5 Reasons Why Personal Injury Lawyers Refuse to Take Cases

Personal injury lawyers decline legal representation for numerous reasons, most of which have nothing to do with the person they’re consulting with.  They may feel that taking your case doesn’t make any sense financially, that representing you may create a conflict of ethical interests, or that there isn’t enough evidence to win your case.  In any event, here are the 5 most common reasons why a personal injury lawyer may refuse to represent you and your case:

  • The lawyer doesn’t specialize in the practice area that applies to your case – not all lawyers handle every type of personal injury case. For example, some may avoid medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, and workplace accident cases while others have dedicated their practice to only 1 or 2 areas.  So if you approach a personal injury lawyer with a case that falls outside their expertise, they may refuse to take your case.
  • The statute of limitations expired – the statute of limitations establishes a deadline for filing a lawsuit and exists to provide a degree of certainty to businesses and people. The statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit based on negligence in a motor vehicle accident or premises liability case is 4 years whereas it’s only 2 years for medical malpractice or wrongful death lawsuit.
  • The value of your case is too low – if your injuries were minor and you didn’t suffer that much damage, a personal injury lawyer might refuse to represent you. So if you fully recovered from minor injuries, you might not have sufficient damages to make your case economically feasible.
  • There’s a conflict of interest – the rules surrounding conflicts of interest exist to ensure that a personal injury lawyer will represent your best interests. Consequently, any conflict of interest could split their loyalties.  If this should happen, ethical rules will bar that lawyer from representing you and your case.
  • You contributed too much fault – in Florida, your opportunity for recovering monetary compensation is based on the role you played in your accident. If you contributed to the fault of the accident in any way, the court will reduce the number of damages you’re entitled to.  In some cases, it may not be financially feasible for a lawyer to represent you if you contributed too much fault to the accident.

Although it is the sole purpose of lawyers to ensure that justice is delivered and usually, they are ready to take on cases, but sometimes, they do refuse to represent you. The Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group is here to help and we specialize in an extensive range of personal injury cases as well as consumer fraud, Social Security Disability, and Veterans Affairs benefits cases.  For more information, call us today at (772) 569-8155.

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