What to Expect from the Process
If you or a family member have been injured in an accident that may have been another person's fault, you should contact a Hattiesburg personal injury law firm as soon as possible. Your lawyer will attempt to contact the other party to try to reach a settlement. If an agreement cannot be reached, your lawyer can file a Hattiesburg injury law suit on your behalf. Gardner Law Firm will guide you through the difficult and often stressful process. If the other party can be proven to have caused injury due to negligence, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.
Personal injury litigation in Hattiesburg
There are several procedures to go through even before your Hattiesburg personal injury litigation goes to trial. The process usually begins with the filing of a complaint by the injured party against the party accused of causing the injury. Some cases go through binding arbitration instead of a trial, either by choice of the parties or because arbitration is required by a contractual agreement. Arbitration may be faster and is sometimes less expensive than a trial.
According to personal injury law, discovery begins if a trial is pursued after filing the complaint. Discovery allows the parties to request information from each other about the case. The party bringing the suit, called the plaintiff, will attempt to gather information to prove the negligence of the other party, called the defendant. The defendant, on the other hand, will seek to find information that might help them prove they are not liable for causing the injury.
After discovery and before a trial date is set, the attorneys from each Hattiesburg injury law firm may file various pre-trial motions putting forward legal arguments to the court. After pre-trial motions, a trial date may be set, or the court may require a settlement conference to encourage the parties to reach an agreement. In some cases, the parties may be required to meet before a mediator before the case can be set for trial.
If no settlement can be reached without a trial, the case is set for trial before either a judge or a jury as chosen by the plaintiff. After the trial the judge or jury enters a verdict either for the plaintiff or the defendant and determines the amount of damages, if any, to be awarded.
Personal Injury Law Firm in Hattiesburg
Injured parties seeking to pursue injury litigation in Hattiesburg will find no better or more dedicated representation than they will receive from Gardner Law Firm. If you have been injured, let us conduct a free interview in your home or hospital.
