Areas of Practice

Legal Malpractice

Yes, lawyers do make mistakes and when they make a mistake, it can cost their clients money. You can file a claim for legal malpractice when your lawyer negligently or intentionally does or fails to do something during his or her representation which causes a financial injury to you as a client. We have been representing clients in lawsuits against their former attorneys for over 25 years.

The most common errors occur when the attorney misses a court date or a filing deadline. Other cases we have handled have included such errors as filing appeals in the wrong court and drafting a will which left the party's assets to the wrong relatives. We have represented individuals and businesses in claims against their former attorneys.

If a lawyer has damaged you by his or her error, call us for a no cost consultation. These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means that you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Healthcare Malpractice

Healthcare malpractice claims involve negligent errors made by doctors, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes, HMOs, or other healthcare providers. Serious injury or death can result from failure to diagnosis an illness, prescription of the wrong medicine, or failure to provide proper care.

If you believe you or a loved one have been damaged by such conduct, call us for a free consultation. The keys to winning these cases are a very keen eye for detail in records, and an excellent source of consultants. We have both.

Be aware, however, that unless the injury is serious, it is not economically feasible to sue healthcare providers due to the costs of bringing these kinds of lawsuits. Also you must keep in mind that bad results in themselves are not necessarily due to malpractice. There must be some negligence on the part of the healthcare provider.

These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Professional Malpractice

The most common type of professional malpractice is health care malpractice. Other professionals, however, may also be liable to you if their negligence has caused you economic loss.

Accountants, architects, insurance brokers, and other professionals could be liable to you if their error has caused you economic damage. Call us to find out if we can help you recover for your loss.

Wrongful Death Cases

If you are the next of kin of a person who has been killed because of another person's negligent conduct, you may be able to recover damages from the responsible party for your economic loss and your loss of that person's society.

You only have one year to file this type of claim, so don't delay contacting an attorney. These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means that you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Serious Injury Cases

If you've been seriously injured because of the wrongful or negligent conduct of another, you have a right to recover all of your injuries and damages, not just your medical bills.

You can recover for physical and mental pain and suffering; lost wages; future loss of earning capacity; loss of a normal life; disability and disfigurement. You can recover for future losses as well as past losses.

It is important to tell your doctor all of the things that are hurting you on each visit. Do not talk to the other party's insurance carrier or give a recorded statement.

Do report your injury to your own insurance carrier.

You should hire an attorney as soon as you can so that a proper and thorough investigation can be conducted before evidence disappears and witnesses' memories fade.

These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means that you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Claims against your own Insurance Carrier

We all pay a lot of money for insurance. That it why it is hard to understand why, at times, your insurance company will not pay for your damages or provide you with a legal defense when you are sued. Insurance policies are contracts. Just like any other contract, if it is broken by one of the parties, there are legal remedies available to the other party. When your insurance company denies coverage or compensation to you, they may be breaking their contract with you.

If you are having a dispute with your insurance carrier, call us. We may be able to help.

Underinsured Motorist Coverage

If you are badly injured in a motor vehicle collision and the other driver had a small insurance policy which was not adequate to fully compensate you for your injuries, your own insurance policy may provide an answer to your problem.

Most insurance policies in Illinois and Missouri contain underinsured motorist coverage. This coverage provides a source of recovery when the other driver carried insufficient coverage to fully compensate you for your injuries. There are, however, certain requirements, which must be complied with before you can claim this type of coverage. Call us before you settle with anyone. A premature settlement without the permission of your carrier may prevent you from recovering this valuable benefit that you have paid for. These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means that you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Uninsured Motorist Claims

If you were injured in a motor vehicle collision or were struck as a pedestrian or bicyclist by the driver of a motor vehicle who had no automobile insurance, you may still be able to be compensated for your injuries by your own automobile or home owner's insurance carrier.

All automobile insurance sold in Illinois and Missouri must include insurance to compensate policyholders and their families for injuries received as a result of the negligence of uninsured drivers. There is no trial, but a procedure called arbitration is utilized to determine the amount of your claim.

You should hire a lawyer to represent you in the arbitration. A lawyer can not only advise you as to the value of your claim and represent you in the arbitration, but can also assist you in determining how much coverage is available. Frequently, there is more coverage available then your insurance company will admit. Again, it takes a skilled lawyer to analyze your policy or policies to determine the full extent of your insurance coverage.

Call us for a free first consultation. These cases are accepted on a contingent fee basis. This means you only pay attorney's fees if there is a recovery.

Landowner Liability

A landowner may be liable if you are injured because of the condition of their property. These cases include falls caused by slippery or wet surfaces, falls caused by inadequate snow or ice removal, injuries caused by defective floors, stairways, and other building parts or surfaces, inadequate or improper warnings or barriers, or other defects of the land or building, or assaults by employees or other persons on the premises including other customers.

It is very important in these cases to contact a lawyer as soon as possible so that an investigation can be completed before the landowner fixes or changes the condition of the property. Delay can result in loss of proof necessary to be successful in this type of case.

Workplace injuries

Worker's Compensation is the recovery method that most people think of when they think of injuries on the job; however, it is not the only remedy available for injuries in the workplace. Frequently, persons other than the employer may also be liable if their negligence caused or contributed to cause your injury.

The most frequent situation where this arises is in the construction industry where there are general contractors and many subcontractors on the job site. If the negligence of a contractor other than your employer caused or contributed to cause your injury, you may be able to sue them. The advantage of suing someone for negligence as opposed to only filing a claim for worker's compensation is that the recovery may be higher in the civil courts.

Worker's compensation recoveries have statutory limits while claims for recovery because of a person or business' negligence do not have limits other than the assets or insurance coverage available.

Other persons can also be liable for negligence when employees work outside the employer's place of business; for example, truck drivers, delivery people, and repairpersons.

A claim may also be made against a tool or other product's manufacturer when a person is injured by a defective product used in the workplace.

If you've been injured on the job, call us now. The time to investigate this type of case is as quickly as possible after the injury so that evidence is not lost.

Commercial Litigation

We have represented businesses and corporations in disputes with other corporations or their insurance carriers. We have occasionally done so on a contingent fee basis where our corporate or business client is the plaintiff. What this means is that we share the risk with the corporate or business client, receiving a percentage of the amount recovered as our attorney's fee. There are no attorney's fees if there is no recovery. For those cases where a contingent fee is not appropriate, our hourly charges are also quite competitive.

If your business has a claim, call us to discuss how we can help.