This has been an interesting month at our offices. I can honestly say, that we’ve come across some very peculiar questions this past month at our Toronto, London and Peterborough offices. We do our very best to answer all of your questions, and I’d like to share some of those queries with you, our Toronto Injury Blog readership. NOTE: We’d like to thank our readership for your on-going support and words of encouragement. I’m always amazed by the amount of people who keep up with our blog and derive a benefit from it.
So, without further a due, here are some of the top questions we’ve heard at Goldfinger Injury Lawyers for the month of May:
1. HOW CAN I BECOME A CLIENT OF GOLDFINGER LAW?
We’re always flattered that people want to retain our services. There’s no greater compliment then when people want our law firm to assist them with their accident or disability case.
There’s no simple formula to becoming a client of ours. Some other lawyers might say that that only take on cases that surpass a certain threshold, or they will only take on cases which they see as a sure thing. We’re a bit different at our office. We don’t shy away from difficult or complicated cases. We’re not afraid of a good fight against insurmountable odds.
At the end of the day, if we like you, and we like your case, then there’s a good chance that we will take on your case. The term “likeability” is a term we use a lot around our office. If you score high on the “likeability” scale, then there’s a good chance you’ll be welcome to our firm with open arms as a client. What does it take to score high on the “likeability” scale? If you’re a good, kind, hard working person who has been wronged, then we want to fight for you; and fight until the end is what we will do.
2. HEY BRIAN, I LIKE YOU. CAN YOU ALSO HELP ME WITH MY REAL ESTATE MATTERS?
The short answer is “no”. Our law firm does NOT handle any sort of case beyond personal injury or disability law. We do NOT handle real estate matters. We do NOT handle wills or estates. We do NOT practice in criminal law, or family law. We cannot help you with your immigration application, nor can we assist you with your Landlord Tenant Dispute. We also can’t help you with incorporating your business, or with an Aboriginal Land Claim. All we do is personal injury law. That’s it. We focus 100% of our attention to being experts in this field. We are the law firm which other lawyers turn to for knowledge in this field. If you call our office looking for a lawyer in a field outside of personal injury law, then we will be pleased to refer you to another lawyer who we trust in the area of law you are seeking.
3. CAN YOU HELP ME APPLY FOR LONG TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS?
Our office assists people with their long term disability benefit disputes against private insurers such as Manulife, Great West Life, Industrial Alliance, SunLife, Canada Life, Desjardins, SSQ etc. But, in order for us to act, you must first apply and get denied. In order to apply, all you need to do is fill out an application form provided by your employer or insurer. Your doctor will also have to complete a Disability Certificate as well.
Filling out these forms can be as easy as filling out the blanks. Some of the questions might seem tricky or unfair the way that they are asked. If that’s the case, call us and we will let you know what to do. But, aside from that, it’s best not to have our law firm get involved with your case until you’ve applied for benefits, and been denied. After all, who knows. You might get APPROVED! If that’s the case, then you don’t need our lawyers working for you because there’s nothing to fight for. But, if you’ve been denied, or received a letter stating that benefits will be terminated at the two year mark, then call us and we would be pleased to help.
4. HOW MUCH DOES YOUR FIRM CHARGE IN LEGAL FEES
Regardless of how much material we put up on our website about legal fees, this is still the top question we get. And rightfully so, it’s important you know how much you’re being charged.
We do NOT charge any legal fees until your case settles. If we get you ZERO, we COLLECT ZERO. It’s that’s simple, and that easy to understand. We do NOT charge our clients on an hourly rate basis. We charge our clients based on a percentage of the amount which we recover in your case. That percentage is based on the nature and complexity of your case and varies depending on your needs and the challenges presented in your case.
If we take you on as a client, we will ask that you sign a retainer agreement. This is a contract between you and my law firm setting out that we will take your case on a don’t pay anything until the case settles basis. This is called a contingency fee, because what we collect is “contingent” on recovery in your case.
Other law firms retainer agreements are lengthy documents. Our retainer agreements are ONE PAGE, because we want you to understand exactly what’s going on. We like to keep things simple so that you’re comfortable and understand what you’re signing. It’s not our style to over-complicate matters as you will have enough to deal with after a serious car accident.
5. WHEN WILL MY CASE SETTLE?
Every case is different. Every insurance adjuster is different. If we could get you $1,000,000 tomorrow for a minor accident case, we would. But that’s not the way that insurance companies work. Insurers don’t make money paying people out lots of money in a short period of time. The less money they pay out for your case, the more money which they get to keep. This helps insurers report higher profits which keeps their shareholders happy and their stock high. Some cases take a few months. Other cases take a few years. It all depends on the facts, injuries, and circumstances of your case.
Anyone catch Toronto’s baseball team? They don’t have a single hitter in their regular starting lineup hitting over 300. They also have 4 of their 9 current regular starters batting below 250. That’s not good news if you’re a Toronto baseball fan. Another observation I had from going to the Rogers Centre was the lack of replay, which is a rule instituted by MLB. Talk about unfriendly to the fans at the game. You’re better off watching the game from home so you can get the replay and benefit of commentary. Just a thought so MLB knows how upsetting that was.
Finally, congrats the to #GoldfingerSpeed Team of RickO Ostroff and JP Justin Pozin on their conquering of the Sulpher Spring 25K Trail Run today in Hamilton. A top 5 and a top 50 finish is fantastic news for the team, and for Brain Injury Awareness. Well done!