Personal Injury
If you have been injured by someone else’s mistake, you have a personal injury claim. I have years of experience advising and representing people injured in accidents that are caused by someone else's mistake. Typically, these injuries occur in
- Auto accidents between multiple vehicles, vehicles and bicycles, and vehicles and pedestrians
- Unsafe premise accidents, such as slip and fall
- Third-party claims, such as workplace injuries that are caused by the mistake of someone other than the injured person's employer or co-worker
- Professional negligence, such as mistakes made by doctors or hospitals.
Injured people are often pressured by the at-fault person's insurance carrier to settle early and before they have had an opportunity to talk with a lawyer. You have the unconditional right to seek advice from a lawyer who is bound by ethical rules to serve only you. Please contact me at (503) 620-3171 or at slgabin@pacifier.com.
Legal Advice and Proper Investigation
Injured people are often completely unaware of some other critical issues. Strict time limits apply to injury claims. If you miss a time limit you may be barred from proceeding. I will assess critical time limits and prepare accordingly.
Sometimes it is unclear who the at-fault party is. There can be more than one at-fault party. Without proper investigation, you may miss an essential party and as a result lose a valuable portion of a recovery. I will spot at-fault parties you may be unaware of.
The at-fault party’s insurance carrier may pressure you to take a settlement that is unfair in the circumstances. I will assess carefully any settlement offer made.
A consultation is the best way to avoid missing a time limit, missing a necessary party, or making a bad decision.
The Process
Personal injury claims involve several phases - case development, settlement negotiations, and litigation in the form of arbitration or trial. Formal mediation can occur at anytime.
Free Consultation
Please contact me at (503) 620-3171 or at slgabin@pacifier.com for a free consultation. I return all calls and emails within 24 hours.
Fees
Fee only upon recovery.
I charge 33 1/3% out of any recovery you receive if your case is resolved two weeks before trial or arbitration begins, and 40% out of any recovery you receive afterwards.
Fees in personal injury cases are strictly contingent. That means if you do not receive a recovery, you owe no fee.
Costs
In nearly all cases, I will incur out–of–pocket costs. These are not attorney fees, but are fees for such things as medical record duplicating charges, attorney/doctor conferences, treating doctor medical reports, forensic investigation, expert witness fees, filing fees, court reporting fees, arbitration and trial court fees, and so on.
I incur these expenses only when necessary to prepare properly. I am bound to follow Oregon State Bar ethical rules that require the client to assume responsibility for these costs if the client is able to pay. Therefore, she will bill for these costs but will not expect payment unless you can afford to reimburse me.