If you’ve never had to sue anybody before, then consider yourself lucky. Filing legal action against another person can be a harrowing experience. You may have heard horror stories from other people who have been down this road before. Our Sandy Springs injury lawyer meets with people every week who have been injured in a serious motor vehicle accident. They explain why it’s in your best interest to settle your case rather than take your account to trial. They’ll also explain how the judge will make you jump through hoops before they let you go to trial. Their goal is to encourage you to settle. This is why they give you several opportunities to meet with the other side and try to hash out a deal. While this may come across as aggressive on the part of the judge, they’re just trying to push you closer to a settlement. They understand that trials are expensive and time consuming. They also know that every case that doesn’t settle ends up on their crowded court docket.
Here, we’ll discuss the various ways in which your accident attorney in Sandy Springs and the judge assigned to your case will encourage you to settle your case. If you still have questions about your own car accident case, give our office a call. You can schedule a date and time to meet with one of our seasoned Sandy Springs injury lawyers. They can answer any further questions you have.
Nobody Can Force You to Settle Your Car Accident Lawsuit
While the court will encourage and even pester you to settle your case, they won’t force you to do so. Every plaintiff has the right to be heard in court. If your accident attorney in Sandy Springs isn’t able to negotiate a settlement with the defendant’s attorney, they’ll have no choice but to take your case to trial. Even if the defendant makes a settlement offer, you aren’t legally required to accept it. Of course, your Sandy Springs injury lawyer will also push you to consider a settlement. They understand why it’s in your best interest to settle your case rather than go to trial. They also know the judge will continue to pressure them to negotiate a fair settlement with the other side. This will continue up until the day of trial.
More Than 95% of All Accident Cases in Sandy Springs, Georgia Settle Out of Court
Many people don’t realize that more than 95% of all personal injury lawsuits settle before trial. This includes car accident lawsuits. Nobody really wants to go to trial. For one, if you go to trial, there is always the chance that you could lose. Just because you and your accident attorney in Sandy Springs think your case is strong, that doesn’t mean the judge or jury will feel the same way. If you do lose, you’ll walk away with nothing.
You’ll also spend a lot of money if you insist on going to trial. Your attorney will have to pay for expert witnesses, court recorders, and the other costs associated with a trial. It can take more than a year just to get your case on the judge’s docket. There is no telling when your case will actually be resolved. Rather than wait indefinitely for a resolution, it is sometimes better to compromise and work out a settlement with the defendant.
The Judge Can Require You to Go to Mediation with the Defendant
When you file your civil complaint, you will set a certain process in motion. First, the defendant will have 30 days to respond to your initial lawsuit. Once they do this, both sides will have a chance to perform discovery. This is where you and the other party exchange evidence and support for your claims. It can take quite some time for the discovery period to end. Once it does, the judge will require you and your accident attorney in Sandy Springs to go to mediation with the defendant. If you aren’t able to work something out during mediation, your case will finally be scheduled for trial. However, the judge will continue to encourage a settlement up until the day of trial. The morning of trial, they will request both parties to go into a side room and try to hash out a deal. This can even happen midway through your trial.
The Good News is That Your Sandy Springs Injury Lawyer Will Negotiate a Settlement on Your Behalf
One of the reasons people hire an accident attorney in Sandy Springs is so that they will deal with the insurance company on their behalf. After your car accident, you’re probably injured and in a lot of pain. The last thing you’ll want to do is fight with the insurance adjuster about paying your claim. You certainly won’t be in a position to file a lawsuit against the other driver. Even if you were in the best of health and not recently injured in a car crash, filing legal action can be downright confusing. There are so many technical rules and formalities. If you don’t file the right form, your case will be dismissed. The same is true if you don’t pay the right filing fee. Rather than try to figure this all out on your own, you should contact an experienced Sandy Springs injury lawyer. Not only will they file the complaint for you, but they will also try to negotiate a settlement of your claim.
The last thing anybody wants to do is go to trial. Your attorney knows it. The defendant’s attorney knows it. And the judge certainly knows it. This is why we recommend that you call our office so you can schedule your free, initial consultation. Sit down with one of our seasoned accident attorneys in Sandy Springs and explain what happened. Let them know why your insurance claim was denied and make sure to let them know if the insurance company has offered any settlement thus far. If we decide to represent you, our Sandy Springs injury lawyer will handle the legal side of things so you can focus on making a full recovery.