Legal Question in Personal Injury in Illinois
bike vs, SUV II
to clarify from earlier...i was ridingmy bike on the wrong side of the ro ad and entering an intersection. the suv was stopped at a red light and was preparing to make a right on red. from my view, she was simply stopped. she pulled out and hit me, and my 13 yo daughter witnessed this. she was ticketed for failure to yield to avoid an accident and i was ticketed for riding on the wrong side . i had stitches in my head and a broken leg/ankle in 3 places. my lawyer says this is a difficult liabilty case due to my fault. he's taking 40%...ALSO he says the most im going to get is 24,000..does this sound right??? the offenders ins comp says im 30% at fault, which is why thats all theyre offering..my lawyer says i could go to trial but its a risk and could end up receiving nothing...is my lawyer telling the truth?..he says if the jury finds me at least 50 % responsible, then im entitled to nothing..my ticket was dismissed, im not sure about hers..lawyer also says the jury is not made aware of the 50% rule and also doesnt receive ticket info...could someone advise??
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: bike vs, SUV II
you should listen to your lawyer--that's why you got one.
Re: bike vs, SUV II
If you have lost confidence in your lawyer then you need to sit down with him and either discharge him or reestablish a relationship of trust.
Just like a marriage, a lawyer and client need to have faith in each other.
If you have lost that faith, then you need to send your lawyer a letter terminating your agreement.
Obtain a copy of your file, which he is obligated to give you, and go out and interview a few new lawyers.
If your old lawyer has any out-of-pocket expenses you should pay them.
Your new lawyer and your old lawyer will then have to split the fees between them depending on the amount of work each lawyer performed, so it will not cost you anything extra to hire a new lawyer.
Talk to several lawyers who are experienced in this field and then hire the one that you think best suits your needs.
That is my advice at this stage.
Good luck,
Matt Belcher
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