THE PERSONAL INJURY CASE WHY PERSONAL INJURY CASES TAKE SO LONG: Part I – PRE-INTAKE PHASE

From a purely business point of view, this phase of a case may well be the most crucial to the attorney. In the field of personal injury law, cases are routinely taken on a “contingent fee” basis. This simply means that an attorney will not earn or receive any fee for his work unless there is a successful conclusion to the case, and the client receives some amount of monetary compensation. It stands to reason, therefore, that the decision as to whether or not to accept a matter into the office is of vital financial importance to the attorney. Too many cases accepted, that end in a failure to obtain compensation, will lead not only to unhappy clients, but will also lead, eventually, to an abbreviated life span for that law office.

Through diligent and meticulous questioning, the experienced attorney will delve into various aspects of the matter being presented by the potential client.

Questions relating to time, location, parties involved, conditions at the scene, preceding events, injuries sustained, relationships of parties and myriad other questions are all designed to see first, whether there is a viable case and second, whether the case has the possibility of ending in a way that both the client and the attorney can view as “successful.”

Issues involving Statues of Limitations (legal time limits for bringing a case), Damages (injuries suffered), Liability (fault of each party involved) and Coverage (available funds from insurance or other readily available sources)are all of pivotal importance to the experienced attorney at the Pre-Intake stage. At The Orlow Firm we have been handling personal injury cases in New York City for over 30 years.

THE  PERSONAL  INJURY CASE: WHY PERSONAL INJURY CASES TAKE SO LONG: Introduction

One of the inevitable questions a new, or potentially new, client will ask is how long can he or she anticipate it will take until their case is finished.   The honest answer is seldom welcome: though cases have been known to finish in a matter of months, these are the very rare exceptions.  The client should realistically expect the case to last two to four years, with two and a half to three years being average!

It is fair for the client to wonder why a case should take so long.

The purpose of  the articles in this series is to make an attempt to explain why such a seemingly long time is needed to complete this task. At The Orlow Firm we want our clients to understand every aspect of their case. While the explanation may not alleviate the distress at the long haul involved, it will, hopefully, clarify the reasons and thereby give the client a basis for seeing at least some benefit to this lengthy time factor.

Our New York City Personal Injury Attorney series will begin with the “Pre-Intake” phase, followed by “The Intake”, “Beginning Litigation”, “Discovery” and then “Settlement or Trial”.

The firm of ORLOW, ORLOW & ORLOW, PC has been practicing NEW YORK PERSONAL INJURY law since 1981.   While currently composed of a father and two sons, the firm is about to expand by merging with the firm of ORLOW & ORLOW, PC, a PERSONAL INJURY law firm since 1966.   ORLOW & ORLOW, PC consisted of the father and daughter team of Alexander and Jodi Orlow.

Congratulations to Jodi Orlow, New York Civil Court Judge

As of January, 2010, Jodi Orlow will ascend to the bench as a judge in the Civil Court in Queens County.    At that time Alexander Orlow will join the firm of ORLOW, ORLOW & ORLOW, PC in an “Of Counsel” capacity, adding his wealth and years of experience to the team of attorneys working on behalf of our firm’s clients.

Orlow, Orlow and Orlow to become the Orlow Law Firm

The firm will become known as THE ORLOW FIRM, and can be contacted at all current telephone numbers.   The staff of the firm will also expand to meet the increased volume of the firm so that the service to  which the clients of  both firms were accustomed to can be maintained.
We look forward to continuing to serve our New York clients with the same energy, respect and devotion as they have come to expect.

Steve Orlow received his law degree from Cornell Law School in 1968. Prior to forming his practice in 1981, Steve was an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County, New York and then Counsel to the county executive of Queens County, New York.

Steven was elected to the City Council in 1980 to the then existing position of “Council Member-At-Large” representing the almost two million people of Queens County in the City Council. During the latter year of his Council membership, Mr. Orlow established his law practice and, soon after establishing the practice, left the City Council to concentrate on his private practice.

Steve is a civil rights and personal injury attorney in New York.