Practice Areas
Chicago Personal Injury Attorney
Attorney representation in Chicago, Illinois Since 1985
Personal Injury
In a personal injury, one party is at fault in causing injury to another through negligence, which also includes failure to act with reasonable care as well as recklessness. The injured party may seek compensation from the person or entity that caused the injury by filing a personal injury claim. During a personal injury claim, the injured person is referred to as the plaintiff and the person or entity that caused the injury is the defendant. Usually, the defendant's insurance company is the entity for negotiations to pay the claim. If the insurance company offers an unfair settlement, litigation is necessary.
How a personal injury claim is resolved depends on a number of circumstances:
- The degree to which the defendant was at fault
- The nature, extent, and severity of injury
- What insurance coverage the defendant carried
- Other possible sources for compensation, such as workers compensation
Various legal approaches to a personal injury case may include:
- A negotiated settlement between the attorney and insurance company
- Mediation to reach a settlement
- Arbitration to reach a settlement
- Trial by judge or jury
Some personal injury cases resolve easily through negotiation without need for litigation, or in other words, a lawsuit. Typically, to prove a claim to the insurance company, the plaintiff's attorney sends essential information that includes medical records and bills which substantiate the severity of injury, proof of lost wages, and verdicts and settlements of similar cases. If necessary, the attorney may also send specialized experts' documentation. In addition to sending information, the attorney will demand payment of compensation on the claim.
In mediation, a third party assists in the communication process between the plaintiff and the defendant in order to arrive at an agreed upon settlement. In arbitration, the third party hears the evidence from both sides and rules regarding compensation. In mediation, the rules of evidence are more relaxed than in arbitration where the rules of evidence are enforced.
Avoiding litigation is always more beneficial for both sides because negotiation not only saves time, but also reduces legal expenses, whereas mediation and arbitration incur more expense, and a trial, incurs the most expense.
Our main focus includes the following areas of personal injury. More information is available in our areas of practice by clicking on the following link categories:
- Car Accidents
- Catastrophic Injury/Trauma
- Personal Injury
- Head Injury
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Wrongful Death
- FELA (Railroad cases)
- Construction Accidents
- Defective Product
- Elevator Accident
- Workers Compensation
- Dog Bite
- Slip & Fall
- Motorcycle Accident
- Premises Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Birth Injury
- Truck Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Negligent Security
At the Budin Law offices we provide legal services for clients who have been seriously injured. If you have suffered a personal injury, please call our office at 312-377-0700 and we will arrange a free consultation to evaluate your case.
Our Law Offices are located at:
One North La Salle Street
Suite 1560
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, McHenry, Kane, Dekalb, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Iroquois, and Livingston.