Ten of the top personal injury attorneys in the United States will provide you with valuable insights and guide you through the hazardous steps of filing a claim, and shepherd you around the landmines when dealing with insurance companies.
About The Authors
Sam is the CEO of Aguiar Injury Lawyers. At 28 years old, Sam was designated in the Kentucky Trial Court Review as the second most prolific trial attorney in Kentucky for that year. Sam's experience and belief in "world class customer service" has allowed him to grow Aguiar Injury Lawyers into comprehensive teams that have all learned his methods and approaches to handling all personal injury cases with speed, aggressiveness, and responsiveness. In turn, Aguiar Injury Lawyers has developed a uniquely effective process that creates a sense of unity between the firm and its client base that allows them to unite and take on the insurance companies together. Sam Aguiar is a member of the Louisville Bar Association, Kentucky Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. In 2013 Sam was named to the National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers as well as their Top 40 Under 40.
Sam Aguiar, Esq.
Aguiar Injury Lawyers, PLLC
Louisville, Kentucky
Janet Ward Black owns Ward Black Law, one of North Carolina's largest woman-owned law firms. A graduate of Davidson College and Duke Law School, Black served as president of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers and president of the North Carolina Bar Association. She is only the second lawyer in North Carolina history to serve as president of both organizations. The program she created while president of the NCBA, "4 ALL," has been used as a model in the US and Canada for providing free legal services to the poor. She and her firm have been named in Best Lawyers in America and Best Law Firms in America.
Janet Ward Black, Esq.
Ward Black Law
Greensboro, North Carolina
Gerald R. Stahl is a Grand Rapids, Michigan based Trial Lawyer that has been successfully representing victims of auto and truck accidents for over 32 years. He is committed to helping client's put their lives back together after a serious accident. He is relentless in his pursuit of achieving maximum financial recovery for his clients. He is a dedicated member of The American Association for Justice and a Fellow in The National College of Advocacy. He is rated 10 out 10, "Superb" by Avvo. He is recognized as a top 100 litigation attorney in Michigan for 2014 by The American Society of Legal Advocates. He was awarded Top 100 Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers for 2014.
Gerald R. Stahl, Esq.
Law Offices of Gerald R. Stahl
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Randy understands first-hand what an accident victim goes through. Prior to becoming a personal injury attorney he was a police officer in Miami, and was injured in the line of duty due to the negligence of another driver. His personal experience has piloted him to have an uncommon concern for people who have been injured by the negligence, carelessness, and recklessness of others. His care and compassion when working with people who have been injured in an accident, is one of the reasons why he has so many satisfied and loyal clients. He seeks justice and a fair settlement for each victim and understands the importance of staying in touch with his clients and communicating the progress of one's case as it goes through the claims and legal process.
Randy V. Pelham, Esq.
The Pelham Law Firm
Tallahassee, Florida
Collin Kennedy is a leading personal injury in the Dallas area. His years of experience have taught him two never-to-be-broken rules. First, to get the best result for his client, and to prepare each case like it is the most important case he will ever have. After all, in most instances, it is the most important case the client will ever have. And second, to get the best result for his client, he treats each case like he is representing the best of his friends or the closest of his family members. In other words, he takes his representation of victims personally.
Collin D. Kennedy, Esq.
Hanshaw, Kennedy, Marquis, PLLC
Dallas, Texas
James Heiting is Past President of the State Bar of California (2005-2006), and served on the State Bar Board of Governors (2002-2006). He is or has been a member of multiple federal and state litigation, ethics, and trial associations, is admitted to practice law before all state and federal courts in California, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the California and United States Supreme Courts. He also has served as president of a variety of legal organizations and co-founded an organization to train younger or less experienced lawyers. The managing partner of Heiting and Irwin, a Professional Law Corporation, he has a very active practice in prosecuting and defending wrongful death, personal injury and medical malpractice matters.
James Heiting, Esq.
Heiting & Irwin
Riverside, California
Jim is a trial lawyer who has over 32 years of experience, in settling, and litigating auto accident claims, death cases and cases involving serious personal injuries. He holds professional memberships with the American Trial Lawyers Association and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. Jim is a certified member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a group of lawyers, made up of less than 1% of all attorneys in the United States, who have recovered settlements, awards and verdicts of $1,000,000 or more. The Judges of Lancaster County have appointed Jim to serve as a Chairman of Civil Arbitration Panels (a lawyer who is appointed to act as a Judge, hear sworn testimony in civil cases and render decisions along with two other panel members).
James D. Hagelgans, Esq.
Hagelgans & Veronis
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mark Gaertner is a personal injury and wrongful death lawyer who represents individuals and families who have been injured as a result of an accident. He has served as a lawyer in a number of cases that led to notable settlements. Mark is a former insurance defense lawyer. The insurance defense background allows him to make an accurate assessment of the case and anticipate the strategies of the insurance companies. Mark has been recognized as a Minnesota Super Lawyer by his peers. He is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Wisconsin and is a Minnesota Supreme Court Qualified Neutral. As a personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, he has represented thousands of individuals and families who have suffered death or injury as a result of an accident. Having been an insurance defense attorney, he understands how insurance companies evaluate the potential success of a claim, and can present the merits of a case in a way that will lead to the highest possible award for his clients. As a successful trial lawyer, if the insurance company is not willing to provide a fair settlement, he is prepared to go to trial to get what's just for his clients.
Mark R. Gaertner Esq.
Walsh & Gaertner, PA
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Christian Anouge II, Esq. is a founding member of the Anouge Law Firm, and a leading Personal Injury/Wrongful Death attorney in Central Florida. Chris began his career on the "other side" defending insurance companies, but ultimately found his passion in fighting for the individual instead. Compassionate empathy for "the little guy" combined with his twenty years of experience in negotiating, litigating, and aggressively advocating for thousands of clients has honed Chris' keen ability to analyze a case from all angles. Chris' savvy for the nuances in the law, along with personalized attention to detail combine to produce the best strategy for each client on a case by case basis.
Christian Anouge II, Esq.
The Anouge Law Firm
Ocoee, Florida
John M. O'Brien is a Sacramento-based personal injury attorney with over 24 years of legal experience and an AV peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a distinction granted to only 5% of all lawyers. Mr. O'Brien is recognized throughout the California legal community for his zealous and effective representation of individuals who have been catastrophically injured. Since its inception in 1996, his firm, John M. O'Brien & Associates, P.C., has obtained numerous multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements in a wide variety of personal injury cases. Mr. O'Brien is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), American Association of Justice, Consumer Attorneys of California and Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association (CCTLA). In 2009, the CCTLA awarded him with the distinction and honor of being its Advocate of the Year and in 2014 Mr. O'Brien was recognized as a "Super Lawyer" by peers in Northern California.
John M. O'Brien, Esq.
John M. O'Brien and Associates
Elk Grove, California
Contributing Author
Randy Van Ittersum
Host & Founder
Business Leader Spotlight Show
Spring Lake, MI
As the host for the Business Leader Spotlight Show, I had the pleasure to interview over two hundred and fifty personal injury attorneys to bring our listeners valuable insights that they should know about before they settle their claim. The personal injury attorneys that were interviewed are considered the leading personal injury attorneys in the country, and the information they shared about personal injury claims was eye opening.
When I decided to write and publish this book, I wanted to bring to my readers the insights from the best personal injury attorneys that I interviewed on the show. I am pleased to bring you the thoughts of the 10 best personal injury attorneys out of the top 250 attorneys interviewed. These ten personal injury attorneys come from different areas of the country, where the laws pertaining to personal injury cases might vary slightly, but each co-author discusses valuable opinions about the challenges that you may face with your claim if you have been seriously injured.
Personal injury attorneys play a critical role in making our lives safer. By holding companies and individuals accountable for defective products or negligent conduct, they make businesses and people think about their actions. Without accountability, a higher number of people would be injured or die, leaving their loved ones devastated by the actions of another person.
No-one ever asks to be injured, but when they are involved in a serious accident, caused by another party's negligent conduct, a personal injury attorney is there to help them repair their life. A serious accident will cause you to lose time at work thereby affecting your ability to meet your financial obligations. The injuries that you incur will certainly affect the quality of your life, for at least a short period of time, while you recover, and may affect the quality of your life until the day you die. Although a personal injury attorney can't cure you physically, they can help to repair your life financially, and get you the recompense required to compensate you for your lost wages, pain, and suffering.
If you have been involved in an accident and are injured by another party, you will be dealing with one or more insurance companies. It could be the insurance company covering the party that caused the injury, or it might be your own insurance company. When I was interviewing personal injury attorneys on the Business Leader Spotlight Show, one thing stood out above everything else: If insurance companies treated you fairly, when it comes to settling your claim, personal injury attorneys would be out of business.
Unfortunately, as was the opinion of every personal injury attorney I interviewed, insurance companies are focused on their profits; therefore, their motivation is to settle a claim for as little an amount as possible. As a result, if you are in a serious accident, you will need an advocate who will fight for your rights to ensure you get you the compensation you deserve.
When I interviewed these professionals, they repeatedly told me that most people that come to them say that they never expected they would ever have to hire a lawyer. They shared that most people are embarrassed when they come into their office, because it's just not in their nature to sue anybody. But they had to see someone because they needed help. They discovered and felt that the insurance company just wasn't dealing fairly with them.
I equate it to a David and Goliath situation. On one side you have an insurance company who has vast resources, an army of attorneys, and highly trained insurance adjusters who are trying to settle the claim for as little as possible. And there is nothing wrong with that because they usually represent the party that caused the accident. On the other side you have the injured party, who is hurting both physically and financially, and most likely has never been in a serious accident before and had to deal with an insurance company. The personal injury attorney is your David who has the knowledge and resources to stand up to your Goliath, the insurance company. Your personal injury attorney is your advocate and is there to protect you.
Another thing I discovered when interviewing these attorneys was the sooner a client contacts an attorney, the better it will be for their case. One reason for this is that, often, it is important they get an investigator to the scene of the accident to preserve evidence that might be critical to their case. Another reason is so they can protect the client from being contacted and interviewed by the insurance adjuster from the opposing insurance company.
Every personal injury attorney I interviewed shared the fact that insurance adjusters are highly trained and want to get a recorded statement from you. And although they may appear to be befriending you, the only thing they want is to get you to say something that can damage your case and help them settle your claim for the least amount possible. Once you hire an attorney, they can't contact you without first going through your attorney. The fact is, most injured parties want to be co-operative and tell their side of the story hoping that it will help them settle their case quickly. Unfortunately, they often say, innocently, something that will be used against them to minimize their settlement.
It became crystal clear to me that if you are ever in a serious accident, you need to contact a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible. One attorney I interviewed had been a claim adjuster for thirty years before he passed the bar and became a personal injury attorney. There were two important facts that he shared. One was that the insurance company he represented set aside higher reserves whenever a personal injury attorney was hired by the injured party. The second was that the insurance companies track and rate the personal injury attorneys across the country. They know who settles quickly and who is willing to go to trial, if necessary, to get a fair settlement. The bottom line is that when you hire a personal injury attorney who is willing to take your case to trial, 90% of the time you will be offered a settlement, but for a much larger sum than an attorney that isn't willing to go to trial.
The fact is this; if you are injured in an accident you should hire the best personal injury attorney that you can find. The legal profession has actually created a system that makes the courts accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. Almost all personal injury attorneys are paid with what is known as a contingency fee. This means that they do not get paid unless they settle your case, or win a judgment, if you go to trial. They in effect have skin in the game, and put their time and money at risk to secure the best possible outcome for you. If they don't settle your case or lose at trial, they get nothing.
Furthermore, almost all personal injury attorneys will meet with you for free. This means that you can sit down and talk to an attorney about your case and it doesn't cost you anything. Because almost all personal injury attorneys charge the same percentage under the contingency fee agreement, there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't hire the best personal injury attorney you can find.
As I pointed out in the beginning, I have interviewed over two hundred and fifty of the top personal injury attorneys in the country. The ten attorneys I asked to co-author this book, are the best of the best. In fact, if I lived near anyone of these attorneys and was seriously injured in an accident, I would hire them in a heartbeat.
When you hire a personal injury attorney, you are likely to build a lifelong personal relationship with that person. They are your lifeline to help you repair your life. You will have friends and family that will do all they can to help you through this difficult period of your life, but it will be your attorney that will help you be compensated for the quality of life that you have lost due to the negligent conduct of another.
It doesn't matter how you got this book, whether you purchased it or it was given to you, it is filled with golden nuggets of information that you need to know if you or a family member have been injured in a serious accident. The information contained within this book can be critical to finding and identifying the best attorney to help you get the settlement you deserve. In fact I would go so far as to say that no insurance company wants you to read this book.
Randy Van Ittersum
Host & Founder - Business Leader Spotlight Show
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