Throughout my years of practice, it seems like every year I have a handful of clients that just up and disappear. The phone number is disconnected. The mail gets returned to sender. And thus, the file sits. Even though one of the first things that I tell all of my clients is to notify me if they move, change their phone number or plan on leaving town for an extended period of time, some of them just vanish. People, don’t do that!!

Every so often I will get a letter from another personal injury attorney letting me know that one of my clients is firing me and hiring him or her to represent them. Whenever this happens, a few things always run through my mind. First, why didn’t the new attorney call me first before stealing away my client? Second, wouldn’t the new attorney want to know about the case before he or she steals it from another attorney? And lastly, karma is a %*tch!!

Often times I have had potential clients tell me that, “they spoke with another attorney and he/she guaranteed me that he/she would get me at least $10,000.00 on my accident claim.” My answer is always the same, “that is impossible!” It is 100% not possible to determine the value of a personal injury claim shortly after an accident or incident occurred.

Many auto insurance companies will contact the adverse party involved in an accident with their insured very shortly following an automobile accident. They will ask a myriad of questions about how the accident happened, injuries that were sustained, treatment at a hospital or doctor’s office and many other questions in great detail so that they can evaluate the merits of your claim. DO NOT TALK TO THE OTHER INSURANCE COMPANY UNTIL YOU CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY!!!

I just signed up a great new case!! There were 5 people in a vehicle involved in a car accident where 4 of the 5 people in the car were badly injured. The 5th person was somehow not injured. The driver of the other car made a left turn in front of my clients and a head-on collision ensued. From a quick glance at the police report, I can see that the other car is listed on top of the report which usually means that the police thought that he or she was at fault. The other car’s insurance company is Progressive, which is a good insurance company in Illinois. Everything looks great, or does it?