Parties to a lawsuit (usually with the assistance of their attorneys) are under a duty to answer everythingtruthfully, but that doesn't mean that it's always easy to get a "straight" answer out of someone. This is one of those areas that distinguishes attorneys -- recognizing the difference between a party giving an affirmative yes or no answer, and half-measures such as "I think" or "I believe that is correct." A Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Privacy and Your Medical Records
One of the most sensitive parts of filing a lawsuit after you've been the victim of an injury is the extent to which your private medical issues must come to light. It is unfortunate that you have to give complete strangers access to your most private records, and it is an unfortunate side effect of pursuing your rights. Steep barriers prevent most people from having access to your medical information -- even your Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Technology & Changing Trends in Discovery Process
One of the most important components of the litigation process leading up to trial is the discovery deposition. Deposition is a fancy legal word for a process by which a person sits down in front of a court reporter and gives testimony under oath that is transcribed by that court reporter. A deposition may end up being the only time that a person is allowed to tell their "story" in their own words while being asked Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Low Insurance Policy Limits Issues
The insurance laws in Illinois, starting with 625 Illinois Compiled Statutes (or "ILCS" in lawyer lanugage) 5/7-601 sets forth the basic ground rules, noting: No person shall operate, register or maintain registration of, and no owner shall permit another person to operate, register or maintain registration of, a motor vehicle designed to be used on a public highway unless the motor vehicle is covered by a Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Settlements and Liens
Generally speaking, it is everyone's goal to settle a case without a drawn-out lawsuit that can take years to prosecute and consume massive amounts of time and resources for all. One of the biggest myths about the settlement process, however, is that as soon as the two sides come to an agreement, the client can expect the check the next day -- usually not true. Unfortunately, due to the many parties, medical Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Safe Driving, Drunk Driving and Auto Accidents
While the upcoming Fourth of July weekend is one of our nation's most celebrated holidays, it is also, unfortunately, one of our most dangerous. Anyone who finds themselves out on the road during this holiday might notice a police roadblock searching for intoxicated drivers. While this might seem like an inconvenience to those who aren't driving drunk - the vast majority of us - it is important to be mindful of just Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Collecting from Defendants
The issue of collecting payment after you've obtained a judgment or verdict has two main forks in the road - the first of which is an insurance issue. In auto accidents, for example, the defendant will have an insurance policy that will pay out some, if not all, of your judgment. Often, we have had to chase even the insurance companies to collect many months after settlment, verdict or judgment. Even when a judgment Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Medical Records and Bills as Evidence
For reasons that may be fairly straightforward, the importance of a client's medical records and bills in a personal injury case cannot be overstated. In all but the rarest of situations, medical bills will make up the bulk of a plaintiff's total damages. A plaintiff's medical records hold the key to the essence of the case, as understanding the medical records will illustrate what the plaintiff's injuries are and, Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Lost Wages in Relation to Injuries
One of the first questions many clients have when discussing their legal rights is what can be done about the time at work they were forced to miss after an injury. This is a particularly pressing concern during difficult economic times such as these -- many individuals cannot bear the financial strain of missing a long stretch of work due to injuries, particularly those that were someone else's fault, and the harsh Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: The Importance of Completeness
The Importance of Completeness In every case, there is a "discovery process" where parties exchange information and begin to weed out the issues of a case. Many attorneys make the mistake, however, of assuming that just because materials (be they interrogatories (a fancy word for "questions" in writing), requests to produce documents, requests to admit facts, amongst others) have been sent to the opposing counsel, Read More
