Personal Injury
Shibley Righton LLP's Personal Injury Group prides itself on providing the highest level of quality legal representation to our clients. We are dedicated to helping our clients and their families who have suffered a serious personal injury or who have lost a family member through the negligence of others. We professionally and aggressively represent our clients' interests both in and out of the courtroom and ensure that our clients receive the support and attention they require during the course of the litigation process.
The members of our Personal Injury Group have a broad range of experience in all areas of personal injury law regardless of the source or cause of the injury. Our experience includes motor vehicle accidents, boating accidents, aviation mishaps, trucking, motorcycle & pedestrian accidents, accident benefits claims, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, slip/trip and falls, sexual assault, short-term and long-term disability claims, insurance coverage disputes, and property damage and fire loss claims.
The members of our team have conducted hearings, appeals and arbitrations at all levels of court and tribunals in Ontario. Through their hard work and dedication, our lawyers have gained an enviable reputation within the legal community.
Our team of lawyers, law clerks and legal support staff work together to consistently provide our clients with expert service and timely responses to any concerns and inquiries. We are dedicated to helping our clients resolve their legal issues to their satisfaction.
At Shibley Righton LLP, we focus on the legal issues so that our clients can focus on getting better.
Some people believe that they can deal with insurance companies without the services of a lawyer. However, personal injury law today is very specialized. Unless you retain a lawyer well versed in personal injury and insurance matters, you will be at a significant disadvantage and may be abandoning some of the compensation and the rights of recovery to which you are entitled.
We recommend consulting with the lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. Again, personal injury law is very specialized, and in some cases, there are very strict timelines to which to adhere.
Most cases take between 2 and 3 years to resolve, which resolution occurs either by way of settlement or trial. Very few personal injury cases go to trial. In fact, the overwhelming majority of cases are settled out of Court.
Typically an injured individual is entitled to advance a claim before the courts by suing the party or parties responsible for the injury. The claim is presented by commencing what is called an "action" by issuing at the local court office a Statement of Claim. Once the Statement of Claim is served on the other parties to the lawsuit they are required to deliver a Statement of Defence. All of the parties to the lawsuit then exchange copies of all documentation relevant to the lawsuit and proceed to oral examinations for discovery. After the discovery stage of the lawsuit is completed the parties proceed to a mediation hearing where they attempt to resolve the lawsuit. If the action remains unsettled then the lawsuit is set down for trial and a pre-trial conference is scheduled before a Judge of the court. At the pre-trial conference the Judge will work with the parties in trying to arrive at a negotiated settlement. If the action is not settled at the pre-trial stage then a date for trial is fixed and the action proceeds to trial when called upon by the courts.
