You need a personal injury attorney. If you have insurance, you should submit the lawsuit to your insurance company and they will provide an attorney free of charge.
If you hire a lawyer to defend a lawsuit over a small debt, you might end up owing more in attorneys' fees than you would if you chose not to defend the suit. But keep in mind that a lawsuit for a relatively small amount can grow if the creditor gets a judgment against you.
Any attorney who is versed in personal injury litigation can represent you. Consult with a few and hire the one you are most comfortable with and confident in. Personal injury cases only; I'm good at it; you be the Judge! All information provided is for informational and educational purposes only.
Suing a lawyer for professional negligence may require expert witnesses to determine what standard of care existed in your particular case. A breach occurs when a lawyer fails to exercise reasonable care in your representation.
Ten common sense ways to avoid being suedMaintain good communications. ... Avoid giving false expectations. ... Make the client make the hard decisions. ... Document your advice and the client's decisions. ... Don't initiate hostilities against the client. ... Avoid, or handle with care, the borderline personality client.More items...
Although it might be tempting to ignore a summons and complaint, ignoring a lawsuit does not make it go away. And it could result in the court awarding a money judgment against you by default. That can lead to your wages being garnished, your bank accounts attached, or your property being taken!
Properties a creditor can seize include tangible assets, such as vehicles, houses, stocks, and company shares. They can also include future assets a debtor expects to receive such as commissions, insurance payouts, and royalties. The attorney questioning you will very likely discover these assets.
it is possible that you could sue someone because of their actions, which is a rather broad spectrum. On the other hand, the court has a clear definition of what “injuries” are. These injuries can be physical, mental, emotional, or financial. They may also be property-related in some cases.
Summary: Yes, you can settle after service. The best way to settle a debt lawsuit is first to file a response, then contact the otherside and make an offer.
Civil law also settles disputes between individuals and organisations. If you are convicted of a civil offence, you are not likely to be sent to prison, but most often will become liable for compensation.
If you were the defendant in a Small Claims Court case and you lost, you become the debtor . The person who sued you becomes the creditor . If you lose your court case, the court may order you to pay money or return personal property .
It may be possible for you to sue for emotional distress, depending on your situation. The main factor that will mean you can make a claim is whether someone's negligence caused the harm you first suffered. This could be because you were hurt in an accident that was someone else's fault.
Judgment proof is a description of a person who does not have enough assets for a creditor to seize when a court order requires debt repayment. A debtor who is broke and unemployed can be considered judgment proof, as can a debtor who only has certain legally protected types of assets or income.
If you sue a person, this means that you are taking them to court because you believe they have committed a wrong against you and therefore they have broken a civil law.
If your case isn't winnable, no lawyer will want to waste your time, or the court's time, pursuing legal action. However, if you have a case where the facts and evidence are in question, but the damages you could recover are high, an attorney with extensive experience in cases like yours might take the case.
Overview. If you are being sued in small claims court, you can file a “counterclaim” (a claim against the person who is suing you) if you believe that the plaintiff owes you money.
The reality is that if communication is ignored, the party who received the letter can be fairly certain that they will end up in court. Doing nothing is identical to telling the other lawyer “take me to court.”
If you do not file a response, the party suing you (the plaintiff) can get a judgment against you for the full amount requested in the lawsuit and you will not be able to tell the court why you do not owe it.
After a lawsuit has been filed against you, it’s probably too late to shield your assets. If you try to protect your assets after being hit with a...
Most of the time, there’s no single tool that can shield your assets. Therefore, you may need several layers of protection, such as a domestic asse...
An offshore trust can deliver several advantages for specific individuals. For instance, if the country that is home to your trust doesn’t recogniz...
Look around for "insurance defense" or "civil litigation - defense" lawyers. If a lawyer is listed as an insurance defense lawyer, they handle your type of case although usually on contract with an insurance company. Warning: it will probably not be cheap to resolve. You might want to see what they...
Civil attorney who is licensed in Kentucky. Also, "trying to sue" me is cryptic. You need to confirm if you have actually been sued.
Generally, you want to hire a civil defense attorney who routinely defends personal injury cases. I hope you have now secured automobile liability insurance for your vehicle. You will soon learn that paying an insurance premium is a bargain compared to paying for a...
I agree with the other attorneys who have responded to your question. You will need an attorney that is well versed in defending personal injury cases specific to motor vehicle accidents.
You need someone with experience defending personal injury law suits. Generally this would be taken care of by your insurance; however, since you did not have insurance the burden will be on you to find and retain an attorney. You can look on Avvo for attorneys who practice in your area...
Lawyers love clients who sue over "principle," because their cases usually go on longer than those brought solely for economic reasons. If you're a defendant, resist the urge to countersue unless you have a solid case. See a therapist instead—they're cheaper than lawyers, and you'll feel a whole lot better. 9.
The Incredible Unpleasantness of Being a Litigant. There's nothing worse than that sinking feeling you get when you are handed a legal document that announces you're being sued. Say hello to lawyers, courtrooms, big bills, sour stomachs, and sleepless nights. Here are things you may not know about being on the receiving end of a lawsuit.
1. You're it. You don't have to "accept" the papers that begin the lawsuit. You just have to be "given" the papers … which can mean that the server announced what the papers were and then presented them to you … even if you throw them on the ground. (p.s. That may earn you a citation for littering!)
If you’re hoping to protect your assets from lawsuits or creditors, several types of vehicles can help.
To put it bluntly, if you lose a lawsuit—one filed by a creditor, for instance, seeking to recoup the money you owe—you face the loss of assets such as your home, your car and money in your checking and savings accounts. Furthermore, a lawsuit can siphon money for legal fees, gobble up your time and energy, cause stress and damage your reputation.
The approaches to protecting your assets are almost as varied as the assets themselves. Here are nine ways you may consider shielding your assets from a court judgment.
After a lawsuit has been filed against you, it’s probably too late to shield your assets. If you try to protect your assets after being hit with a lawsuit, a court may rule that you’re attempting to commit fraud.
If you have insurance, you should submit the lawsuit to your insurance company and they will provide an attorney free of charge. If you do not have an attorney, you should contact one as soon as possible. Report Abuse. Report Abuse.
If the insurance company does not provide legal counsel, you should identify, interview, and engage a litigation attorney.
If you have not yet been served with suit papers, notify the agent and claims department immediately and give them all of the information they ask for.
A defense is a reason why you aren't liable for the debt or a reason why the creditor shouldn't be allowed to collect the debt. Here are some common defenses to creditor suits: the statute of limitations (the time period in which the creditor must bring the lawsuit) has run.
When a creditor sues you to collect debt you haven't paid, you have three choices to deal with the lawsuit: allow the creditor to obtain a judgment against you (called a "default judgment") defend the lawsuit yourself, or. hire an attorney to represent you in the lawsuit. Which option is best for you will depend on a number of factors.
If you don't have a defense or counterclaim and the creditor can easily prove its case, then you'll lose. You'll then owe the judgment amount, have to pay your own attorney, and might have pay the creditor's attorneys' fees too. (In some types of cases, the losing party has to pay the other side's attorneys' fees).
But keep in mind that a lawsuit for a relatively small amount can grow if the creditor gets a judgment against you. The creditor will ask the court to include not only the debt balance, but the amount of the creditor's attorneys' fees, court costs, and interest.
Even if you have a good defense to the lawsuit, you'll want to consider the amount of the debt before hiring an attorney. Attorneys' fees can add up quickly. If you hire a lawyer to defend a lawsuit over a small debt, you might end up owing more in attorneys' fees than you would if you chose not to defend the suit.
It's not a defense to the underlying debt, but a separate claim. If you win on your counterclaim, you might get a money judgment against the creditor. Your filing of the counterclaim might also induce the creditor to withdraw its lawsuit against you.
When a negligent lawyer falls below this standard of care, they have committed legal malpractice.
Before pursuing a legal malpractice case, pull together all relevant documents and information. Collect communications between you and your lawyer as well as information about the case that led you to hire the attorney in the first place.
Damages in a negligence malpractice claim are quantified by what was recovered and what would have been recovered but for the attorney’s negligence. A typical example of negligence occurs when an attorney fails to file a case before the statute of limitations expires.
However, we tend to see common mistakes that lawyers make over and over, including: 1 Inaccurate billing; 2 Missed deadlines; 3 Failing to communicate with the client; 4 Settling a lawsuit without the client’s consent; 5 Giving inaccurate legal advice; 6 Stealing or losing money or property that belongs to the client; 7 Incompetently drafting legal documents that do not protect your rights; 8 Failing to file a case before the expiration of the statute of limitations; and 9 Taking a case despite an existing conflict of interest.
Breach. A breach occurs when a lawyer fails to exercise reasonable care in your representation. For example, if the standard of care includes filing pleadings on time and your attorney misses an important deadline, they will have breached the standard of care.
Additionally, your lawyer is required to maintain a copy of your entire file, and give you notice before they destroy it. If you have a legal malpractice case you should obtain your file or hire an attorney who will obtain it for you.
In some situations, you can file a grievance but the grievance does not get the client compensation for their financial losses.