Reasons A Lawyer Won’t Take My Injury Case
Why Won’t An Injury Lawyer Take My Case?
You’ve been injured, or you might have a lawsuit. After talking to several lawyers, it seems that no one wants to help you. Maybe the lawyer tells you why, or maybe they don’t. Here are the top reasons an injury lawyer rejects your case:
- You Don’t Have A Valid Case
- Your Case Is Weak
- There Aren’t Enough Damages In Your Case
- There Is No Money Available For Your Case
- Your Case Is A Financial Risk
- Too Close To Statute Of Limitations
- Wrong Type Of Lawyer
- Other Lawyers Have Dropped Your Case
- Conflict Of Interest
You Don’t Have A Valid Case
When it comes to personal injury claims, you (or your lawyer) must be able to prove a few things. If a lawyer feels they would be unable to prove your case, the lawyer may decline to represent you.
Your Case Is Weak
A personal injury case has to prove someone owed you a duty of care, their negligence caused your injury, and you suffered physical harm. If a lawyer doesn’t see a clear path to prove your case, they might decline to help you.
There Aren’t Enough Damages In Your Case
Lawyers will often use the term ‘insufficient damages’ to describe a case that lacks monetary damages. Sometimes, it’s evident actual harm did occur. However, there needs to be enough harm to recover the money to pay the lawyer, pay your medical expenses, and leave you with money too.
There Is No Money Available For Your Case
Personal injury claims usually depend on insurance coverage. If the person or party that caused your injury has no insurance, you might not have a successful case.
Your Case Is A Financial Risk
Even in clear-cut cases, it takes a certain amount of money to investigate and prove the case. Depending on the type of case, it may require expert testimony. All the expenses add up. Since the lawyer doesn’t get paid until after your case settles, this represents a big financial risk.
Too Close To Statute Of Limitations
The statute of limitations is a timer that begins ticking the day of your injury. For most personal injury claims, this time limit is 2 years. Most lawyers like to have several months to investigate and assemble a claim. If your case is too close to the statute of limitations, an injury lawyer may not have the time to help you. Learn more about the statute of limitations for personal injury claims.
Wrong Type Of Lawyer
Like doctors, lawyers usually specialize in specific areas of the law. Even in personal injury law, lawyers tend to focus on specific types of cases. If an injury lawyer turns down your case it might be because they don’t have the experience to help you.
Another Lawyer Has Dropped Your Case
If you’ve been working with another lawyer, and they dropped your case, a new lawyer might see this as a red flag. When another lawyer has your case, they can have a small financial claim in the settlement amount. This means, that whatever the settlement amount your previous lawyer may be entitled to a percentage or specific payment. This is typically subtracted from the new lawyer’s payment, meaning the new lawyer makes less money. A new lawyer may not want to deal with that kind of situation.
Conflict Of Interest
A conflict of interest could be any situation where the lawyer has an existing relationship that would conflict with your claim. When a lawyer turns down your case because of a conflict of interest, don’t give up.
Don’t Give Up
If you are having trouble finding an injury lawyer for your case, it can be discouraging. Even if one lawyer tells you that you don’t have a case, you should still call a few more lawyers. We’ve handled some big cases for injured people that were turned down by multiple lawyers. Read this case study of an injured delivery driver that was about to give up, until he talked to us.
Free Consultation With An Injury Lawyer
Haggerty & Silverman has been helping people in Pennsylvania since 1994. If you have questions about a possible claim, contact us for a free legal consultation. We’re here to help. Contact us today.