Choosing an Attorney Who Will Take Your Case to Court
By Dan Brazil | Published on August 3, 2011 | 0 Comments
Not every personal injury attorney is a skilled litigator, which is why many are hesitant to take their clients’ cases to court. According to Minneapolis attorney Dan Brazil of The Law Offices of Daniel J. Brazil, people who are interested in obtaining the maximum compensation in their cases need to be prepared to take their cases to trial if the need presents itself.
As Brazil explains, there are a good number of attorneys who are only interested in settling their personal injury cases. These attorneys have no interest in pursuing the maximum value of the cases they are working on. Rather, they are more willing to try and negotiate initially with the insurance companies that are ultimately going to pay out money on the claims.
However, the reality is that attorneys who are willing to litigate are going to have more leeway or more success when negotiating with insurance companies. Therefore, Brazil explains that an attorney in Minneapolis who is willing to litigate is typically going to get more value out of a case than an attorney who is hesitant to head to trial.
One thing that Brazil sees a lot of today are attorneys who are a part of a larger network. The first thing that happens when clients call these offices is they get through to someone who is not an attorney. Large firms have people who screen all incoming calls and who decide whether or not the case that a potential client has is good enough for the firm to handle.
The problem with this systems, explains Brazil, is that sometimes people who are not attorneys will not know to ask about relevant information that could influence the quality of a claim. Therefore, these firms are screening out cases that they shouldn’t be and allowing only the most straightforward cases to go to an attorney.
Even then, Brazil says in many cases a Minneapolis attorney who practices at a large firm may only meet with the client when he or she is signing the retainer agreement. An attorney might come out and spend two minutes with the client to meet the ethical obligations and do nothing more.
People who call Brazil’s office can feel confident knowing they will be speaking to the Minneapolis attorney himself. He personally evaluates all claims and meets with clients for free to review whether or not they have a good case on their hands. If Brazil determines that the case is strong enough to move forward with, then he will sign the retainer agreement with the client and get to work right away. Although Brazil has legal assistants, he offers a much more personal level of contact at his firm than what people would find at some larger law firms in Minneapolis.
*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.