Can You Speed Up the Personal Injury Lawsuit Process?

One reason some people avoid filing a personal injury lawsuit is that they don't want to wait. Maybe you've watched friends spend years going in and out of court in pursuit of their claim, or perhaps you've been told by coworkers that the money you get won't be worth the time in the end. It is true that some personal injury cases take a long time, but you're not totally powerless in this regard. If you were injured due to someone else's negligence, you deserve to file a claim—and there is plenty you can do to make the case move along faster.

1. Hire a big law firm.

There are small law firms out there who do a very good job of representing their clients, and really, there is nothing wrong with hiring a small firm. However, if time is of the essence, you may be better off hiring a larger law firm to represent you. A large firm has more resources to dedicate to your case. Your attorney can have a paralegal do some of their work. He or she will have more colleagues to consult if there's anything difficult about your case. Ultimately, this will mean things move along at a faster pace.

2. Bring all of your paperwork with you to your first meeting.

When you have that first consultation with your lawyer, make sure you bring any and all paperwork related to your case and claim with you. This will stop you from having to run around and find the right paperwork later. It will also mean your lawyer can get right to work on your case as soon as the meeting is over, rather than waiting and bounding emails back and forth for a few days as paperwork is gathered. If you're not sure what paperwork you need, call the lawyer's office a few days before your meeting; they can tell you.

3. Consider a settlement.

Oftentimes, when you file a claim against another person or company, their lawyer will propose a settlement offer to keep the case out of court. They may, for example, offer to just give you $50,000 of the $70,000 to settle things right off the bat. If the settlement offer is reasonable, you should take it. Otherwise, have your injury lawyer negotiate to improve the offer. This is a lot less time-consuming than going to court, even if you don't get quite as much.