‘Ask a lawyer’ is a section we came up with to help answer some of the most common questions that we’re regularly asked as experienced personal injury lawyers. If you’ve filed, or are considering filing a personal injury claim, then read through these Ask A Lawyer FAQs to help arm you with some of the information you will need at the beginning of your claim-filing process.
Ask A Lawyer: Your Personal Injury Claim Questions Answered
1. Do I Need a Lawyer?
You’re expecting us to say yes—but you don’t necessarily need a lawyer. It really depends on the size and complexity of your claim. A general rule of thumb is that if your claim is under $15,000 it will be best settled in small claims court in a lawyer-free process (to avoid eating up your claim award in legal fees). If the value is over that amount then you may need to take the claim above small claims court, in which case you will want an experienced personal injury lawyer like ourselves.
2. How Much is my Claim Worth?
To determine the value of your claim (which will help you decide if you do need a lawyer for your personal injury claim) you need to total your provable expenses due to the accident, including: loss of past, current and future income and opportunities, limited damages for pain and suffering (these are extremely limited in Canada), property damage, medical and rehabilitation expenses (including foreseeable future expenses), damages for living with a disability, home-maintenance and home-care expenses and other out-of-pocket expenses. For assessment of how much your claim is worth—call the experts, call Conte.
3. How do I Begin?
You begin by calling us, and then gathering the evidentiary support you need to file your initial claim (which we will of course guide you on).
4. What Do I Need to be Aware Of?
A personal injury claim in Canada is subject to our statute of limitations, which puts a limit of two years for you to file your claim (unless you can prove extenuating circumstances). There are also strict timelines after you file. Failure to comply with these timelines can result in a rejection of your claim.
5. How Long Will my Claim Take?
Personal injury claims, depending on their complexity, can take up to two years+ to process entirely. Many are processed quicker—however be emotionally and financially prepared for the long haul, OR, empower us to settle your claim out of court to shorten the process.
6. What Do I Need to Do to File a Claim?
You need proper evidentiary support, and an experienced personal injury lawyer—or team of lawyers—to represent your interests in the court system.
If you have a question that we didn’t answer in the Ask a Lawyer FAQs above—or you’re ready to move forward with your personal injury claim, then call the personal injury experts here at Conte & Associates.
