Before starting the legal proceeding, we should know how much our case is worth. We should know that the legal process can be expensive and time consuming, potentially negating all the financial gains, even if we are able to win the case. This simple fact drives many legal decisions, including whether it is a good idea to go to trial. We should know how much money we spend on preparing and settling the case. We should take into consideration things related with the value of the case. Also, we should consider the amount of money that we can be entitled to. There are different kinds of financial compensations that we can get after winning the case. We may need to deal with special, general and punitive damages, when we want to gain financial compensations.

Special damages can be related to different factors, such as medications, medical bills and OTC medical equipments. They may also include travel expenses, lost sick leave, lost vacation and lost wages. Obviously, they will require detailed calculation. There should be proper lost wages compensation. People also suffer from various degrees of pain and suffering during the incident. Depression, anxiety and stress could cause a variety of mental issues, which may be compensated as well. General damages may include disfigurement and permanent physical disability. On the other hand, punitive damages are used against wrongdoers and they are intended to give victims proper financial compensations. It is important to pursue the most appropriate type of damage and we should be able to gather enough evidence.

When we are seeking financial compensation through legal means, we should know about factors that may increase or decrease the value of the case. This can be rather tricky, because each case can be quite unique. As an example, sympathy has an important factor. Members of the jury could have more sympathy for children and elderly. It means that average, productive adults tend to receive less sympathy than other age groups. The type of injury could also increase the chance of winning the case. More severe injuries will have higher chance of winning the case and the case will have higher values. It means that serious injuries could have higher chance of winning the case, compared to “minor impact on soft tissue” cases.

It is important to have doctors to examine people who are affected with injuries. Lab reports, range of motion measurements and MRI can be used to determine the extent of the injuries and whether effects will take place for a long period of time. It means that people with more severe injuries have higher chances of winning the case. Insurance companies may seek quick settlements and in some cases, even downplay the extent of the injuries. They may also hire aggressive plaintiff’s attorneys who constantly push for immediate resolutions and perhaps at lower values. We should also know more about the juries. Some of the may focus more on bad behaviours and emotional decisions. As an example, a driver who is driving under influence could have lesser chance of winning the case, if he appears to be unremorseful.