Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do I need a lawyer?

A: There are many reasons to hire a lawyer to handle your case. First, a good lawyer will give you peace of mind so that you can focus on healing your injuries and the many other aspects of your life. Second, we know how to gather evidence to maximize the result in your case. Third, we are used to dealing with insurance companies and are comfortable doing so. Many people do not realize that many insurance companies assign specially-trained adjusters to deal with unrepresented accident victims. These adjusters may try to get away with things that they would not attempt with experienced attorneys. Fourth, many factors go into calculating the value of a case. John is familiar with these factors and use his experience and numerous tools to evaluate his cases. An unrepresented person or lawyer who doesn’t routinely handle personal injury cases is simply not equipped to maximize the amount recovered from the insurance company.

Q: Why choose lawyers who spend the majority of their time handling personal injury cases?

A: The law has become remarkably specialized. Just as you would not want to hire a person who does only oil changes to rebuild your car’s engine, you should not hire a lawyer who dabbles in personal injury law to handle your case. Because the law is constantly changing and requires a great deal of time to keep up with these changes, John routinely attend continuing legal education seminars, and read books and articles, to keep up with the latest developments in personal injury law, litigation, and trial practice.

Q: Why should I hire a lawyer as soon as possible after my accident or bad medical outcome?

A: Important evidence may be lost or mistakes made if you don’t act quickly. We’ve all heard the maxim that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In injury cases, that maxim rings sharply. For example, in an accident case, we may want to photograph the involved vehicles before they are repaired or salvaged, and any evidence of your injuries (bruising, bleeding). We may need to examine the vehicles to determine whether there was a product failure. We may need to hire an expert to perform an accident reconstruction. In a slip and fall case, we will ask you to keep your footwear, and possibly, the clothes you had on. Perhaps most importantly, insurance companies often ask to take recorded statements of unrepresented accident victims. These statements almost never benefit the accident victim and can often severely damage your case. For example, some people who are in accidents feel pain for the first time a day or two after the accident. If such a person gives a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster five hours after an accident and says that he or she is not in pain, a jury hearing the case over one year later may not believe that this person was truly hurt. John sometimes allow his clients to give recorded statements at an appropriate time when mandated by an insurance company, but he will always be present for the statement in order to protect the client’s interest.

Q: Is it important to meet the lawyer I will be speaking with about my case?

A: Absolutely. You will develop a relationship with your lawyer. This relationship is essential to developing the reciprocal trust that you will need to have in your lawyer and that your lawyer needs to have in you. At Mesirow & Associates, we know we have done our job well when our clients consider us friends.

Q: Why choose Mesirow & Associates?

A: Nearly all of the cases John handle involves personal injuries from accidents, negligence, premises liability or a lack of premises security. We believe in providing the quality work product of a large law firm (we both have worked at large firms) in a more nimble, small-firm environment that is comfortable for our clients. We are both very experienced at the work we do. We promise that one of us will always be in charge of your case. This is far different than many law firms, including most advertising firms. At many of these firms, your cases will be passed off to an associate or a paralegal, or a lawyer outside of the law firm you thought you hired. Not so at Mesirow & Associates, where John will remain in charge of your case until its conclusion. Perhaps most importantly, at Mesirow & Associates, we are comfortable in the courtroom. This is your ultimate leverage against an insurance company. If the insurance company believes that your lawyer is afraid to try, or incapable of trying your case, this will drive down the case’s potential value. Although we can never guarantee the result of any particular case, if you hire us, you can rest assured that, if a lawsuit is necessary in order to get the recovery to which you are entitled, we will be ready to aggressively pursue your case through the litigation process, and to a bench (judge only) or a jury trial.