Frequently Asked Questions
H. Stojanovski, PLLC often hears the following list of non-exhaustive questions from prospective Personal Injury clients and clients.
Insurance companies are large profit driven businesses with employees tasked with reducing the costs of injury claims. These employees are regularly assisted by internal and external attorneys, which stacks the deck against you. Hiring your own Lawyer helps level the playing field to your benefit.
Washington lawyers cannot guarantee an exact dollar amount prior to your injury claim being resolved. Factors to consider when formulating a dollar amount include among others, the nature of your injuries, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, medical bills, lost wages, and whether the parties had insurance coverage in place at the time of the injury.
Insurance adjusters keep their jobs by saving insurance companies money, so any settlement offer you were given is probably not fair market value for your injury.
A contingency fee is a fee charged by attorneys for their legal services only if the lawsuit is successful or is favorably settled out of court. If my client wins, I get paid my legal fee. If we lose the case, my client does not get charged my legal fee but costs associated with the case are reimbursed. Importantly, the client does not pay anything upfront with a contingency fee contract.
The Statute of Limitations is law governing the time allowed for you to start legal action generally measured from the date of your accident or loss. If you try to start legal action after this time window closes, your case will likely be dismissed by the court unless a legal exception applies.
The Statute of Limitations is law governing the time allowed for you to start legal action generally measured from the date of your accident or loss. If you try to start legal action after this time window closes, your case will likely be dismissed by the court unless a legal exception applies.
More than likely, your case will settle out of court in some fashion. A small percentage of lawsuits, cases filed with the court, make it to the end of the litigation process and are heard by a judge or jury.
A legal doctrine in Washington whereby a plaintiff’s financial recovery is proportionally reduced by a plaintiff’s degree of fault in causing the damage at issue in the case. The plaintiff in this context is you. Contact my office now for a FREE consultation to discuss whether comparative negligence would affect your injury claim.
In a nutshell, when your injuries and damages are caused by a third party, your insurance has an opportunity to recover what it spent under your policy for those injuries and damages from the third party. Usually, when you reach a financial settlement or get a jury award in excess of what was required to make you fully compensated, your insurance will ask you to payback what is owed to it under subrogation with a portion of those funds.
For personal injury claims, I will represent clients from across Washington state. Modern technology makes representing clients in distant corners of Washington relatively easy. Although my firm is based in the greater Seattle—Tacoma area, current and potential clients should understand H. Stojanovski, PLLC never charges for attorney travel within Washington state on a Personal Injury matter.
You should contact my office for a FREE $0 consultation and case evaluation. Furthermore, if you are in contact with the at-fault party’s insurance adjuster, stop all communication until advised otherwise by your attorney.