Turn Calls/Inquiries into Signed Retainer
Agreements and Cash in the Bank… Remotely
Interviewer: The main thing that I hear is … Everything that happens or that you say or that you do, is going to be under a microscope. So, later on, stuff comes to light that you said wasn’t true, or the client, or everyone involved, it’s going to be a big problem, so why would people even do that?
JW: Oh, yeah. Like I say, that’s the foundation for anybody’s case: “Can I believe this person or not? Can I believe their lawyer or not?” So, if that starts to fall apart, then the whole thing comes tumbling down.
Interviewer: Makes sense. Is there anything else that you’ve learned about human behavior, peoples’ reaction to being in an accident? What human insights, additionally, have you gained in dealing with these accidents over 20 years?
JW: Well, in terms of how people behave, how they react, most people are really shook up. They’re really shocked. They see their world being turned upside down. Part of my job is help them regain some composure, regain some focus and get on with the process of trying to get over this problem, their rehabilitation, and getting them some income replacement, benefits.
I found that the most people are straight ahead. Most people, if you give them some guidance, if you point them in the right direction, they’re going to do the right thing in terms of trying to get better, trying to get back to work, trying to restore their health. I found that most people are very genuine, and they just want to get back to where they were, before the accident. They’re not hunting for a big pot of cash. They’re looking to get on with their life, to get back to where they were with their families, with their loved ones, with their hobbies, recreation, and work. So, at the end of the day, my faith in people and their genuine want to do the right thing is restored, day in and day out.
Interviewer: That’s great. And, you know, you’re right. As you speak, what I hear (in my head) is, “Get the money you deserve.” The call to action is completely different from what you say you experience.
JW: Yeah. The idea that it’s all about the money, I think, is not accurate. Do people want to be treated fairly? Yeah. Sure. They want to be fairly compensated by an insurance company, but what they really want is to get their lives back in order, to get back to the way things were before the accident, and the money is a tool for helping them do exactly that.
Interviewer: Interesting. OK. I mean, this may be really hard to say, but how long do these cases take until there’s a result, a good or bad one?
JW: You know, that’s a hard one to nail down. It depends on the types of injuries. I’ve seen cases that last a number of years. If the person is really catastrophically injured, brain injury, spinal cord injury, those type of cases take a long time to really nail down because you have to be able to figure out where the person is headed for the remainder of their days, for the rest of their life, because they need to be compensated for the work they’re going to miss, the health care they’re going to need. It’s a big, big responsibility, and I have to make sure that case is as tight as a drum. So, it takes three or four years, sometimes.
Cases where the person has lesser injuries, say, they have a couple of broken bones, once again, we have to really see how they’re going to heal up. Are they going to be able to get back to doing the same type of work? Are they going to have any long-term problems at work or in other areas of their life? So, those can take a couple of years.
Lesser cases, soft tissue, whiplash type of things, last a number of months to a year. I try and move those forward as quickly as the person is healing up. I know people want to get what’s fair, but they also don’t want to be having this case hanging over their head for longer than is necessary, but my bottom line with my clients is you’ve got to make sure that we’re doing this right because you’re only going to get one chance at settling a case.