In most cases, when a personal injury attorney refuses to represent you, it has nothing to do with the client personally. He or she may have ethical conflicts that prevent them from taking you on as a client or it may not make financial sense to do so. In other cases, the attorney may not have enough evidence or legal reasons to pursue the case. The following is a list of the 5 main reasons that a personal injury attorney may decline to represent you and your case:
- Estimated amount of recovery is too low – if you suffered only slight damages, a personal injury attorney might decline to represent you. Damages typically include lost income, medical expenses, pain, and suffering, etc. If your injuries were minor and you’ve fully recovered from them, they may not be sufficient enough to be economically feasible for the attorney to represent you.
- Statute of Limitations has expired – the statute of limitations in personal injury cases establishes the deadline for filing a claim or lawsuit.
- There is a conflict of interest – conflict of interest rules were instituted to ensure that an attorney will fully represent you and your best interests. Consequently, any conflict of interest may divide their loyalties. If this occurs, the ethical rules will bar that attorney from providing legal representation. For example, if the attorney’s cousin owns the property where your slip and fall accident occurred, the attorney could potentially have a conflict of interest if they represented you.
- You contributed too much to the fault – in the state of Florida, your ability to recover compensation for damages and injuries is directly related to the role you played in the accident. If you contributed to the fault of the accident in any way, it will reduce the amount of compensation you ultimately receive.
- Your case is outside the attorney’s expertise – not all attorneys represent all types of personal injury claims and lawsuits. Some attorneys will avoid certain practice areas such as medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, or workplace accidents while others may dedicate their entire practice to only one or two areas such as mass torts or product liability cases.
If you are confused about the state of your case and are looking to claim damages, we are here to help you. To learn if you have a valid personal injury claim, call the Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group today at (772) 569-8155 for a FREE consultation.
