Cross Border Lawyers

Reasons To Hire A cross border lawyer

1.  Pursuing cross border personal injury claims is our business
Our personal injury lawyers only practice personal injury law. We are one of the few firms in North America who have settled personal injury cases in both Canada and the United States, have Canadian and American law degrees, are licensed in both countries and have a record setting verdict in the United States. The attorneys in our firm have helped thousands of clients.  We work hard to give our clients a strong chance of success in even the most difficult situations.  When you hire a personal injury lawyer on our team, you’re hiring a lawyer who focuses on cross border personal injury law.   

In any cross border accident, one of our first jobs is to ascertain what insurance is available.  Because so many Americans have little, or no insurance, it is critical to determine the policy limits at the outset.  Some Canadians may have insurance to cover the gap, if any, between the insurance of the American driver and the damages.  Conversely, while the average Canadian driver has more insurance than most Americans, it still may not be enough in a serious injury case. In both countries, there may be uninsured or underinsured insurance to help fill this gap. Therefore, one of our first jobs is to sort out who has what insurance.     

2.  We may help arrange payment for your treatment
One of the biggest struggles aside from pain and suffering injured auto accident victims endure is financial problems, including paying for treatment before a settlement or award for compensation. Modern medical treatment is expensive. The medical bills in a serious cross border accident case are usually far beyond the victim's ability to pay. This is where we might be able to help.  

If you have regular medical insurance at the time of an injury or afterwards, that coverage will pay for medical treatment caused by an accident or malpractice. The insurance company for the person who causes an accident will not directly pay the victim's medical bills. As a rule, insurance companies pay nothing initially, as payment would be an admission of fault.  

However, your health or auto insurance (medpay or Canadian auto insurance including ICBC) may only pay for a portion of your treatment before your claim resolves. However, every time you get treatment, such as physiotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic therapy, MRI scans, and other types of treatment, you may have to pay a user fee or co-pay. There are exceptions and your insurance may cover your treatment in full; however not always.  

When you hire us after a cross border accident, we can help arrange for payment for the user and visit fees to relieve your financial pressure. After such an accident, we can also help find doctors, treatment providers, MRI clinics and other specialists with whom we can arrange for you to consult to aid recovery and your claim.  

We help arrange payment for physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture, and other treatment recommended by your family physician or treating medical specialist when your insurance won’t pay for these treatment expenses.  

If your family doctor (or a specialist you visit) recommends other types of treatment that result in a user fee, we can help arrange payments for those as well.  

Simply ask about this service when you hire us. In our experience taking this approach helps our clients get access to the best care and it helps their injury claim. When we help arrange payment for your treatment, you agree to reimburse treatment costs upon claim resolution, which we’ll add as a cost to the case.  Depending on how your medical treatment is paid, there may be interest to pay.   

3.  Extensive experience
We have extensive experience with a wide variety of personal injury cases.  First we have means that we have experience assessing claims. This means we can tell you at the outset whether it is worth your while to pursue legal action. If you are unlikely to prevail, you will not need to incur the time and expense of preparing for litigation. Second we can help you work through the maze of paperwork necessary to resolve your claim so that you can get on with your life.  This may involve insurance, medical and immigration paperwork. Third, we work with, or can find, experienced investigators who have experience in specialized areas and will skillfully investigate the technical aspects of your case. Fourth, we can be more objective about your case than you can and will not make a rash decision. Whereas you may be tempted, for instance, to go for a quick payout, we may counsel you that it is in your best interests to wait for a more appropriate offer. Fifth, we know whether your dispute may be best resolved through mediation, thereby saving you time, money, and emotional energy. Sixth, we are experienced in effectively and expediently dealing with opposing counsel. Seventh, we have experience with insurance companies. We are used to working with insurance companies and will not be confused by their tactics or feel pressured to settle for an unsatisfactory amount.   

4.  Access to your lawyer
From the first time you call for a free consultation to the resolution of your claim, you have access to a lawyer instead of only access to a paralegal or legal assistant. Our personal injury lawyers make it a point to be available for our clients – on the telephone, by e-mail, and even in-person.  We know that it’s hard to meet with lawyers during working hours. That’s why, upon request, we provide evening consultations.   

5. Focus on service
Our lawyers take pride in being available for our clients. If we happen to not be available when you call, we aim to return your call or e-mail within 24 hours so you get assistance quickly.  We need to get to know you. This helps us focus on the severity of the accident and the impact that the injuries will have on your life. This approach allows us to explain the injury in terms that resonate with juries and insurance companies.    

6.  Free consultation
We offer a free consultation with no obligation on you to hire us after the free consultation.  

7.  You pay only when money is recovered for you
When you hire a personal injury lawyer in our firm, you pay a legal fee only if we recover money for you. You hire us by signing a contingency fee agreement.  Our legal fee is a percentage of the amount of money we recover for you. We advance all costs of your case, including arranging for help with medical costs if necessary.  

8.  Exceptional and friendly support staff
Our personal injury team includes experienced paralegals and legal secretaries to help with your claim.  

9.  We know how to collect evidence
Emergency room, ambulance and paramedic records, along with witness statements from the scene of an injury can greatly amplify the chance of success in getting just compensation. These records are especially important when a person has severe injuries and may have lost consciousness or has amnesia as a result of the injury, as he or she will be unable to reliably testify on his or her own behalf.   

Preserving evidence is important in any case, especially in matters involving car accidents. We ensure that everything that would be helpful to examinations by mechanical engineers, biomechanical engineers, accident reconstructionists and other professionals is undisturbed.   

Finally, to establish baseline levels of function and the lifestyle before an accident, we collect employment, medical and all other records that are useful for showing the level of injury and how it affects our client.    

10.  We understand the value of experts
Different types of injuries require the services of different experts to fully assess the extent of damage a person has sustained.  We may hire experts including mental health experts such as psychologists, neuropsychologists, and psychiatrists and neurologists; medical professionals and providers such as: radiologists and doctors; engineers, such as automotive, mechanical, or equipment) and forensics experts.  

11.  We go to trial when necessary. 
We work hard to reach settlements that meet our clients’ needs as early as possible in the claims process. Because we only get paid if you do, we are in this together.  However, we recognize that sometimes, in order to get fair compensation for a client, going to trial is necessary.  We have extensive trial experience and have obtained excellent results in trial.  We pursue each case as if it’s going to trial. Most cases resolve before trial, but if going to trial is necessary for fair compensation, we have the necessary trial experience to present your case. In the very rare case where we cannot handle your case personally, we will associate with a local trial lawyer to get you the best result.