Straight Talk Law: Get to Know the Man Behind it All; An Interview with Jason Epstein Part 2
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by: MattCBA
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What are some of the preconceived notions you run into regarding personal injury attorneys? How do you combat those ideas?
The general public perception of lawyers is low. Personal injury attorneys are viewed even lower, as ‘ambulance chasers’. The fact of the matter, however, is that people do not ask to be injured by someone else. When someone finds themselves in that unfortunate position, they are entitled under the law (and any other moral code) to have returned to them what was taken away. In injury law, some parts of that equation can be difficult. For example it is easy to say that the wrongdoer should have to pay for the medical bills of the person they injured, but what should they have to pay, if anything, for the other things that were taken away such as missing your kid’s soccer game, or not being able to do something they love, or for living in pain? There are no easy answers to those questions. The only surety is that it doesn’t matter how opposed to collecting money for pain, suffering, and etc. someone is, when it is them that is injured and has been forced to bear that loss they want full justice themselves.
When, in general, do people not need to hire an attorney?
Usually, when insurance companies are involved people should talk to an attorney. Insurance companies will only do what is in their best interest, and the best interest of their shareholders, which means paying as little as possible on claims to protect their profits. That is a powerful machine to be up against.
Attorneys who focus on personal injury cases, like we do, charge a contingency fee. That means that we only get paid when we collect for our clients, and then we get paid a percentage of the recovery. This is a great deal for injury victims because it transfers all of the risk to the attorney and it aligns our goals. I obviously want to maximize the recovery so that I can maximize my fee.
However, there are some cases where either the case is so small, or the insurance limits are so inadequate, that hiring an attorney can actually cost the injury victim more. In those cases, I will tell the person straight up. Sometimes someone will still need some help, but the case doesn’t warrant a full fee. Usually we can find a way to help those people in a way that benefits everybody.
Tell us about the books you’ve written: why did you tackle those subjects in particular? What kind feedback have you gotten—from the public and/or from other attorneys?
I chose to write about motorcycle and auto accidents because there is not a lot of good, useful information out there for people who need it. Most lawyers will not share what they know unless you meet with them or become a client. I believe that important knowledge shouldn’t be kept from those who need it. That is why I wrote those books. To help those who have been injured in a motorcycle or auto accident navigate through the minefield. Those books should also prevent people from making the biggest mistakes that will ruin their cases and give them the insider secrets that the insurance companies don’t want them to know.
I wrote my book about buying Washington auto insurance because I don’t think insurance agents do a good job for their customers. Insurance is kind of like a foreign language. If you don’t speak it, then you don’t know what to ask for, or even what you are getting. This book is designed to translate that foreign language in to everyday terms. I recommend everyone read this book, then check their policy and call their agents and make some changes.
I wrote my book, The Shocking Truth About Lawyer Advertising because I feel consumers are at a disadvantage in this area. Most people don’t know that anybody can pass the bar then take out an ad for themselves touting almost anything. Just because someone advertises that they do personal injury, or auto accidents, does not mean that they do them well, know what they are doing, or have even tried a case to a jury. Legal consumers should know the truth, and using my book they will be armed with the right questions to ask when they are selecting an attorney for their case.
About the Author
Jason Epstein joined Premier Law Group as a partner in 2007. Jason is a litigator handling all types of personal injury cases with an emphasis on serious plaintiff’s personal injury and insurance coverage. Jason is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice and serves within its leadership. Jason often speaks at CLEs and serves as an arbitrator for both private and mandatory arbitration matters. Jason completed a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Strauss Institute of Dispute Resolution and the Trial Advocacy program through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Jason has been dedicated to representing injured people since 1999. Jason Epstein has been representing individuals against insurance companies and large corporations since 2001. He limits his practice to personal injury and wrongful death cases including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, or other serious and catastrophic injuries. Hopefully you have already visited StraightTalkLaw.com. This website is loaded with tons of information, and is constantly updated to keep you informed of recent developments. You can also stay up to date by following the blogs which are linked toStraightTalkLaw.com Jason understands that providing the best legal representation to his clients means limiting the number of cases he accepts. He takes fewer cases so he has more time for you. By limiting his caseload, Mr. Epstein is able to give each client and each case the time and attention that they deserve. If you would like to see if your case qualifies for Mr. Epstein to represent you, please contact us throughStraightTalkLaw.com, request one or more of Jason’s books, or call us toll free at (888) 333-1873.
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