Personal Injury

If you received injuries in an accident and someone else is at fault, you may wonder if you should try to resolve the claim yourself, rather than having a lawyer represent you.  If you have only minor injuries, settling your own claim may result in an acceptable outcome.  However, if your injuries are severe, attempting […]

Claims for injuries against a government are very different from personal injury claims involving two private parties.  If you suffer an injury because of government or government employee action or inaction, whether you can sue the government depends entirely on the facts and circumstances surrounding the injury or accident — including which government may be […]

Negligence does not necessarily involve the intention to cause harm. It can arise from reckless or careless conduct as well. However, the existence of negligence is not sufficient to provide the basis for a personal injury case. The person’s negligence also must actually cause the injuries suffered. The circumstances of an accident or injury determine whether […]

Our recent blog post about boating accidents and injuries addressed how lack of operator compliance with boating laws and regulations can cause a boating accident. For both liability and safety reasons, everyone who owns and operates a boat in Virginia needs to know — and comply with — Virginia laws and regulations that establish boat owner […]

Many clients are surprised to learn that they must pay more than just attorney’s fees from a personal injury settlement.  All law firms are required to charge for advanced costs and other expenses.  In addition, health insurance plans, a law known as ERISA and other rules require personal injury victims to reimburse lots of medical […]

It may not be the first or even the second question on your mind, but inevitably all of our clients want to know:  How much is my personal injury case worth?  Not only is that a reasonable question, it is the most important question. We don’t hide from answering questions like this, but we always […]

Everyone knows that you sustained serious injuries in your accident.  Now, how do you go about proving it? Even the best personal injury lawyers cannot undo the damage a negligent driver has done.  This realization is very sobering to us as we attempt to help put back the pieces of shattered lives.  While the damage […]

Believe it or not, advertising is a good place to start. Unless you already know the name of a personal injury attorney, you will probably choose your attorney based upon name recognition and reputation alone. Advertising, or more particularly, public relations, is a good place to start. Television advertising is the most visible but not […]

First, no lawyer can pay your medical bills. This may seem obvious but the line is sometimes blurred in the case of consulting doctors who also afford treatment. For the purposes of this blog, it is sufficient to note that care that the doctor provides is treated as a regular medical bill. If the doctor […]

Those who know a thing or two about legal matters probably know the term “venue.” Most often this comes up when one side or the other asks for a “change of venue.” The kind of jockeying around that lawyers do about venue is frequently perceived as the worst kind of petty tactics. Yet, for a […]

Oliver Wendell Holmes made the point almost 100 years ago that the “life of the law” is constantly changing and adapting, like life itself. Clearly, we cannot continue to apply old laws to new circumstances. We see this with all of the new privacy protections which are being enacted, laws pertaining to computers, technology, etc. […]

  Attorney Jeff Brooke explains why you should consult with a personal injury attorney after you have been injured.