What is the Legal Process at Cooper Hurley?

Cooper Hurley does the following for our clients in any given case:

• Educate and teach clients about personal injury claims
• Gather written records and documents to support the claim, including medical records, police reports and employee records
• Perform investigation of the client’s claim, including gathering witness statements, photographs, diagrams and physical evidence
• Read and analyze the client’s own automobile insurance policy to see what coverage is available to pay for the client’s damages, like medical and wage loss benefits
• Confer with the client’s own medical doctors and other healthcare providers to fully understand client’s condition
• Obtain specific reports from experts to support the client’s claim
• Analyze any pertinent legal issues that may affect client’s case, like contributory negligence, assumption of risk, etc.
• File necessary claim forms with the at-fault governmental agency
• Analyze client”s own health insurance or governmental benefit plan to ascertain whether any money they spent must be repaid
• Analyze and address any liens asserted against the client’s settlement recovery (various healthcare providers, insurers, governmental agencies may file liens seeking to be repaid money for benefits already paid to or on behalf of the client)
• Contact the insurance company about the claim and conduct periodic discussions with the carrier about your case so that appropriate reserves are set aside to settle the case
• Conduct negotiations with the insurance adjustor in an effort to settle the claim
• Educate and teach clients about the litigation process
• If a lawsuit will be filed, then prepare and draft the complaint to file in court
• Perform investigation to locate the defendant so that service of the complaint can be achieved
• Arrange for service of the complaint on the defendant as
  required by law
• Prepare and draft written questions for information from
  the other side (called interrogatories and requests for
  production)
• Prepare the client for his or her deposition
• Prepare for and conduct the deposition of the defendant and other lay witnesses
• Meet with the client’s physicians to prepare for their own deposition requested by the defense attorney
• Prepare to take the deposition of the defendant’s experts, including medical experts
• Prepare the client for his or her medical examination by the defendant’s medical experts
• Answer questions and produce information and records requested by the other side
• Review and analyze the client’s medical records and billings
• Hire other necessary experts to support or prove the client’s claim, including other physicians, economists, vocational experts, etc.
• Review and analyze expert reports about the client’s case
• File the necessary documents in court as required by the court, including witness and exhibit lists
• Prepare the client and other witnesses for trial
• Create and prepare exhibits for trial
• Organize records and other documentary evidence intended to be introduced at trial
• Prepare the mediation and/or arbitration by organizing records and other documents for submission to the mediator or arbitrator
• Research and write briefs and file motions to keep out or let in certain evidence at trial
• Perform or participate in mock trials or focus groups to prepare for trial
• Try the case before a judge and/or jury
• Negotiate subrogation claims asserted by client’s insurance company or governmental agency that provided benefits to client