What to Do If You Suspect Nursing Home Negligence

If you or someone in your family has been in a car accident, or suffered an injury for which you weren’t at fault, or are dealing with uncooperative insurance companies, talking to a personal injury attorney about your options might not be the first thing on your mind. That’s understandable, and it’s also understandable that when you are ready to discuss your situation, a call to a law firm might seem daunting. We get it: The legal process can be complicated and intimidating. At Bordas & Bordas, our goal is to make the experience as welcoming as possible to everyone who calls our offices for a free consultation. We want you to feel comfortable speaking with us as we work through your legal options. And we want you to call, even if you’re unsure that you have a case. Here’s what you can expect when you call Bordas & Bordas and talk to our team. Who Will I Speak to When I Call? When you call Bordas & Bordas, a receptionist will answer and ask how we can help you. If you are seeking legal help, you will be transferred to one of our intake representatives, who are specialists in gathering your information and guiding you toward next steps. Our intake representatives are local to the Ohio Valley and southwest Pennsylvania—you won’t be sent to a call center outside the region or outside the U.S. If you call our firm after hours, on the weekend, or on a holiday, you will get our voicemail service asking you to leave a message. Please leave a detailed message, including your name and the best number and time to get a hold of you. An intake representative will return your call early the next day or after the weekend—and we prioritize those calls as soon as we’re back in the office. And if our intake representatives are busy during the day and you don’t get through right away, don’t be discouraged: Our receptionist will pass along the information, and our intake representatives will get back to you ASAP. What Will the Intake Representative Ask? Our intake representatives will start the conversation by asking for some basic information from you: Name Address Phone number Email address How you heard about Bordas & Bordas After you give us this info, we will ask about your situation: What happened to you, how you were injured, what pain and suffering you and your family have endured, and what relief you are hoping for by contacting a personal injury attorney. This is your opportunity to tell your story, and we are eager to hear it and guide you through next steps. Supporting documents such as police reports, insurance correspondence, medical records, and photos can be helpful when you first call, but don’t worry if you don’t have them readily available. Those documents will be vital later in the process, but for now, telling us your story is most important. During the call, the intake representatives will encourage you to ask questions you may have. Some questions can be answered only by our attorneys, but with others (e.g., “What is a contingency fee?”), our intake specialists will answer the best that they can. Unlike other personal injury lawyers who require you to sign a consultation agreement that limits you from contacting other attorneys while your case is being considered, Bordas & Bordas won’t make you sign anything until both sides have agreed to representation. Your trust is valuable to us, and making you commit to our firm before you feel comfortable with us doesn’t build a good lawyer-client relationship. What Happens After the Intake Call? After our intake representatives get all your information on your call, they will forward it to our attorneys, who will determine if we accept your case, require more information, or decline to represent you. A paralegal may contact you to set up a call with an attorney to discuss the possibility of taking your case. Whether we decide to take your case or not, someone from our office will get back to you, usually in a few days, though there are times it may take longer.  We consider all the factors of your situation and will always call you personally if we decline to represent you. Why Might I Be Told That Bordas Can’t Help Me? Our firm wishes we could help everybody who contacts us; however, there are some basic circumstances in which we won’t be able to take your case. Some of these situations include: You’re being sued: The attorneys at Bordas & Bordas specialize in helping people who have been wrongly injured, either physically or through bad faith claims by insurance companies. Although defendants in such cases deserve quality representation on their side, we represent only plaintiffs in such cases. It’s an area of law we don’t practice: Bordas & Bordas represents clients in a broad range of personal injury cases, but there are some areas we don’t practice, including divorce, criminal law, slander/libel, and probate. It’s outside our jurisdiction: Our firm’s attorneys primarily operate in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and we are licensed in a couple other states. Most civil cases are litigated at the state level, so if, for example, you are calling from outside our attorneys’ jurisdiction, we likely will be unable to take your case. Bordas & Bordas: An Ally When You Need One Everyone at Bordas & Bordas is dedicated to helping every person who contacts our offices. We value your initial conversations with us, and even if we don’t take your case, we hope to earn your trust so that if the unthinkable happens and you need a personal injury lawyer, you can reach out to us again. You can call Bordas & Bordas at 888-4JUSTICE (888-458-8423) or call one of our offices directly: Pittsburgh (and Pennsylvania): 412-502-5000 Moundsville: 304-845-5600 Wheeling (and West Virginia): 304-242-8410 St. Clairsville (and Ohio): 740-695-8141 And if you are more comfortable connecting with us online, visit our website and request a consultation, or interact with our 24/7 automated live chat. We carefully review every request and go through the same steps we do with people who call our offices. Whether by phone or online, we look forward to helping you.

What to Look for in a Dangerous Drug Lawyer If you or a loved one suffered injuries, illnesses, or death caused by defective medications, you need the help of a Bordas & Bordas dangerous drug lawyer. We could hold pharmaceutical companies accountable and help victims like you secure compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Navigating complex liability issues between manufacturers and doctors is not an easy task. Only a few dangerous drug lawyers have the skills and experience to maximize your settlement. Read on to learn what to look for in a dangerous drug lawyer and contact our team for help protecting your rights. What Makes a Drug Dangerous? Even big pharma makes mistakes, and while medications are designed to help, dangerous outcomes like severe side effects, drug-drug interactions, and overdoses are a significant public health issue. Pharmaceuticals may cause harm even when you use them as intended. This can happen due to improper FDA approval, a manufacturing defect, contamination, dangerous interactions with other drugs, undisclosed side effects, improper labeling, or inadequate warnings. Taking these dangerous drugs comes with risks that far outweigh their prescribed benefits and could lead to very serious side effects. From severe allergic reactions and organ failure to neurological damage and birth defects, taking these medications could be life-threatening. What Should You Look for in a Dangerous Drug Lawyer? When you look for a dangerous drug lawyer, prioritize attorneys with specific, proven experience in product liability. It is essential to ensure they have handled cases involving the exact or similar medications and understand the complex scientific and medical data involved. This professional legal advocate should have a strong track record of settlements against Big Pharma, as well as ample resources for complex investigations. Dangerous drug cases are long and costly, and a reputable firm should have the financial stability to handle extensive litigation, hire expert witnesses, and manage massive documentation. Does the Dangerous Drug Lawyer You Hire Really Matter? Yes. The lawyer you hire makes all the difference in achieving the very best outcome in your dangerous drug claim. They should keep you informed and make you feel supported, and not like just another case file number. Poor communication or difficulty reaching the attorney is a red flag that could delay your case or even risk your compensation altogether. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, you need an attorney who is not afraid to go to court and litigate on your behalf. Warning signs may not be easy to spot at first. So, be wary of a dangerous drug lawyer who makes vague promises about the outcome of your case or one who lacks the specialized experience that is essential in these types of matters. Learn What Our Dangerous Drug Lawyers Deliver and Reach Out The dangerous drug lawyers at Bordas & Bordas have won many multimillion-dollar settlements for our clients, and we stand ready to offer you the same quality legal services. With our contingency payment structure, let us take on your claim’s risk while you recover. Schedule an appointment for your free consultation to learn more about what to look for in a dangerous drug lawyer.

According to 26 U.S.C.A. § 7430(c)(1) and I.R.C. § 7430(c)(1), the term “reasonable litigation costs” are defined as follows: (A) reasonable court costs, and (B) based upon prevailing market rates for the kind or quality of services furnished— (i) the reasonable expenses of expert witnesses in connection with a court proceeding, except that no expert witness shall be compensated at a rate in excess of the highest rate of compensation for expert witnesses paid by the United States, (ii) the reasonable cost of any study, analysis, engineering report, test, or project which is found by the court to be necessary for the preparation of the party's case, and (iii) reasonable fees paid or incurred for the services of attorneys in connection with the court proceeding, except that such fees shall not be in excess of $125 per hour unless the court determines that a special factor, such as the limited availability of qualified attorneys for such proceeding, the difficulty of the issues presented in the case, or the local availability of tax expertise, justifies a higher rate. In the case of any calendar year beginning after 1996, the dollar amount referred to in clause (iii) shall be increased by an amount equal to such dollar amount multiplied by the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section 1(f)(3) for such calendar year, by substituting “calendar year 1995” for “calendar year 2016” in subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof. If any dollar amount after being increased under the preceding sentence is not a multiple of $10, such dollar amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $10. Corson v. C.I.R., 123 T.C. 202 (2004) addressed what is a reasonable litigation cost and specifically discusses section 7430. The opinion states that section 7430 defines reasonable litigation costs as reasonable court costs and reasonable fees paid or incurred for the services of attorneys in connection with the proceeding. Corson, 123 T.C. at *212 (citing Sec. 7430(c)(1)). Corson involved the review of determining what the fair litigation costs of the prevailing party are in a tax claim. Furthermore, attorney’s fees, which may be considered litigation costs in a claim, are limited by statute and are adjusted for living costs. Id. (citing Sec. 7430(c)(1)(B)(iii)). According to the National Center for State Courts’ Civil Litigation Cost Model, the median costs of litigation broken down by case type are as follows: Automobile $43k, Premises Liability $54k, Real Property $66k, Employment $88k, Contract $91k, and Malpractice $122k. More on this can be found here. As you can see, the cost of litigating a legal claim can be very expensive. A contingency lawyer will generally agree to forgo all attorney fees and litigation costs if there is no verdict or settlement in the client’s favor. It is this factor that will likely benefit a client in various ways. Examples of the same are that the attorney bears all the economic risks associated with the litigation, and the contingency fee substantially ensures the attorney will be diligent and assertive in the handling of the claim, because the attorney will not get paid, if at all, until a successful resolution of the case. A person may want to keep all of this in mind when assessing the legitimacy of the lawyer’s share of the recovery in a successful claim.