FAQs General Legal Information

There is no charge for an initial consultation. If your injury case is accepted, you will not be required to pay any attorney’s fees unless we successfully settle the case or win at trial. If your case is not accepted, no amount will be due. As to the non-injury case, a fee arrangement will be explained and detailed billing will be provided.

With injury cases, we do not charge hourly fees. When a case is accepted on a contingency basis, it means you will not pay any attorney’s fees unless we successfully negotiate a settlement on your behalf or win your case at trial. Should we prevail, the contingency fee will be a specific portion of the recovery. There is no fee in your case if not settled or won at trial.

Contingency fees vary depending upon the nature of your case. We believe our fees are standard within the industry. Please contact us to discuss your case and the applicable fee structure.

If you have been injured by the negligence of another person or while at work, you should not delay in contacting an attorney. By waiting too long, you may lose your legal rights, as all cases involve sensitive and serious legal deadlines, known as the Statute of Limitations. In addition, it is important to allow your attorney the opportunity to gather critical evidence that may disappear as time goes by. An insurance company will have its employees investigating the case immediately — you should as well.

Every case has its own time frame. Where possible, we do not explore settlement until you and your physicians feel that you are finished healing from your injuries. Once you have reached “maximum medical improvement” – that is, as good as you are going to get, our firm will make the appropriate settlement demand. In catastrophic cases, our settlement demands will contemplate future medical care. Nevertheless, some cases settle before a lawsuit is filed and others can take two or more years before being resolved.

In Georgia, an employee who is injured while in the course and scope of his employment is entitled to certain benefits. These benefits include a portion of salary while disabled as a result of the job-related injury. The injured worker is also entitled to medical treatment and a cash award for any permanent injury.

Yes. There are many issues facing the injured worker. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can assist the injured worker by seeing to it that he or she is not taken advantage of and that all legal rights are protected. It has been our experience that the employer’s representative seldom lets the injured worker know about all of his or her rights.

Yes. Workers’ compensation case just like other types of injury cases, are governed by what is commonly referred to as the “statute of limitations”. In general, workers’ compensation cases must be filed within one year from the date of accident or two years from the date that you last received workers’ compensation weekly benefits. In cases where the employer provided medical care, an injured worker has one year from the last treatment date to file a claim. The employer is also entitled to notice of your injury within thirty days. The Statute of Limitations in workers’ compensation cases is a tricky area of the law and must be appropriately evaluated by a qualified workers’ compensation attorney. If you are considering bringing a workers’ compensation claim, it is imperative that you contact us as quickly as possible so that we have sufficient time to thoroughly investigate your claim prior to the expiration of the Statute of Limitations.

Yes. You should bring any correspondence that you have received from your employer, its workers’ compensation insurance company, any medical bills and/or reports. If you do not have any of these documents, we will obtain them on your behalf if you elect to retain our firm.

Yes. Injury cases are governed by what is commonly referred to as the “statute of limitations”. In general, injury cases in Georgia must be filed within two years from the date that an injury resulted from the negligence of another person. If you are considering bringing an injury claim against a responsible party, it is imperative that you contact us as quickly as possible so that we have sufficient time to thoroughly investigate your case prior to the expiration of the Statute of Limitations.

No. At Sherrod and Bernard, P.C., all of our cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. That means we are not paid unless we are successful in winning your case. In addition, we will advance all of the costs associated with investigating and prosecuting your case. These costs include such things as ordering your medical records, copies, postage, witness fees and what your doctors charge us to provide testimony.

Yes. If you have any of the following documents, it would be helpful if you brought them to our initial meeting: accident report, insurance information on any car in your household, medical bills for treatment concerning the accident, any correspondence from the at-fault driver’s insurance company and any photographs that you have taken either of the wrecked vehicle or accident scene. If you do not have any of this information, don’t worry. Our firm will gather the needed information for you if you elect to retain our firm.