What Does It Mean if Several Law Firms Turn Down My Case?
Whatever it is that has caused you to seek legal representation is likely already causing you stress. A car accident, an assault, a case of medical malpractice – no matter what it is, you deserve a professional who will take up your case and fight for you.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a law firm who will represent you if your case is particularly complex. Is the possible award worth the amount of time, effort, and money that you will put into fighting your case? Is your case even strong enough to win? Is the attorney already swamped with clients? Is the attorney you are talking to specialized in the type of lawsuit you’re trying to file? There are several reasons why law firms may be passing on your case, but none of those reasons are personal. Rocky McElhaney Law Firm takes you seriously, and we make each one of our clients our priority. We specialize in many different areas of the law, with a 100% focus on civil litigation. We offer an initial free consultation because we care about people first and being paid second. One of our favorite mottos is “Big enough to win your case, small enough to know your name.”
Can your case win?
There are a few cases where no matter how good a lawyer you have, your case just isn’t strong enough to win. Whether that be because there is no evidence to support your argument, there’s evidence against you, or you were the one at fault, your case needs to have certain factors to have a chance at winning. If you were in a car accident where you were drunk, and you were injured during the crash you caused, you will not win any lawsuit you bring against the other driver. Just because you were injured, does not mean you can get any money from the other driver in the crash if you were the one at fault.
Let’s take another example. Perhaps you were visiting the Nashville Zoo, and you fell into the gorilla pit despite the large fencing and despite the signage that prohibited you from doing so. If you are injured in the fall (or by the gorillas), you do not have a case against the zoo, since the zoo did all they could do to warn you against the unsafe practice.
About Tennessee’s statute of limitations in personal injury cases
In many areas of the law, there is a certain amount of time you are allotted to file a lawsuit against the offending party. This is called the statute of limitations. Different crimes and offenses have different statute of limitations.
For instance, in Tennessee, if you wish to file a personal injury lawsuit, you have one year from the time of the injury. For medical malpractice injuries, you have up to three years after the medical incident occurred to take legal action. In some claims, you may have even less time.
If you are seeking to file a lawsuit against someone who punched you and caused your TBI two years ago, then you are simply and legally out of luck. There is nothing any lawyer can do to help you in that instance. For this reason, it is important that after any incident where you are injured, or where you are wronged in some manner, that you at the very least look up how long you have to consider legal action against your offender.
Is the law firm capable of handling your case?
Lawyers often specialize in or focus on certain fields. You don’t want to go to a family law attorney for your personal injury lawsuit, nor do you want to go to a criminal defense attorney to file a claim against the drunk driver who crashed into you. Some lawyers focus solely on medical malpractice lawsuits, while others most help victims of car accidents. Attorneys have studied and worked hard to be experts in their field, but that does not mean that they are equally well-versed in all parts of the law.
And some law firms just don’t have the resources to tackle a case as big or as complex as yours. For example, cases involving multiple vehicles or commercial trucks can have multiple liable parties. And cases involving defective products may pit you against a global corporation. These types of cases can take thousands of hours to work on, and some firms simply don’t have the people power to handle complex litigation.
A helpful attorney, if they believe they are not suited for your case, will reference you to a law firm that is more suited for your case. Luckily, there are certain law firms, such as our own, that not only focus on personal injury in all its forms, but also have the resources needed for complex litigation. From all sorts of auto accidents (including trucks, boating, motorcycles, hit-and-run, pedestrian, and more), to birth injuries, medical malpractice, sexual assault, personal injury, and even aviation accidents; our firm is suited for any injury case that you have.
Is it financially worth it to you to pursue a case?
A good lawyer will take a case if they believe that the result will be fair and just for you; they want you to win money, not lose it. Despite the injustices that may have been done to you, or the negligence shown on the part of the defendant, a lawyer won’t take your case if they believe that you will be ultimately losing money by bringing a lawsuit against the at-fault party. While having justice served is important, the main goal of filing a civil lawsuit is to win financial compensation to cover your medical costs, the cost of the damage to your property, and the cost of your pain and suffering. If, in the end, the cost of litigation is more than the maximum award you could possibly receive, then the lawsuit isn’t worth your own effort or time. However, the best way to determine that is to have an initial consultation with your lawyer.
Why choose Rocky McElhaney Law Firm if you have been injured?
It’s easy. There are many reasons that we believe Rocky McElhaney Law Firm rises above the rest:
- We handle only injury cases. We are a team that focuses only on helping injury victims in a broad array of areas, so we are more than likely able to handle your case.
- We have a history of winning cases. We have won countless settlements and jury verdicts for our clients, securing millions of dollars for them. And while the results of one case don’t guarantee the results of another, we think our results DO show that we’re more than capable of getting the job done for our clients.
- We care. Our clients come first. That you see justice and compensation is our number one priority. We will look at your case in detail, finding every available path forward to a worthwhile settlement, handling the situation with care and expertise.
- We are aggressive. Rocky and his team will fight tooth and nail to ensure that you receive the restitution and justice you deserve. We haven’t been named the "Best Attorney in Nashville" by the Nashville Scene for nine consecutive years for nothing.
If you have been injured in an auto accident or sexual assault, have problems with insurance, difficulties with workers’ compensation, experienced a traumatic loss, or suffered any number of other legal problems, it’s time to fight back. Schedule your free initial consultation with Rocky McElhaney Law Firm by calling us or using our contact page. We proudly serve our community through our offices in Nashville, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro and Clarksville.
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