Statistics indicate that only about four to five percent of personal injury claims filed in the United States make it to the inside of a courtroom for a trial in front of a jury. This means, of course, that that parties are able to come to an agreeable settlement outside of the courtroom in the other 95 to 96 percent of cases. That the majority of personal injury cases settle out of court is also true in Santa Rosa courts.

Why do so few cases go to trial?

Cases can be handled out of court in a number of ways. First, prior to even filing a legal claim, an experienced personal injury attorney can negotiate with the responsible party’s insurance company to see if they will offer you enough adequately cover all of your injury-related losses. If the insurance company refuses to cooperate and a legal claim is necessary, there are many different alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods available to try to reach a favorable agreement. ADR can include:

• Mediation
• Arbitration
• Settlement negotiations

Settlement negotiations may continue throughout the entire pretrial process and parties may go back and forth several times before they reach an agreement. In many cases, they may even settle in the last minute before trial.

Is settling out of court good for you?

Coming to an agreement before trial begins can be beneficial for many reasons. For example, trial can require a substantial amount of time, energy, and money, and coming to a pretrial agreement allows you to avoid that. Furthermore, nothing is certain when you go into trial. No matter how strong you believe your evidence may be, there is always a chance that the jury will award find in favor of the other party and award you nothing—or perhaps much less than you had hoped. When you reach a settlement agreement, you will know exactly how much compensation you will receive.

How a Santa Rosa personal injury lawyer can help

Though most cases are handled out of court, sometimes trial is the best option in your case if the other party refuses to agree to a sufficient settlement. At the Teal Law Group in Santa Rosa, we will always evaluate your case and advise you on whether trial or settlement is right for you. Please contact us for a free consultation call 707-525-1212 or contact us online today.