Please select from the following questions:

• How do I know if I have a valid injury case?
• I was injured in an accident, but I think I was partly to blame. Can I still make a claim for compensation?
• What happens in a personal injury lawsuit?
• What sort of expenses are involved in a personal injury lawsuit?
• What does it mean to "work on contingency"?

1. How do I know if I have a valid injury case?

If your injury appears to have been caused by somebody's negligence, it is worthwhile to consult a personal injury attorney.

We will give you a free initial consultation, during which we will listen to you, and determine whether we will be able to help you. It is a good idea to take documents to that consultation and gather as much information as you can to help us understand the circumstances of the accident. If you were hurt on the job, you may have a valid workers' compensation case.

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2. I was injured in an accident, but I think I was partly to blame. Can I still make a claim for compensation?

It depends. Workers' compensation is a no-fault system, so if you were hurt while working, whether you or your employer were to blame for the accident is not an issue

If you were hurt in a non-work-related accident, you may still be able to recover compensation if you were partly to blame. Illinois uses a system of comparative fault, where the jury is asked to measure the fault of the parties involved in the accident.

If you were less than 50% responsible, your damages are reduced proportionately. So, for instance, if you were 20% to blame, your damages would be reduced by 20%.

If you were over 50% responsible, you would not be able to recover anything. There are a number of legal doctrines and theories that relate to how fault is measured, so you should not be shy about consulting an attorney.

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3. What happens in a personal injury lawsuit?

As your lawyers, we would first negotiate for you with the insurance company. If no satisfactory agreement is reached, we then file a lawsuit, and for several months we will deal with the insurance company's lawyers, exchanging paperwork.

If necessary, we would then go on to depositions, where we question the insurance company representatives, and the company's lawyers would question our client.

A trial would come last, if no settlement can be negotiated. For a trial we will prepare (among other things) by drawing on either your own doctors or on medical experts who would study the medical records and agree to act as witnesses for you.

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4. What sort of expenses are involved in a personal injury lawsuit?

The biggest expense would be medical expert testimony. Others would be:

• Filing fees
• Transcript fees
• Process servers
• Investigators
• Copies of medical records

We advance the expenses required from the prosecution of a personal injury case. However, under the Illinois Rules of Professional Responsibility, those expenses must be paid back to us at the end of the case. The reimbursement of the case file expenses is separate from the legal fees.

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5. What does it mean to "work on contingency"?

That means your personal injury attorney would charge you no fees upfront, but instead would be paid from the settlement or award eventually won for you. The percentage to be taken from the settlement or award would be agreed upon beforehand. For most cases, we charge a third of whatever is recovered.

If you or a loved one has suffered any sort of severe personal injury because of someone else's negligence, do not delay in consulting an attorney. Call or email Aurora personal injury lawyer Barry Doyle today for your free legal consultation. No recovery, no fee.

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- Practice Area - Nursing Home Abuse Accidents Wrongful Death Severe Injuries Work Related Injuries Medical Malpractice Product Liability Message