Best Child Custody Lawyers in Portland, ME

You must do what is necessary to improve your physical condition and to recover from your injury. To fulfill your obligations under the law, you should:NOT miss appointments with your healthcare providers. Attend physical therapy sessions as prescribed. Follow your healthcare providers' instructions regarding all aspects of treatment including medications, therapy exercises, or limitations on activities.

After the initial meeting with you, we will investigate your claim. This involves some or all of the following:Talking to witnesses. Reviewing police reports. Visiting the scene of the incident. Ordering and interpreting the medical records and bills frequently and forwarding information to the appropriate insurers. Obtaining lost wages information. Reviewing and analyzing the statutory law (laws enacted by your legislature) and case law (laws made by judges who interpret statutory law). In some instances, we may also hire an investigator to follow up on the details of the incident. We will also maintain contact with you to make sure you:Follow the advice of your physicians and other medical practitioners. Do your best to recover from your injury. Update us as to the status of your recovery. Make sure we are aware of all healthcare providers treating you. Keep track of potential witnesses.

We need your full cooperation to help us to get the most out of your case. This means you should:Be truthful and candid to us about everything. Return our phone calls promptly. Read and respond to (if required) our written correspondence. Keep all appointments with healthcare providers. Keep a list of witnesses who may testify about the incident, your injuries and your recovery. Take pictures if necessary and get the film or the pictures to the office. Notify us immediately of any change of address, telephone numbers, marital status, change of employment or significant change in your physical condition.

A case cannot be valued accurately until all the relevant information has been collected and analyzed. However, the basic components of case evaluation include:The charges you incur for medical treatment. The type of treatment you received. The nature of your injury. The duration of your recovery. Your lost income and other employment benefits lost as a result of your injury, including sick leave, vacation time, loss of insurance benefits and retirement contributions. How your injury affected your daily life including modifications and limitations of household activities, sports and leisure activities, and social life. Whether your injury has permanently impaired your ability to function. Any permanent disfigurement such as scars or blemishes. The extent of the defendant's liability. Whether there is any evidence that you were partly at fault for your own injuries. The status of the law as it relates to your case. For instance, Maine is a comparative negligence law state and, as a result, your recovery can be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to you. If you are 50% or more at fault, you are not entitled to recover damages at all. The quality of your witnesses, including those who will testify about the incident, your medical treatment and your recovery. Other factors such as pain, suffering, inconvenience and loss of consortium (how the injury affected your marital relationship). The insurance company is involved in the case.

Once your lawyer determines that it is time to settle your case, he will evaluate it and send a demand letter to the insurer. The demand letter summarizes the important factors of your claim and requests a certain amount of money to settle this case. After the insurance carrier's claims adjuster receives the letter, he or she will obtain authority from a supervisor to begin negotiations. While some cases resolve within a few weeks of the mailing of the demand letter, others take much longer. Sometimes insurers send your records out for review. Occasionally they ask that you submit to an examination by a doctor chosen by them, a request to which we may or may not agree depending upon the circumstances of your case. Unfortunately, if we cannot agree on the amount of compensation due, the case will proceed to alternative dispute resolution or to litigation.