Your Personal Injury Lawyer - Here's 7 Tips to Help You Hire a Good AttorneyWritten by Arthur Gueli
Continued from page 1
5) Beware of ambulance chasers. The goal of these lawyers is to get lots of minor personal injury cases and settle them quickly - they make their profit from high turnover. So naturally they won't put as much time and effort into each case as they should. (If you're looking for a quick settlement be prepared to accept less than what your case is really worth.) 6) Hire a lawyer with a good Martindale-Hubbell rating. This service evaluates lawyers in U.S. and Canada based on peer review. Their website, Martindale.com has a helpful lawyer locator service and will explain rating system. 7) Always be completely open and honest when discussing your case with a lawyer. Tell lawyer as much as you can about what happened. Try to remember every detail. Any documentation and pictures you have of your injuries and treatment will be a big help when evaluating your case. Bonus Tip: 8) NEVER give a recorded statement to a representative from any insurance company until you've consulted a lawyer. When rep. asks for one simply say, "I'm not prepared to give a statement at this time." A recorded statement can be used as evidence and if you're not prepared you might overlook important details. Anything you miss (or misrepresent) can be used against you in settlement negotiations and in trial.
Arthur Gueli works with his brother Charles (a licensed personal injury attorney) teaching injured plaintiffs how to obtain fair compensation for their damages. Visit their website, www.Injury-Settlement-Guide.com to learn more about how to hire a good personal injury lawyer.
| | Lawsuit Loans – Caveat Emptor!Written by Wayne C Walker
Continued from page 1
2.How many cases have you funded (approximately)? CapTran for example, has handled over 10,000 funding requests and invested in several thousand of them. 3.Do you use your own money or are you a broker for others? Be wary of companies that are members of American Cash Flow Association as they almost certainly have no experience. Also be wary if a human never answer telephone, as that is surely an indication of level of service you are likely to get. 4.Who owns your company? 5.What is their business experience? 6.Do you have lawyers and paralegals on staff? 7.What Annual Percentage Rate (APR) you charge? (If you are quoted a monthly rates see next question.) You will probably be told that it depends on your case, which is true, but they can tell you what they charge for a typical case. If they tell you there are no typical cases hang up and go next company on your list. You should expect to pay simple interest rates as low as 2% per month for a case where strict liability standards apply; 4% to 6% for a typical auto case, and; 6% or higher for medical malpractice. ANY rate higher than 7% per month can be bettered with a little shopping. 8.Are your monthly fees compounded? Many companies advertise deceptively low rates but load up contract with many charges and monthly compounded rates. The most common practice is to charge an application fee and/or a closing fee that is sometimes 10% or more of amount you are advanced. If you contract for $10,000 you might be charged an application fee of $500 AND another fee equal to 10% or $1,000 – a total of $1,500 in fees. Now, here is best part – you will have to pay interest on $11,500 – interest on $1,500 you didn’t even get! In this example, if you were charged a 4.00% compounded monthly rate true annual cost is not 48% but 75%! In this scenario it would be cheaper to take a 6% simple interest rate from someone else. DO NOT AGREE TO PAY COMPOUNDED RATES! Almost every client we deal with thinks that their case will settle in a short while, but personal injury cases can drag on and on for many reasons and those compound fees can eat up all of your settlement if your case takes much longer than you anticipate. 9.Do you charge any fees or discounts of any kind? This is very important as some firms charge a low monthly rate but add on application fees, discounts and other hidden charges that will dramatically raise cost. 10.Will you send a sample contract to my attorney? Any reputable company will do this. 11.Can you give me an attorney with whom you have done business for a reference? Any reputable company will do this also. 12.Are you a member of Better Business Bureau? www.bbbonline.com CapTran is a member of BBB online and subject to mandatory dispute resolution. 13.If not, do you have a mandatory dispute resolution policy? What is your rescission policy? CapTran’s policy allows for rescission for up to 5 business days after funding. If you follow these tips and ask these questions, your chances of finding right funding company and best deal for you are excellent. Armed with a little preparation and age old admonition caveat emptor – let buyer beware, you can successfully obtain a pre-settlement advance that allows you to stay course and get a much better case settlement. [1] This is a complicated topic but, generally speaking, if repayment of any part of principal or interest is contingent on an event that is “more than a mere colorable hazard”, transaction is not considered a loan and not subject to usury laws. [2] American Cash Flow Association™ ( ACFA ), also known as American Cash Flow Institute ™ ( ACFI ), American Cash Flow Corporation™ ( ACFA ), National Mortgage Investor's Institute ( NMII ), Diversified Cash Flow Institute ™ ( DCFI ), among many other names – were all founded by Orlando lawyer Laurence J. Pino , who reprimanded by Florida Bar Association for misusing an investor’s funds. On June 20, 2003 State of Tennessee issued a Cease and Desist Order in which State charged that American Cash Flow Corporation together with 12 related businesses and 12 named individuals “operated an illegal securities scheme that promised to make investors through business of brokering “cash flow transactions”. Pino was cited by Attorney General of Tennessee in 1996 for a similar scheme under name of Diversified Cash Flow Institute ™. At that time DCFI paid fees and costs to state of $10,284 for violating Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977. Noted Columnist Jane Bryant Quinn also wrote disparagingly about Pino and his operations in The Washington Post 0n June 18, 1998 "Note Brokering: Harder Than it Sounds" "Pino, 46, a lawyer in Orlando, Fla., describes himself as an "exceptional business trainer." His seminar experience goes back to 1983 - not always in best of company. He first lectured for huckster Charles J. Givens Jr., who ran some dubious financial-planning organizations. In 1993 and again in 1996, juries decided that Givens had committed fraud. Later, Pino taught for Dave Del Dotto, an earlier popularizer of "cash flow," who settled an FTC action in 1996 with a $200,000 fine. (Del Dotto went bankrupt; FTC says he never paid). Pino himself was reprimanded by Florida Bar Association in 1988 for misusing an investor's funds." And in Newsweek reporter: Show Me The Money" "Larry Pino's pricey cash-flow workshops plug an easy way to get rich quick. It's a real business, all right -- but there isn't much easy or quick about it." Wayne C Walker President of Capital Transaction Group Inc www.captran.com "CapTran" a leader in Litigation Financial Services
Wayne Walker is President of Capital Transaction Group Inc, a leading litigation financial services company.
|
