All of our clients ask us this question. Valuation of a case is a complex issue which involves a significant amount of work and needed knowledge. Law is not a perfect science.
At QTMG Ottawa Injury Lawyers, we are trained in assessing every type of personal injury and every type of possible damage available for our clients.
The end value of a case rests largely on the facts of the particular case. We consider many factors such as the client’s actual injuries, the impact of the injuries on the client, the permanency of the injuries, any lasting disability, period of time of suffering, extent of suffering, expenses incurred, impact on ability to work, impact on the family, any disability caused by the injury, permanency of the injury, cost of future expenses such as care costs and so on. We also consider legal issues such as nature of liability, shared liability, contributory negligence, assumption of risk and insurance coverage issues. The list of considerations is long and we review them all.
In very simple cases, an experienced personal injury lawyer can provide a general “estimate”, but even then, the estimate can change once all the facts are obtained. No lawyer can tell you what your case is worth at the initial meeting. There are too many unknown facts needed to determine what your case is worth. If a lawyer tells you what your case is worth at the initial meeting, you should hire someone else. That lawyer is likely suspect.
In reality, until all the material facts are known and the factors outlined above (and all others to consider) are know, a lawyer is unable to give you an accurate monetary value of your case. Often experts are needed to assess certain damages such as past and future care costs and loss of income.
If you are still receiving medical care, it will be difficult for a lawyer to give you an accurate monetary assessment of your case.
Once we have all the facts, have analysed the necessary factors and you have recovered from your injuries (or alternatively it is known that recovery will never occur such as in catastrophic cases), we can work with you and arrive at a realistic assessment of the monetary value of your case. We can then work on obtaining the compensation you deserve.