Personal Injury Law
Attorney Patricia Watson is responsible for the personal injury cases in the office. All personal injury cases are handled on a contingent fee basis. This means that you pay no fee and owe us no money until we recover money for you by way of settlement or trial.
How are fees handled on a personal injury case?
When we do recover money for you, we will take a percentage of the recovery. This percentage is usually one-third. In addition, we will often have to spend money in order to prepare your case for such costs as depositions, expert witness fees, filing fees, and the like. When we pay these costs for you in advance, these costs will be reimbursed to us from the settlement in addition to the attorney’s fee.
Unlike some law firms, we do not charge a separate fee for collecting PIP or no fault benefits. Instead, we process those claims free of charge for clients whom we are also representing in an accident claim.
How much is my case worth?
The value of your case depends on many factors, many of which cannot be determined at the outset of your case, including the amount of your lost income and medical bills, the permanence of your injuries, and the type of accident or negligence. It is crucial that your case not be settled before you have finished your medical treatment. Only an experienced and skilled attorney can help you make the right decisions about when to settle your case and how much to settle it for, or whether to file suit and go to trial.
How long will it take to resolve my case?
How long your case will take to resolve depends upon the nature of your case and your injuries. With certain types of injuries, such as head trauma, scarring or fractures, it is often prudent to wait for several months after your medical treatment ends before attempting to settle your case, to be sure that there will not be any long term consequences. Assuming there are no such factors, and the necessary medical documentation and accident investigation has been completed, it is often possible to begin settlement negotiations as soon as your medical treatment is finished.
If the case cannot be settled without litigation, the length of time before trial depends upon the nature of the case. As a general rule, the more complex the case, the longer it will take to prepare for settlement or trial.
At Watson & Watson, you will ALWAYS have Pat handle your case personally. Unlike many other law offices, your case will never be shuffled off to a young associate attorney or a paralegal. With 30 years of experience, Pat will always be there to guide you through the process, prepare your case to maximize your recovery and answer any questions that might arise.