There is a very old saying, "The attorney who represents himself has a fool for a client." What does this say about a non-attorney attempting to represent himself?
There is no charge for an initial conversation with an attorney and no charge for follow-up conversations prior to hiring us to represent you.
For Personal Injury Cases – In almost every case we work for a percentage of the settlement or judgment. Our fee is 33 1/3% if the case settles without litigation or 40% with litigation. We pay for court costs and other reasonable and necessary expenses and deduct these amounts from the client's portion of any recovery. Our Attorney-Client Employment Agreement forms are available on-line for your review.
You owe us nothing. Our agreement says that you owe us nothing if there is no recovery.
There are several ways for you to complete our paperwork and get it back to us:
You can print our forms from the Internet, complete them and mail to us
We can fax our forms to you
We can mail our forms to you
We can Federal Express our forms to you and you can return them by Federal Express (we pay)
We can come to you
We can arrange transportation to our office
Let us know if you have another idea of how we can help with transportation for you
A tort is a civil wrong. Civil wrongdoers who refuse to accept responsibility for their conduct need to be corrected by attorneys and the court system. If civil wrongdoers and insurance companies treated everyone honestly and fairly, there wouldn't be many attorneys. However, there are many civil attorneys because there are many civil wrongdoers who need to be brought to justice.
We try to avoid filing lawsuits when possible. We will do our best to settle your case without a lawsuit because lawsuits typically slow down the process. Even though our attorney's fee percentage is higher with a lawsuit, we would like to be paid sooner than later.
We do not advise settlement until you have reached maximum medical improvement. In other words, when you have received almost all medical treatment necessary for your injuries. We can have your doctor estimate future medical expenses. Settlement can take time because it is necessary to negotiate with the insurance company or at-fault party. We will need to demonstrate that you are prepared to take your claims to court if necessary and that you will not jump at their initial lower offers of settlement.
You have the final say. We give advice and you make the decisions. If you want to accept a settlement, we will follow your orders. If you don't want a lawsuit, we will follow your orders. We will let you know if we don't like your orders, but we will follow them or withdraw.
Because insurance companies are in business to make a profit and they will not offer you a fair settlement without an attorney.
Everything is not fine if:
You have given a recorded statement to the insurance company
You are going to a doctor who is not experienced in insurance claims or lawsuits
You do not know how to evaluate your claim
You do not know how to negotiate
You don't realize you need an attorney
You have given a recorded statement to the insurance company
You are going to a doctor who is not experienced in insurance claims or lawsuits
You do not know how to evaluate your claim
You do not know how to negotiate
You don't realize you need an attorney
Would you prefer that you be cheated by a nice person? Claims adjusters must get your confidence (as in "con" man) to be able to short change you on your settlement. You can't get a fair settlement unless you know how much your claim is worth. It is not the claims adjuster's job to tell you how to get the most from him. It's his job to pay you the least you will take.
The insurance company knows you will get more with an attorney and they don't want to pay you more. This is the reason everyone hires an attorney. The insurance companies have more knowledge and experience in these matters than you and you are at a disadvantage trying to deal with them. They will take advantage of you. Would you think about playing a game if the only person who knew the rules was the other player?
Even with an attorney, this won't happen. Insurance companies only pay when they must. They pay only to avoid higher court awards and they have plenty of attorneys working for them to protect their interests. You would do well to follow their example, not what they say.
It isn't wrong to sue someone who negligently causes an injury to an innocent person and refuses to allow their insurance company to settle, or who refuses to pay for the losses of the person they hurt.
The purpose of insurance companies is to spread financial loss over a very large group so that the loss doesn't have to be borne by a single person or family. Insurance started out as a good idea. Corrupt policies of greedy corporations make attorneys and courts necessary.
Because the attorney is only paid after you agree to a settlement or a court makes an award and the attorney is only paid if he obtains a recovery for you. The more the attorney collects for you the more he gets for himself. Assume that insurance companies and attorneys are greedy and then make up your mind.
Have you noticed how people always think their judgment is the best? Almost everyone believes they have the best attorney, or the best doctor and get the best deal on a car. How has the friend done with his own decisions? Is this friend successful in other business matters? Would you trust them to handle your finances?
As much as possible, look at the attorney’s or the law firm’s work. Pay attention to how they deal with you prior to being hired and check them out with their state bar association. Our work is exhibited on our website. Call and talk to one of our attorneys, legal assistants or with anyone in our office. Determine if our staff is respectful and knowledgeable. Do you feel comfortable talking to them?
To check out any of our attorneys go to the website for the State Bar of Georgia at http://www.GABar.org. Go to “Attorney Search” type in the attorney’s name and proceed to “Disciplinary History” to determine if the attorney has any history of problems with the state bar.
A law enforcement officer should have a reasonable basis before stopping a car. A reasonable basis may include observing questionable, erratic and/or illegal driving conduct, mechanical problems with the car, observing that the car does not meet legal requirements, or knowing that a crime or traffic offense has taken place.
Generally the police must have special circumstances to have a right to do a search without a warrant. The special circumstances may include:
- A search incident to an arrest, such as an inventory search
- The existence of exigent circumstances such as an emergency or situation where the search must be conducted immediately in order to preserve evidence
- Observation of an illegal substance in plain sight of the officer, such as a gun or drugs on the seat of a car stopped for a traffic offense
How do I know if a particular DUI, Alcohol, or Drug Use Risk Reduction school has been approved?
A complete list of all DUI, Alcohol, or Drug Use Risk Reduction schools certified by the DDS can be found here.
A complete list of all DUI, Alcohol, or Drug Use Risk Reduction schools certified by the DDS can be found here.
What is the cost of a DUI, Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction course?
The cost of a DUI, Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction course is set by law. The total cost of the course is $292.00. This includes the Assessment Component ($82.00), the Intervention Component ($190.00), and a workbook ($20.00).
The cost of a DUI, Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction course is set by law. The total cost of the course is $292.00. This includes the Assessment Component ($82.00), the Intervention Component ($190.00), and a workbook ($20.00).
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