Benefit From a Personal Injury Attorney

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Personal Injury AttorneyA car accident is not the only way that an individual can cause you harm or injury. If you find that you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence or ill intent, then you should seek out the assistance of a Ft. Lauderdale personal injury attorney to help you get your life back on track as soon as possible. The different practice areas are varied to include attorneys for criminal acts, as well.

The injuries that you sustain from an accident at the negligence of others can include brain and spinal injury, paralysis, whiplash, burns, lacerations, and broken bones. In some cases, wrongful death can also occur, and the help of an attorney is critical. Most of these situations do arise from traffic accidents, but there are other situations where you may be injured as a result of someone else’s carelessness. Slippery floors, falling materials, and malfunctioning equipment can all lead to injuries that can take you away from your job and family. A personal injury attorney can also assist you with medical malpractice cases, pharmaceutical cases, and asbestos lawsuits. The medical bills that arise from the injuries can be utterly overwhelming, and an attorney can help you get back on your feet.

Guideline for Negotiating With an Insurer for Insurance Claim

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How to reach a desired goal in negotiating with insurer for your insurance claim?

A personal injury claim, it may be for a road accident, or for getting back costs of medical negligence, once you have delivered a demand letter to an insurance firm, now you need to negotiate successfully.

Insurance ClaimIf you have prepared a well thought-out demand letter for insurance firm and attached appropriate supporting papers for your condition as well, the claim negotiation procedure will almost certainly consist of not anything more than a small number of phone discussions with a claim agent. There is a to the point guideline of how negotiations by and large work and a few suggestions to make you successful during a number of stages of the procedure.

How is the Negotiation Process Usually Preceded

All the way through the initial call with the insurance claim agent, you and the claim agent will maintain your plus and minus points about your claim. After that the claim agent will make a proposal to clear up your claim for a sum smaller than what you mentioned in your demand letter. You always try to figure out a higher number than the claim agent’s proposal but smaller than your real numbers. Most of the time, later than two or three phone discussions you will come to the similar opinion on a settlement number wherever in the middle.

“RESERVATION OF RIGHTS” Note

If you obtain a “reservation of rights” note from the insurance firm, don’t be shocked or scared. This note let you know that the insurance firm is conducting an inquiry for your claim, however that they have the right not to give you anything whenever it proves to be in the end that the injury is not insured. The letter basically defends the insurance firm by forbidding you from making any more claims that the firm’s insurance policy protects your accident only for the reason that it started negotiations process with you.

Figure out a Sum of Settlement in Mind

As element of setting up your demand letter, you should figure out what you think your claim has value. In such range, and earlier than you start discussion with a claim agent about your demand letter, make up your mind on a least compensation amount that you will consider as true. This amount is for your own understanding – accordingly you can remember your reasonable amount when you come under the stress in negotiation – however it is not a thing you need to expose to the claim agent.

You do not, on the other hand, need to stick with the amount you decided for yourself. Every time that a claim agents calls attention to a few facts you had not thought about but that evidently make your claim tending downward in amount, you may need to decrease your amount a bit. And, every time that the claim agent takes a start with a proposal at or close to your figured amount, you might want to adjust your figure once more.

Employment Law: Time Limits for Bringing Employment Tribunal Claims

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In the case of Chouafi v London United Busways Ltd [2005], the claimant was employed as a bus driver by the defendant company. In October 2003, he was diagnosed with severe depression and was signed off work until February 2004. He was dismissed in January 2004 on the grounds of his medical condition and complained to the employment tribunal of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.

employment_lawThe Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that an employment tribunal shall not consider a complaint for unfair dismissal unless it is presented to the tribunal within three months of the effective date of termination of employment. However this three-month limitation period may be extended if the tribunal considers that in the relevant case, it was not reasonably practicable for the complaint to be presented within the three months. There are similar provisions under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The tribunal decided that:-

The complaint of unfair dismissal had not been presented within the three-month time limit, pursuant to s 111 of the Employment Rights Act 1996;

The complaint of disability discrimination had not been presented within the three-month time limit, pursuant to the para 3 Schedule 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; and
Accordingly, the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to hear the claims.
The employee appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) against the decision. The EAT held that:-

Decisions on whether or not a claim would be admitted out of time, for unfair dismissal or disability discrimination, were essentially questions of facts on which the tribunal should decide based upon the evidence submitted by the parties;

The onus of proof was on the claimant to show it was not reasonably practicable to bring an action within the three-month time limit;

If the claimant failed to discharge that burden of proof, his/her case would inevitably fail;

In this case, the claimant failed to attend the hearing and provide more evidence about his mental health; and
The Tribunal was right in concluding that the employee had failed to provide an adequate explanation for filing his claim outside the time limit; and The tribunal’s decision would be upheld.