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Who has the right to decide in an Accident Case – Attorney or Client?
Nov 8th, 2010
If you are the unfortunate victim of an auto accident, truck accident or motorcycle accident, then you will probably need the services of an
attorney. While you are being represented by an attorney, who will have the
right to make decisions in your case?
The easy answer to this question is that the accident victim
has the right to make any decision regarding his or her case and the attorney’s
role is to advise the client. The case is yours and does not belong to the
attorney.
Despite the easy answer to this question, the reality is
that accident attorneys are making many decisions without consulting the client. There
are two types of attorneys. One type tells the client what they will do when it
comes to settlement or filing suit or any other major decision. The other type
provides the client with all the relevant information and gives his advice on
how to proceed, but allows the client to make the decision. The office of the
Kentucky Auto Accident Attorney subscribes to the later philosophy.
Here is how the failure of an accident attorney to
understand that the case belongs to the client can harm the client. In your
case, the insurance company’s final offer is $50,000.00, but the attorney believes
that the value is $100,000.00 and therefore he decides you will try the case.
You go to trial and the jury awards you $30,000.00. This result is acceptable
if you make the decision, but it is not acceptable if the attorney forces you
to go to trial. You just lost $20,000.00. The attorney can move on to his next
case, but you only have one case and his misevaluation of what the jury would
do just cost you $20,000.00.
Here is another example. Your case is worth $500,000.00 and
the insurance company is only offering $250,000.00. Although the accident attorney
recommends suit, he advises the client of everything and she decides to accept
$250,000.00 because if she files a lawsuit she will have to sue her sister and
she does not want to do that. It is her case and her decision of when and how
to settle her case.
The Kentucky Auto Accident Attorney will handle your case
aggressively to obtain the best result possible, but he will always keep you
informed and respect your right to decide how and when to resolve your accident case on
your terms.
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"From the first meeting we had until the last ‘victory meeting’, we felt as though we were the only client Matt had. Never did we wonder what was taking place, or where our case stood. Matt very methodically unraveled untruths and half-truths to set the record straight. We feel he left ‘no stone unturned’ in our case. Matt argued our case before the State Supreme Court and won the case for us." — Bob & Joyce Bierman | Bowling Green, Kentucky
 
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