Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyer in Boca Raton * Delray Beach * Ft. Lauderdale * West Palm Beach, Florida

Glossary

We have taken the liberty of providing definitions of some more common legal terms.

Contingency
A contingency means you pay no up-front fees or ongoing legal costs. Once you win or settle the case, Glick & Grife Law Firm receives a percentage of the final amount. If we are unable to win or settle your case, then there is no fee to you - we absorb all costs.

Deposition
A deposition is a form of discovery in which a plaintiff, defendant, witness, or expert witness is formally questioned under oath by the attorneys representing all parties in the lawsuit. A deposition is similar to the oral testimony given at trial, but takes place under less formal circumstances and in advance of a trial. A deposition is typically given before a court reporter and is subject to the examination by attorneys of all parties.

Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an established legal deadline that requires a person who has suffered a serious injury to file a lawsuit within a certain timeframe after the date of injury. Once this deadline has passed, the victims lose their rights to sue for compensation. Exceptions do sometimes apply from state to state.

Negligence
Negligence is a legal definition – it means that someone else failed to exercise the proper foresight necessary to prevent an unsafe situation from occurring. This lack of foresight is compared to the foresight a “reasonable and prudent” person would exercise in a similar situation.

Presuit
Presuit is the term for an attempt to settle the case before a lawsuit is filed. First, a “Notice of Intent” outlining the negligence and damages is sent to the defendant. They have 90 days to review the situation. At the end of 90 days they can offer to settle, offer to go into arbitration, or deny the claim. Most of the time they deny the claim, and then a lawsuit is filed.

Mediation
A conference in which both sides attempt to come to a settlement prior to a case proceeding to trial. Each side appears with their lawyer before a person known as a mediator, who is often a retired judge or lawyer. Both sides present their case to the mediator, who attempts to facilitate a settlement. All the information in the mediation is confidential and cannot be used in the trial. If the parties are not able to settle the case through mediation, then the case proceeds to trial.

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to contact our injury lawyer today. We offer free consultations in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Glick Law Firm, P.A. works only for the people, not the powerful.