Insurance Adjusters are People Too An adjuster suggested that my case was worth only “nuisance value.” I replied, “You may be willing to...

Stanley Thompson is the Director of the Case Management Conference Center, a post he has held for nine years. He served as Supervising...

Recent statistics from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts suggests that there is no malpractice lawsuit crisis. The AOPC...

The Role of Emotion in Injury Litigation One very important factor in how insurance companies evaluate injury claims involves emotion. ...

Legal Malpractice Cases Legal malpractice is relevant to every type of legal case. If a contract lawyer makes an important mistake in...

Perhaps a couple of examples will help to illustrate how rapidly economic losses can add up in personal injury litigation. Example: John...

JURY INSTRUCTIONS AND DELIBERATIONS The judge’s instructions to the jury represent the very last stage of the trial before the jury...

Argumentative The objection that a question is argumentative is a powerful weapon in the trial lawyer’s arsenal. Attorneys tend to get...

Irrelevant Irrelevant is a commonly made objection. A question is relevant if the answer really matters to the case. Conversely, a...

THE DEFENSE CASE When all your evidence has been presented, your attorney rests your case. The defense attorney may then ask the judge to...

Loss of Consortium Loss of consortium is an additional element of damages in a personal injury claim. Loss of consortium involves damages...

OPENING STATEMENTS Jury trials begin with the attorneys’ opening statements. Your lawyer addresses the jury first. The defense lawyer can...

One of history’s most famous cases of medical malpractice involved President James Garfield.  Garfield was shot twice by frustrated...

Exaggerating You should not exaggerate your injuries or losses, but you should not hesitate to explain fully all of the injuries and...

Dressing and Acting Appropriately Since you are trying to make a favorable impression on the defense attorney, it is important to dress...

Stopping Answers Another key to a successful deposition is to know when to stop answering. Often the defense lawyer uses the deposition...

The Discovery Process In the old days, trials were even more like war than they are now. Modern discovery rules have put an end to the...

CHOICE OF VENUE Often there is a choice of counties in which the lawsuit may be brought. This is known as choice of venue. For example,...

ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION Jury trials are expensive and painful affairs. Alternate dispute resolution (ADR) techniques try to ease...

It is not unusual for a lawyer to make a settlement demand without consulting first with the client. The opening settlement demand is...