by winburnlawAre Some Insurance Companies Better Than Others?
Yes. An insurance company that gets customers by mass advertising becomes well-known as a result. Generally, the insurance companies that you have never heard of will often treat you more fairly if a claim is made. Advertising creates a volume business, usually selling minimum limits for recovery and providing poor service and denial of claims as a method to deal with claimants. An attorney can help you sort through these and other issues and determine what kind of claim you have.
Pat Winburn has been Board Certified in civil trial advocacy by the NBTA for over 20 years. We handle cases all over the State of Vermont – in Bennington, Burlington, Brattleboro, Rutland, Woodstock, St. Albans, Montpelier, Manchester, Springfield, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont. If you have a personal injury problem feel free to contact us.
by winburnlawWhat Are Side Judges?
Side judges are elected judges who do not have to be lawyers. This is a practice that goes back to early times in Vermont history. Originally, legally qualified judges would come to Vermont from out-of-state to hear cases. The side judges were elected to help evaluate facts for the outside judge who did not know the local territory. In essence, they acted like jurors. However, side judges in more modern times have limited legal authority and rarely sit in court.
We put our credentials and history of success (see the “In The News” page) up on our website for you to consider when deciding to hire a personal injury lawyer. Winburn Law Offices limits its law practice to personal injury matters and provides information to legal consumers so that they can make their best decisions on their own. We handle cases throughout the State of Vermont and have offices in Bennington, Vermont and Manchester, Vermont.
by winburnlawWill My Case Settle?
Most cases settle, but the insurance company will want to settle for as little as possible. Cases can settle before they are filed, while they are filed and even after the jury renders its verdict if the case goes to trial. If the insurance company is being cooperative then there may not be a need to file a lawsuit. However, it is in the interest of the insurance company to pay a claimant as little as possible. It may be that the claim needs to go through the litigation process to clarify issues for the insurance company. The bottom line is that it is it is almost always a bad idea to accept whatever the insurance company offers unless you have an attorney on your side to interpret the factors involved in the case.
Our law office reviews cases throughout the State of Vermont – in Manchester, Bennington, Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, St. Albans, Brattleboro, Montpelier, Woodford, Springfield, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont. If you believe you have a personal injury claim feel free to contact us toll free at 800-640-5100.
by winburnlawWhy Is Insurance Not Disclosed During Trials?
With few exceptions, Vermont juries are never told that the personal injury claim they are deciding has insurance. That is because there is a rule of evidence that excludes this information because it is thought that it may affect the juries’ determinations and cause higher verdicts.
However, others believe that if the jury thinks that payment of their verdict will come out of the pockets of the individual defendants, this will potentially reduce the amount of verdict. Juries are left to wonder where the money to pay the verdict will come from. The allowance of this information to the jury causes the court system to engage in a “legal fiction” to the advantage of insurance companies and to the disadvantage of consumers.
We offer free consultations to help you make a more informed choice. Our background and experience (see the “In The News” page of this website) can help in making a good decision about who should be hired to handle your case. We have offices in Bennington and Manchester, Vermont and handle cases throughout the entire State.
by winburnlawWhat If I Have Been Involved In An Accident And Do Not Have Money To Pay An Attorney?
The contingency fee system allows people to hire lawyers without the need to pay their fees upfront. This is the way most accident cases are handled to give people the “key to the courthouse” to resolve their claims. The lawyers’ fees are taken out of the proceeds and are paid at the conclusion of the case. The lawyer’s fee is “contingent” upon an outcome – if the claim is lost then the attorney does not get paid and the client is not obligated to pay the fee.
Most people do not have the money to pay an attorney and the contingency fee allows for the client to have good legal representation. It allows the client to receive professional legal services without paying legal fees at a time when funds are usually less available because of the accident the person has been involved in.
We handle cases all over the State of Vermont – in Bennington, Burlington, Brattleboro, Rutland, Woodstock, St. Albans, Montpelier, Manchester, Springfield, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont. If you have a personal injury problem feel free to contact us.
by winburnlawWhy Would A Case Be A “Federal Case”?
There are two court systems in Vermont – the State system and the Federal system. In personal injury cases, jurisdiction depends on the amount in controversy and the connection of the parties to Vermont. Sometimes there can be an advantage to file in Federal Court, other times State Court is more appropriate, but more frequently a case does not qualify to be filed in Federal Court. These are complicated issues that require legal advice to protect your rights.
Winburn Law Offices accepts cases throughout the State of Vermont and limit our practice to personal injury. We have tried cases from St. Albans in the northern part of the state to Bennington in the southern part of the state and in most points in between including Rutland, Burlington, Woodstock, Brattleboro and the Northeast Kingdom.
by winburnlawIf I Am Hit By An Out-of-State Driver In Vermont Does That Mean I Have To Go Out-of-State To Make The Claim?
Generally, no. Vermont has a statute that causes out-of-state drivers to submit to the jurisdiction of Vermont by the fact that they have used Vermont’s roads during their travels. In other words, if they are driving on the roads resulting in an accident they have, by law, agreed to be sued in Vermont.
Our clients come from all parts of Vermont – in Rutland, St. Albans, Manchester, Bennington, Springfield, Londonderry, Brattleboro, Woodstock, Montpelier, Wilmington, the Northeast Kingdom, Burlington and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont. We also represent people from other states who have had accidents in Vermont. If you have a personal injury problem contact us for a free consultation.