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Personal
Injury.
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LEGAL
QUESTIONS? CONTACT US AT: 425-641-6000
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Joe
Koplin has been representing people with personal injury claims for
over twenty five years. As an elite "Eagle" member of the
Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, Joe regularly consults
with Washington's best personal injury attorneys across the entire
state through WSTLA's Online Eagle Listserve. WSTLA is dedicated to
represents the rights of the injured and the disabled in Washington
state and includes a strong lobby in Olympia dedicated to fighting
regressive "tort deform" legislation which attempts to protect
the insurance industry and its allies at the expense of the injured
and the under-represented.
Over
the years, Joe has handled numerous insurance claims including motor
vehicle accidents, trip and fall and slip and fall claims, construction
site injuries, injury claims against drunk drivers and their employers
as well as against taverns, restaurants, and hotels, and various product
liability claims. Joe has also handled claims against the State of
Washington, King County, the cities of Seattle and Bellevue, and other
public entities.
Unlike
many firms which employ non-attorney paralegals, legal assistants,
and inexperienced associate attorneys, Joe handles each case personally
from start to finish, including the initial client intake, case evauation,
investigation, gathering of medical and other records, filing the
demand package with the insurance company and, when necessary, filing
suit. Also unlike many firms, fees are less if the case can be resolved
through negotiation prior to filing a lawsuit.
Joe
views approaches every personal injury claim with two goals: (1) for
the client to achieve the best possible recovery from his or her injuries;
and (2) to achieve a fair settlement. Only after goal number (1) has
been achieved is the case then evaluated for settlement. Achieving
the best possible medical recovery means working with the client to
assure that he or she is receiving all necessary and appropriate medical
treatment and therapy. This may involve ongoing contacts with the
client's health care providers and suggestions for seeking specialized
opinions from other medical specialists to ensure that all medical
conditions have been accurately diagnosed and appropriately treated.
Forming a relationship with a personal injury attorney in the early
stages following an injury allows the attorney to play a meaningful
role in the client's treatment and recovery, as well as performing
a timely investigation, securing physical evidence, taking witness
statements when memories are fresh, and other steps necessary to protect
and enhance the client's claim.
Personal
injury claims are subject to statutes of limitation which cause
the claim to expire after the passage of a certain amount of time.
In the case of injuries arising in Washington due to negligence, the
statute of limitations is generally three (3) years from the date
of injury. The claims of children are generally "tolled"
until they reach legal adulthood (age 18), and certain statutes of
limitation are less than three years (for example, claims for intentional
assault).
If
you have questions, please contact Joe directly at joekoplin@mandk.net
or by phone at (425) 641-6000.
