The Supreme Court of Virginia recently issued its opinion in the case Shevlin Smith v. McLaughlin, 769 S.E. 2d 7 (2015). A copy of the opinion can be found here. The Shevlin Smith decision addressed an interesting issue: is the ability to collect a judgment relevant?
Continue reading
When I meet with potential clients for the first time, I am frequently asked about the process of making a personal injury claim. This is not surprising. You hire a personal injury attorney to handle the process for you because you do not know how it works. With that said, I think it is important for clients to have a basic understanding of what happens throughout the process, especially since clients often wonder about their involvement once they hire an attorney. In this post, I will give you just that – a summary of what happens when you make a personal injury claim using our firm.
Continue reading
Most people do not realize that there are different types of courts in which you can file personal injury cases. Each of these courts has different rules and procedures, and each has advantages and disadvantages for personal injury cases. In this entry, I’ll explain these differences and help you understand which court is best for your case.
Continue reading
CASE RESULTS DEPEND ON A VARIETY FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY THE LAWYERS OR LAW FIRM.
Sickels, Frei & Mims is proud to announce that a case handled by Steve Frei and Matt Perushek has been listed as a top verdict of 2014 by two publications. The case involved a brain-injured Plaintiff that ended with a $1.5 million verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
Continue reading
I have been a trial lawyer for 35 years, and over the past 5 years or so, it seems that every client says the same thing in the initial meeting: “I am not the kind of person who sues someone.” It doesn’t seem to matter whether the client suffered a back injury or lost a loved one–people don’t want to be identified as a plaintiff.
Continue reading
In my last post, I provided a summary of the types of auto insurance that often come into play during a personal injury case. In this post, I will outline some important auto insurance laws in Virginia and what you can do to protect yourself in case you are injured.
Continue reading
I often find myself explaining how auto insurance “works” to family, friends, and clients. Even the basics of insurance can be difficult to understand. Unfortunately, the complexities of insurance often cause individuals to unknowingly expose themselves to serious risk when purchasing auto insurance. Through this and a subsequent post, I will explain auto insurance in Virginia. To begin, this post will discuss the basic types of coverage that come into play during a personal injury case.
Continue reading
McDonald’s Hot Coffee– Lesson for Trial Lawyers
The telling of stories is a natural way for people to learn and convey ideas. In fact, it is so natural that at times people will complete lessons they think they have learned by inventing facts that fit their perceived story. This is particularly problematic for trial lawyers. If you tell an incomplete story to a jury–someone will complete it for you and do so through their own experiences, real or perceived. Once a juror has completed your story, it becomes the only story and will guide that juror’s thinking and communication with his fellow jurors.
Continue reading
Matthew (Matt) graduated magna cum laude from George Mason University School of Law in May 2012. Immediately upon graduation he served as law clerk to The Honorable Michael F. Devine, Judge, Circuit Court of Fairfax County. Matt will be involved in all aspects of the firms civil litigation practice.
A 30 year old father of two was injured while working on a County trash truck. He received workers compensation benefits, but knowing they wouldn’t last forever, the worker sought counsel. After several lawyers told him there was no case, Gary Mims and associate Zachary Desmond agreed to investigate further.
Continue reading
Virginia Injury Lawyer Blog