What To Do After An Injury
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What To Do After An Injury

ByKevin Williams

WHAT TO DO AFTER AN INJURY:  The days, weeks, months and even years after an injury can be an especially stressful time. You should not go it alone. Insurance companies have one primary goal which is to compensate you as little as possible, assuming they do not deny your claim altogether. There are certain steps you should take to…

Can North Carolina’s New Bifurcation Statute Actually Benefit Plaintiffs?
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Can North Carolina’s New Bifurcation Statute Actually Benefit Plaintiffs?

ByKevin Williams

SHOULD PLAINTIFFS BIFURCATE LIABILITY AND DAMAGES IN NORTH CAROLINA? The General Assembly, in its infinite wisdom, inserted a provision in S.L. 2011-400 (SB 33) which will change our basic strategy in how we try civil cases.  Specifically, Section 2 of S.L. 2011-400 provides that any party may move for bifurcation on the issues of liability and…

Maximizing The Use Of Your Experts In Litigation (Part 4)
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Maximizing The Use Of Your Experts In Litigation (Part 4)

ByKevin Williams

My last post discussed the effective use of experts at trial.  This post continues in the same vein, but with a focus on damage experts. Effective Use of Damages Experts Remember the goal set forth by David Ball – spend half your time on harm and half on money. Among other things, this means you…

Maximizing The Use Of Your Experts In Litigation (Part 1)
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Maximizing The Use Of Your Experts In Litigation (Part 1)

ByKevin Williams

I.      INTRODUCTION One of the greatest challenges facing the attorney is figuring out how to effectively use expert witnesses to help maximize damages in catastrophic injury cases. It is naive to think you may simply retain an expert or two, and allow them to render some opinions in the hopes they will make your case…

Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 5)
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Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 5)

ByKevin Williams

My last blog post discussed the discovery process to get your case ready for mediation and trial.  This blog post discusses approaches to settlement discussions. Settlement Discussions North Carolina has employed mandatory mediation for several years with good success. Though we now have court-ordered mediation, you are still free to engage in settlement negotiations at…

Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 4)
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Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 4)

ByKevin Williams

PRETRIAL PRACTICE Now that you have determined you have a good case and have built a solid foundation through extensive pre-suit investigation, you are ready to file your case. The pretrial stage is where you really add or lose value with respect to your case. For plaintiffs, to maximize the value of your case, make…

Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 3)
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Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 3)

ByKevin Williams

My last post discussed your investigative responsibilities as a lawyer.  This blog entry talks about the use of experts to secure a meaningful settlement or verdict for your client. C.      Experts Depending on the size of your case, the area of law involved and the complexity of issues, you may want to retain one or…

Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 2)
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Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement Or Verdict (Part 2)

ByKevin Williams

My last blog post on this theme discussed the importance of analyzing damages prior to taking on a case.  This blog post discusses a lawyer’s investigative responsibilities when determining whether to sign a client. B.      Your Investigative Responsibilities Attorneys have an obligation to investigate the case prior to filing pleadings.  For the plaintiff’s attorney, he…

Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement or Verdict (Part 1)
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Preparing Your Case For A Successful Settlement or Verdict (Part 1)

ByKevin Williams

  I.       INTRODUCTION One of the greatest challenges facing the attorney is achieving full and fair value for the case through settlement.  If the settlement process fails, all counsel can do is attempt to achieve appropriate compensation from the jury, with considerable influence from the presiding judge.  Once the jury begins deliberations, all control of…

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Disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight Puts Focus Back On Plane Safety

ByKevin Williams

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 continues after it seemingly vanished on a trip from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on its way to Beijing, China.  There were 239 people on board.  Families of those individuals are expecting the worst.  No one knows what happened to the plane except that air traffic controllers lost contact with the…