Every Case is Unique

Your case is unique. When I give a client my best legal opinion about the value of their case, I will frequently get arguments from my clients to the effect of “My Aunt Sally’s bridge partner got a lot more money just by asking the insurance company and she didn’t have nearly the injuries I have!” I will also get informed of a person who got hot coffee spilled on them and got millions of dollars so their case should be worth 10 times that since they actually got hurt. I see something similar when I answer questions on avvo.com where a person asks a question to the effect of “A guy ran a red light and hit me and I went to the hospital. What amount should I get?”

First, I doubt you would be able to track down Aunt Sally’s friend’s lawyer and if you could I doubt he would get you five times what my opinion is, but if he can, you should hire him. Second, the value of any case depends greatly on multiple factors including what the medical bills are, what if any permanent injury you may have, what lost wages you have, how easy or hard it will be to prove the other person was at fault, how easy or hard it will be to prove that you were not at fault, what prior health problems you have, what credibility issues you have, and what county you have to file in. A good attorney can do a lot to maximize the factors that support your recovery and minimize the ones that don’t, but he can’t turn a bad case into a good one.

-Bradley A. Coxe is a practicing attorney in Wilmington, NC who practices in Personal Injury, Car Accidents, Medical Malpractice, Contract and Real Estate disputes, and all forms of Civil Litigation. Please contact him at (910) 772-1678.