As soon as a personal injury case settles, clients want to know, “when will I be paid?” We answer our clients with a Case Closing Report that provides a timeline on when a client will be paid and exactly how much. In general, once a case settles a client will receive his or her check within about a month. However, we make a commitment to move our cases as fast as possible and usually are able to deliver the check to a client in less than a month, often in less than three weeks. I want to review the standard settlement payment timeline and then discuss our efforts to deliver money to our clients even faster.
Customer Service 
A Very Happy Client
We work hard to fulfill our promise of Remarkable Service. Here’s a note we received this morning from a very happy client: “If I can shout it out from the roof tops that you’re the greatest Lawyer in the world, I would. “
A Commitment to Service: Touch the Case – Touch the Client
We focus our law practice on serving our clients. In fact, we have written our core values on the walls of our office so we see them every day and all day. Right in the middle is a core mantra: Touch the Case – Touch the Client. That might mean a phone call or an email or a letter, some way of letting the client know what is going on with his or her case and what it means to the client. Here’s how we bring our commitment to client communications to life.
Holding New York Lawyers Accountable for Delays in Trials
Civil cases in New York are now taking three years or more to come to trial and this is unacceptable. Justice delayed is justice denied and in these cases, victims of negligence are left waiting to have their day in court and to receive compensation for the damages they suffer through the fault of another. Increasingly, trials are delayed because defense lawyers either don’t care to move cases or purposely slow them. The courts cannot allow these delaying tactics to persist: the New York Courts need to punish lawyers and defendants who needlessly delay legal proceedings.
New York Attorney Offers Free Consultation on Personal Injury Cases
We commit ourselves to delivering remarkable service to our clients and that commitment includes our offer of a free consultation to anyone with a question about a personal injury or medical malpractice case. Our highly educated staff will answer the phone quickly and do our best to answer your questions and help you. There is no charge for this service and no obligation for calling our office at 1-800-660-1466.
Great Legal Service Requires Great Customer Service
We’re avid readers of Seth Godin’s blog and his piece this morning, “The End of the Diva Paradox,” struck a chord. He wrote of a day and age when the sheer quality of a person’s performance – he refers to surgeons and opera singers – made it unnecessary to treat others with respect or even courtesy. Having worked as an attorney for 25 years, I have met my share of legal divas – lawyers with great legal skills who didn’t bother with the niceties of treating others well. Godin believes the day of the diva has passed and I wholeheartedly agree.
New York City Bicycle Accident Reports
The Daily News reports that the New York City Police will start tracking bicycle accidents in New York City. The Police will now prepare accidents reports for bicycle accidents just as they do for motor vehicle accidents. In the past, the Police only completed an accident report if it involved a motor vehicle. Now, all bicycle collisions will require a police report.
When Does a Lawyer Make a Difference? A Question about an Incident at a Wal-Mart
I received the following question from a woman in another state. The situation is an odd one – a carton of eggs falling on an infant – and it raises a good question about why it is helpful to hire an attorney to represent you in a negligence case.
Hi! My daughter is nine weeks old. Last week we were in Wal-Mart and an employee dropped a box of 240 eggs it went into our cart and it landed on my daughters head. I took her to the doctor she had a swollen eye, small laceration, and a mild concussion.
Wal-Mart called and they want to settle. How much is normal to ask for/agree upon for pain and suffering etc. I just want to be educated so I don’t get totally taken advantage of.
A Few Thoughts about Personal Injury Attorneys and Customer Service
When my husband and I decided to work together, we focused first on the purpose and principles for our business. We wanted to do things the way we thought they should be done and that meant building a customer-centric law practice. That’s not simply a buzzword: we wanted a practice where clients were the center of everything we did. We wanted to make a difference in our client’s lives by delivering the most compensation for their losses and delivering world class customer service. We live in an increasingly uncaring, complex and impersonal world and we wanted to weigh against that tide: we wanted to deliver great personal service
What is a Claim Letter or a Letter of Representation?
If you retain a lawyer to represent you in a personal injury case, that lawyer will send a claim letter, also known, as a letter of representation, to the defendant. The claim letter informs the defendant that you have a claim against the defendant and that the lawyer represents you for that claim.
The claim letter is not required by law so it is optional for a lawyer to send it. However, in New York, if the claim is against a municipality or a municipal agency, one must send a Notice of Claim within 90 days of the incident. In some areas, people use the term letter of representation to refer to the contract between the client and a lawyer. In New York, we generally refer to that agreement as the retainer or the retainer agreement.
