At your first visit with one of the Personal Injury Attorneys in Kingston WA, known as a consultation visit, you’re going to have a lot to go over in a short amount of time. Most consultation visits are an hour, sometimes two, and you will need to discuss your case with your attorney. He will need to see what kind of evidence you have, as well as go through any of your paperwork, to make sure you have a solid case. It is therefor important that you know some of the terms you may hear the attorney use while you’re at the consultation meeting.
1. Negligence – This is where an injury occurs because someone else or a business did not act to stop the accident. The person or business must have a requirement to prevent the injury. Examples are car accidents caused by distracted drivers, falling in a business due to a spill that wasn’t cleaned, or being injured by a product that did not have appropriate warning labels.
2. Plaintiff – This is the person who creates the lawsuit in order to get compensation for their injuries. This would be you.
3. Defendant – This is the person or business being sued for the compensation. This is the person or business that caused your injuries, or the insurance company they have a policy with.
4. Compensation – This is the amount of money you are entitled to if you have been injured due to negligence.
5. Settlement – This is the decision between your lawyer and the opposing party’s lawyer as to how much compensation you will receive. If the case has to go to court, the settlement amount is decided by a judge.
6. Settlement Meeting – This is a meeting that your attorney will attend, along with the opposing party’s attorney, to try to agree on a settlement amount. If this is not successful, you will then go to trial.
You can save time during your consultation visit with one of the Personal Injury Attorneys in Kingston WA by knowing these terms before you meet with them. They won’t have to stop and explain the terms to you, so your visit will be more productive. If you would like more information on consultation visits, you can click here for info.
