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A variety of injury cases are filed in Chicago every day. Many personal injury attorneys have offices in Chicago, and many prefer to file cases here because statistics show that lawsuits are worth more in Chicago than in smaller cities and towns. The main courthouse is at the Daley Center downtown, at 50 W. Washington Street. There are different divisions depending on the value of the case. Smaller cases are filed in the civil division and larger cases in the law division.

“Personal injury” is a broad category of cases where someone is harmed by someone else’s negligence, such as car accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and defective product injuries. Personal injury cases aren’t just about physical harm; they also include cases of property damage, financial loss, etc.

When suing for personal injury, you are asking the court to award you damages, which is payment for the harm caused. It’s common to ask for coverage of medical bills, reimbursement for financial loss (such as wages lost from time off work), as well as pain and suffering.

Most personal injury attorneys in Chicago, and throughout the state, charge a contingency fee. This means that you only pay your attorney if your case is successful. If you receive an award in court, or if you settle outside of court, you pay your attorney a percentage, which is generally about 1/3 of what you recover. If your case gets dismissed, or you lose after trial, you pay nothing. For example, if you get a settlement of $500,000, your attorney would get $167,000, and you’d get the rest after any expenses. If you do not get a settlement, then there is no compensation for the attorneys for all of their hours worked. It’s risk/reward.

When looking for a Chicago injury attorney, don’t settle. You can research an attorney by doing an internet search, reading their website or asking around. If you find someone you may want to hire, ask for an initial consultation (it should be free) and see if they are a good fit for you and your case. Ask a lot of questions. Ask how many cases like yours they have had in the past and whether they were successful. Ask how they would handle your case. And ask about how they communicate with their clients. It’s important that an attorney returns phone calls promptly and keeps clients up to date on important case developments. If it doesn’t feel right, keep looking. It’s also important that they have handled similar cases to yours.

We only recommend attorneys with significant experience in personal injury, and because it’s a broad category, we take your particular situation into account. We may not recommend the same attorney for a slip and fall at a grocery store that we would recommend for a fatal car accident. Our goal is to find the right attorney for you.

If you need help finding a Chicago injury attorney, please contact us. You will speak to one of our attorneys for free. We won’t simply give you the name of an attorney off a list. We listen to your unique situation and only recommend an attorney we believe can help you. And we only recommend attorneys we know and trust. We don’t promise a result, but do guarantee that we’ll give you the same advice we’d give to a family member or friend.