FAQs

Besides legal fees, there are various charges which must be paid to prepare your case. Police departments typically charge for a copy of the accident report. Physicians bill us for preparation of their medical reports. Other incidental costs of this kind accrue as well. Costs also may include bills received from other people about your case, such as court reporters, expert witnesses and others. We will advance these costs, and we are paid only if we win or settle your case.

We will do everything we can to help settle your claim, and we will advance the costs of the legal action. We cannot, however, loan you money. The laws of Colorado are quite specific: it is illegal for an attorney to lend a client money and could result in disciplinary action against our firm. If you are getting letters from collection agencies or other creditors, we will be happy to write to them and explain that you have a personal injury action in progress. We will ask them to give you more time or defer payment until you receive your settlement.

If you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy, please contact our office before taking any action. Your personal injury proceeds would be part of your assets in any bankruptcy action. Bankruptcy can affect your personal injury case so be sure to speak with us before filing for bankruptcy.

In this situation, the other driver is an “uninsured motorist”. We will figure out the amount of uninsured motorist coverage applicable under any other automobile policies so that you may seek compensation from those insurance companies.

In most cases, you can settle your property damage claim on your own. You may decide to deal directly with the responsible person’s insurance company, or you may wish to settle under the collision portion of your own policy. If you settle with your insurance company, the company should make a claim against the responsible person’s insurance company and reimburse you for the deductible. This is part of the service that you pay for when you buy collision coverage. If your car was a total loss in the accident, there are several methods to help you figure out the fair market value of your car:

1. Classified ads in the newspaper.
2. NADA Book – call your bank or credit union.
3. Auto Trader Magazine – can be purchased at many convenience stores.
4. Car Dealers.

Once you’ve checked these sources, you should have a pretty good idea about the range of value for your car. When you settle your Property Damage Claim, be sure to let us review any documents before you sign them.

Be sure to check out our complete guide to Property Damage, and give us a call if you have any questions.

We will try to answer your questions promptly. If your attorney is not in or is unavailable when you call, ask for your case manager. Your case manager will have the most current information on your case. If the case manager cannot answer your questions, they will forward the question to your attorney. They will either get back to you or have your attorney call you.

We employ trained case managers and legal assistants to work with our lawyers. These qualified staff members will help the attorney in processing your claim. Your case will be assigned to one of our case managers and a legal assistant who will be familiar with your case and work with your attorney.

Once you’ve hired the firm to work with you, your case is assigned to an attorney and a case management team. Our firm then gathers important information about insurance and treating facilities. The attorneys start to review the facts of the accident. Your case manager begins to understand your medical treatment. We begin to create a case. Your case manager is your link to the firm – if you have any questions, your case manager is the best person to contact. Check out our Firm Case Timeline to better understand our process.

Regardless of what you’ve heard, the actual value of your case can only be known after you’ve received proper medical care. If a law firm gives you a “case value” number upfront, they are basing their results on; the “average” payout for your injuries, “common” costs for treatment, industry “standards” on what insurance companies are likely to settle for. A quality law firm will know, that like you, the facts and numbers involved in your case are unique.