Intake: What You Should Know Before Contacting Us
Cases We Handle
At Berman & Simmons, our specialty is Personal Injury Law and our goal is to seek justice and compensation for people who have suffered catastrophic and life-altering injuries or those who have died prematurely due to the negligence of others. Our trial attorneys specialize exclusively in Plaintiff lawsuits involving medical errors, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, dangerous or unsafe property, defective products, and sexual abuse.
Cases We Don’t Handle
Unfortunately, we get many inquiries about cases we don’t handle and in areas of law we don’t practice. To save you time when seeking legal help, please review this list of the cases we DO NOT handle before calling us or submitting your inquiry.
What to Expect
Before contacting Berman & Simmons, there are several things you should know to ensure the process is as productive as possible. Below are some basic Intake steps and information to help you prepare for the conversation and give you an idea of what to expect.
Step 1: Free Preliminary Intake Screening by an Intake Specialist
If you’ve been seriously injured and have questions about a potential case, don’t hesitate to contact us as soon as possible after the incident either by submitting an online form or calling.
If you submit an online form, it will be processed by our Intake team and an Intake Specialist will call you back. If you call, you will first speak to our receptionist who will transfer you to one of our Intake Specialists. If they are busy, please leave a message and they will return your call promptly. You will not be speaking directly with a lawyer at this time.
Understanding Negligence, Causation, and Damages
The preliminary Intake screening takes about 10-15 minutes and our goal is to get some basic information. For a potential case to be considered, we need to understand the following:
- Negligence – The defendant committed a breach of duty of care. We need to know: “What is the negligence you experienced and when?”
- Causation – The breach of duty was the proximate cause of the injury. We need to know: “How do you believe the negligence or wrongdoing caused your injury?”
- Damages – The plaintiff suffered serious injury or loss as a direct result of the defendant’s breach. We need to know: “What serious injuries or losses did you sustain because of the injury?”
A bad outcome alone is not enough to establish negligence. We will need to prove that you suffered a substantial personal injury and that the injury was directly caused by the negligence of another party.
Information Needed From You
Our Intake Specialists cannot provide legal advice and are only gathering initial details about your potential case (or the potential case of the person you’re calling about) to pass along to one of our lawyers. Information includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Contact information, including full legal name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, etc.
- How you heard about Berman & Simmons (online search, referral, Google Business Profile, Google Ad, etc.).
- Type of personal injury or medical malpractice case. If it’s a case we don’t handle, we may be able to offer a referral.
- Brief timeline of what occurred, including the date and location of the incident.
- Summary of injuries.
- Name(s) and location(s) of the healthcare center(s) where medical care was received.
- Name(s) and location(s) of the healthcare provider(s) who provided treatment.
- Name(s) of the insurance provider(s).
- Name(s) of other parties involved, including witnesses.
- Photos or videos related to the incident.
It’s helpful to have correct spellings of names, providers, facilities, etc. for conflict checks.
Step 2: Free Legal Review of Your Case by a Lawyer
Once our Intake Specialist has gathered information from you, a summary of your potential case is submitted to one of our lawyers for review to determine if it’s a viable claim within one of our practice areas. If more information is needed, the lawyer or a member of their legal staff will contact you for additional details and begin further investigation.
An initial review to determine if we can move forward with your potential case does not constitute an attorney-client relationship.
Step 3: Case Decision: Decline or Accept
If Your Case is Declined
There are several reasons why we may not be able to move forward with your case. In fact, many cases we review are declined. If your case is declined, you will receive notification from the legal team assigned your case within a few business days and the matter will be archived.
If Your Case is Accepted
If your case is accepted for further investigation, a member of the lawyer’s legal staff will be in touch to schedule an initial meeting. During this meeting, the lawyer will learn more about the incident, your injuries, medical treatment, etc., and how your life has been affected. He/she will answer all your questions and explain what will happen next. If we agree to represent you, you will then sign an agreement to establish an attorney-client relationship with Berman & Simmons, and your communications with us will remain confidential and privileged.
Depending on the type of case and severity of the injuries, the next phases of the legal process will include some or any of the following actions leading up to a final resolution: request for medical records and imaging and/or accident report, in-depth case work-up, research, pre-suit settlement, pre-panel hearing for medical malpractice cases, depositions, filing a lawsuit, pre-trial and discovery, trial, and outcome (win by settlement or trial verdict, loss, appeal).
Be Patient. Resolving a Case Takes Time
Some cases can take months and often years to resolve. It takes time to gather all the necessary evidence and information, evaluate injuries and damages, negotiate with the other parties involved, and prepare for trial if necessary. We will be with you every step of the way and will do our best to ensure you receive a fair outcome reflecting the full extent of your damages. We’ll handle all the legal details, while you focus on recovery.
As our client, we work with you on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing upfront and nothing unless we settle or win your case.