General information for people doing this for the first time. The specific facts of your situation determine what rights you actually have, which is what the free consultation is for.
Almost nobody arrives here having done this before. The questions below are the ones this office gets asked most often, answered the way they get answered on the phone. Two of them are answered by refusing to give a number, and that refusal is the honest answer rather than an evasion - anybody who quotes you a figure or a deadline before knowing your facts is selling something.
Most of the anxiety in this process comes from not knowing what happens next or what any of it costs. Two of the answers below are answers that refuse to give a number, and those are the honest ones: anybody who quotes you a case value or a deadline before knowing your facts is selling something.
01
When you are injured by another's negligence, carelessness or wrongful conduct, you can often seek compensation from the negligent parties and their insurers. Whether that is worth doing in your case is a different question, and it is the one the first call is for.
02
Often it is in your interests to consult one, particularly where injuries are serious - but not always. The firm's own published position is blunt about it: you should only hire it if it can put you in a better position than you would be in on your own. It tells you what it can and cannot do, and it only takes the case if it believes it can help.
03
Probably not. About 95% of filed personal injury cases settle before trial. Preparing properly for one is also what makes a decent settlement possible, so the two are not opposites.
04
Every case turns on three things. Liability - establishing somebody's negligence. Damages - the amount that fairly and adequately compensates you. And source of collection - the insurance or other assets the damages can actually be recovered from. A strong case with nothing behind it to collect from is a real and disappointing situation.
05
There is no typical amount, and there is no minimum or maximum. An experienced attorney reads the case and works out what it is worth from the medical bills incurred and still to come, lost income and future earning capacity, your age, permanent limitations, the things you can no longer do, the things you can still do and no longer enjoy, the prognosis, and the strength of lay and expert testimony. The goal is fair and adequate compensation, which means knowing what a reasonable jury would award.
06
Harm caused by the physical injury itself, and the mental anguish caused by the accident and by the prospect of surgery. It is the part of a claim insurers most consistently treat as negotiable decoration.
07
No. An insurance company may well try to draw a straight line between damage to your car and the severity of your injury, but a body can be hurt in a collision the vehicle shrugs off. The reverse happens too - a badly damaged car and passengers with minor cuts.
08
The firm prepares clients for those examinations: what to expect, specially prepared material about how insurance company doctor exams work, and what you can do to make sure you get a complete diagnosis while protecting the claim. Do not go into one cold.
09
Then it does not settle. Nothing is accepted without your permission, you are told about every offer as it arrives, and each one is discussed with you - specifically whether it is fair and reasonable. That is your decision to make and it stays yours.
10
The firm helps clients process health and auto medical-payment benefits at no charge, and negotiates liens with health insurers to reduce the payback to the lien holder, also at no extra charge. Those savings go to the client.
11
No. Nobody at this office pressures anyone to retain it, and prospective clients are encouraged to think it over. Information from the office - on the phone, in person, or in the firm's brochure - is free. The firm's stated belief is that you should be able to come in and discuss a case without charge.
12
You get prepared for it. The firm has presentations to help clients understand what being in front of a jury is like, and material for preparing to give sworn depositions and statements to insurance company attorneys, which only becomes necessary if a lawsuit is filed. Understanding the process is what makes people less frightened of it.
Personal injury work here is done on contingency: the fee is a percentage of the award or settlement, and there is no attorney fee unless the case is won. The first consultation is free whatever comes of it.
It is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot account for your facts. The firm's own disclaimer says the same thing: contacting the office does not create an attorney-client relationship, and confidential information should not be sent until one has been established.
Indiana sets time limits on injury and wrongful death claims. They vary with the type of claim and with who the defendant is, and a claim brought too late cannot be recovered at all. A number printed on a website is a number written for somebody else's situation. Ask about yours, early.
Because nobody can give you one honestly before the medical picture is clear and the evidence exists. Any figure quoted that early is a marketing decision rather than an assessment, and it sets an expectation somebody will later have to walk back.
Nothing here accounts for your facts, and it deliberately states no deadline, predicts no outcome and quotes no figure, because none of those can be given responsibly to someone a website has never met. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Cooke Law Firm or Cooke Law Firm, and please do not send confidential information until a written engagement is in place. For your own situation, the first conversation is free. For the type of claim you are in, start with the practice areas.
No. It is general information about how injury claims tend to proceed in Indiana, and it cannot account for the specific facts of your situation. The firm's own FAQ opens by saying the same: the specific facts of your case determine what legal rights you may have.
Nothing, and there is no obligation attached to it. Call 765-340-2776.
No. Contacting the office does not create an attorney-client relationship, and confidential or time-sensitive information should not be sent until one has been established.
The firm states that an attorney or an experienced legal assistant is available twenty-four hours a day to answer questions and discuss concerns, and that evening and weekend meetings can be arranged by appointment.
Yes. The firm represents accident and injury victims throughout Indiana, in all trial and appellate courts in the state, and it names Tippecanoe, White and Benton counties among the areas it regularly serves.
That is a perfectly good reason to call. Describe what happened and you will get a straight read, including when the answer is that you can handle this yourself.
Contacting Cooke Law Firm or Cooke Law Firm does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing on this site is legal advice. Please do not send confidential information until a written engagement is in place. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.