive to provide our clients with the best legal representation and our personal injury lawyers are committed to defending your rights if you have been injured due to negligence.
Our experienced team of attorneys handles all personal injury claims, including car accidents, workers compensation, medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, product liability, slip and fall, denial of insurance benefits, American with Disabilities Act claims, employment discrimination claims, collection harassment, Social Security claims, and general negligence.
Morgan & Morgan features numerous AV Rated Attorneys, including firm founder John Morgan. An AV Rating indicates that the attorney has reached the height of professional excellence, demonstrating the highest levels of skill and integrity. An AV Rating is achieved only through independent peer review.
A personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who provides legal representation to those who claim to have been injured, physically or psychologically, as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another person, company, government agency, or other entity. Thus, personal injury lawyers tend to be especially knowledgeable and have more experience with regard to the area of law known as tort law, which includes civil wrongs and economic or non-economic damages to a person’s property, reputation, or rights.
Even though personal injury lawyers are trained and licensed to practice virtually any field of law, they generally only handle cases that fall under tort law including, but not limited to: work injuries, automobile and other accidents, defective products, medical mistakes, slip and fall accidents, and more.
The expression "trial lawyers" can refer to personal injury lawyers,[citation needed] even though most cases handled by personal injury lawyers settle rather than going to trial and other types of lawyers, such as defendants' lawyers and criminal prosecutors, also appear in trials.
Contents [hide]
1 Responsibilities
2 Certification and education
3 Career structure
3.1 Doing business
3.2 Compensation
4 Professional regulations and associations
5 Criticism
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
[edit] Responsibilities
A personal injury lawyer has numerous responsibilities in serving his or her clients. These responsibilities encompass both professional and ethical rules and codes of conduct set forth by state bar associations where the lawyers are licensed. Once licensed to practice law by their state bar association, lawyers are legally permitted to file legal complaints, argue cases in state court, draft legal documents, and offer legal advice to victims of personal injury.
Also referred to as a plaintiff lawyer, a personal injury lawyer is responsible for interviewing prospective clients and evaluating their cases to determine the legal matter, identify the distinct issues rooted within the plaintiff’s larger problem, and extensively research every issue to build a strong case. The ultimate professional responsibility of a personal injury lawyer is to help plaintiffs obtain the justice and compensation they deserve for their losses and suffering through advocacy, oral arguments, client counseling, and legal advice.
Personal injury lawyers must also adhere to strict standards of legal ethics when dealing with clients. While the guidelines vary according to state, the basic codes of conduct state that a lawyer must knowledgeably evaluate legal matters and exercise competence in any legal matter undertaken. Moreover, personal injury lawyers owe their clients a duty of loyalty and confidentiality and must work to protect their clients’ best interests.
[edit] Certification and education
In order to practice law in the United States, a personal injury lawyer must pass a written bar examination and, in some cases, a written ethics examination. Bar examinations vary on a state-to-state basis. However, most states require applicants to have completed a four-year college degree and a law degree from an accredited law school (California is one notable exception, but the non-accredited law school must meet certain requirements.)[1]
In all states, a personal injury lawyer is required to take the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)[2], the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE), and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) and a state bar exam. Some states require another exam, the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), as well.
Once admitted to the state bar, personal injury lawyers must remain up-to-date on the latest legal and non-legal developments in their field of practice, by completing a required number of continuing legal education (CLE) courses to help personal injury lawyers stay abreast of developments in their field.
Lawyers can concentrate their practices to certain areas of law, which is typically true of personal injury lawyers. By limiting the range of cases they handle, personal injury lawyers are able to acquire specialized knowledge and experience. However, to be certified as a specialist in personal injury, a lawyer must complete a specialty certification program accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
Certification programs have set standards of competence, knowledge and experience that lawyers must meet in order to be recognized in their area of practice as a specialist. Lawyers who have completed a specialty certification program in personal injury law at an accredited certifying organization are recognized as personal injury specialists. Some states, such as New Jersey, offer a certification as a "Certified Trial Attorney", which can be for both plaintiff and defense attorneys.
[edit] Career structure
The career structure of most lawyers varies widely. Once licensed, a lawyer may take on any kind of case whether or not they have much experience in it. However, legal ethics require an inexperienced lawyer to enlist appropriate help or take the time to learn the issues to competently represent the client. Most lawyers prefer to stick to one area of the law to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to provide the highest quality legal representation to their clients.
Personal injury lawyers choose to delve into a more specialized area involving only personal injury litigation. Personal injury litigation involves a large number of claims including accidents, medical malpractice, product liability, workplace injury, wrongful death, and more. Some personal injury lawyers choose to devote the majority of their time and energy to one area of litigation within personal injury law, thus becoming more experienced at handling very specific types of cases (e.g. medical mistakes, aviation accidents, work accidents).
[edit] Doing business
As with other types of lawyers, personal injury lawyers may choose to start a solo practice or join a small, mid-size, or large law firm as an associate. Personal injury lawyers may also be partners (owners) of a law firm or strive to be a partner.
Sole practitioners of personal injury law offer a number of benefits to potential clients, which include more personal attention and a one-on-one working relationship between the lawyer and the client. Sole practitioners are also more willing to take on smaller cases and often have lower fees and costs.
A small law firm generally consists of two to ten lawyers who can provide more expertise in a given area of personal injury law and can handle a wider range of legal issues. Mid-size law firms with ten to 50 lawyers offer legal representation in almost every major area of litigation and may house several highly experienced and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers. Large law firms with more than 50 lawyers are often the most reputable, having built up the firm for a number of years and consisting of lawyers with high levels of expertise.
[edit] Compensation
Typically lawyers’ fees are based on a number of factors, which may include the time and energy spent on a case, the outcome of a case, the difficulty of a claim, the experience and prominence of the lawyer, and the costs associated with the case. There are several standard payment options a personal injury lawyer may offer his/her clients. These options include contingency fees, hourly rates, flat fees, and retainers.
A contingency fee is a prior arrangement between lawyer and client in which the lawyer receives a set percentage of the amount of recovery awarded to the plaintiff in a case. This means that a client has no obligation to pay his/her lawyer unless the case is successfully resolved. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. An hourly rate is also a common payment option that involves an agreed amount of compensation for each hour the lawyer spends on the case until its resolution. In some cases, personal injury lawyers charge a flat fee, which is a set amount, or a retainer, which is an arrangement where a certain amount of money is paid before legal representation begins. These fee arrangements may also be combined.
[edit] Professional regulations and associations
Personal injury lawyers are regulated by codes of conduct established by state bar associations, which have the power to take disciplinary action against lawyers who violate professional or ethical regulations. The American Bar Association (ABA) Joint Committee on Lawyer Regulation offers assistance to state bars, helping them to draft, implement, and/or promote regulatory policies regarding personal injury lawyers.
Personal injury lawyers may belong to any number of professional associations, some of which are mandatory and others voluntary. For instance, personal injury lawyers are licensed by their state bar associations, of which they must be members. Among the more common professional associations that personal injury lawyers may voluntarily join are the following:
American Bar Association – a professional association dedicated to improving the legal system and providing accreditation for law schools and continuing legal education programs (
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers – an association founded in 1990 by personal injury lawyers on behalf of accident victims
Association of Trial Lawyers of America – also known as ATLA, an association of trial lawyers that was founded in 1946 by a group of plaintiff’s attorneys committed to safeguarding victims’ rights. In 2007, ATLA changed its name to the American Association for Justice, also known as the AAJ, however the internet web site may still be located at http://www.atla.org/.
[edit] Criticism
The aggressive representation of injured parties by personal injury lawyers has spawned movements to establish tort reform in the United States in recent years. Tort reform proponents argue that such reforms are necessary because personal injury litigation has led to a substantial increase in health care costs; they further claim that many doctors have had to leave practice or relocate because of cost-prohibitive medical malpractice insurance rates. A recent publication by the Harvard School of Public Health found that in only 60% of medical malpractice litigation cases was there evidence of medical error
Chicago Civil Justice Attorney Robert Kreisman was honored to serve as a faculty member for the recent American Association of Justice (AAJ) case workshop program held September 10 through September 13, 2009 in Kansas City, MO. Robert Kreisman has participated in similar workshops as a faculty member over ten times.
The AAJ program involved analyses of the participating lawyers' real cases that were coming up for trial. The workshop included a variety of legal cases, including personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability. The concept behind the program was to dissect the legal cases in order to explore additional points of view. Sometimes when you have been working up a specific case yourself for so long it is difficult to take a step back and analyze it from every angle. The AAJ workshop gave lawyers the opportunity to see other viewpoints expressed.
AAJ has been hosting similar workshops for over a decade, and they have always been a great success. This particular workshop featured an assembly of trial lawyers from across the country - both attorneys who were featuring a case and lawyers who were analyzing other attorneys' cases. Also present were trial consultants, whose function is to assist lawyers in preparing for trial.
And in order to get a point of view from outside the legal community, the workshop assembled focus groups to weigh in on the facts of the case. These focus groups were composed of members of the local community and serve the function of a mock jury. Attorneys use focus groups to test their trial strategies and as a way to predict how a local jury might respond.
Chicago's Kreisman Law Offices is an Illinois personal injury and Cook County medical malpractice law firm that has been serving the Chicagoland area for over 30 years, including the communities of Evanston, Oak Park, River Forest, and Wheaton.