Category: General

Personal Injury Attorney

Top things to look for in a personal injury attorney

Top things to look for in a personal injury attorney

After an accident, it can be difficult to find a personal injury attorney that will work for you. It is best to do your research and find the best match for you and your case. Most victims from an accidental injury struggle to know what is best when it comes to personal injury lawyers. The amount of skill, experience, and time that the lawyer you choose to represent your case is crucial. That is why you should reach out to a Saginaw, Michigan based personal injury attorney at LeFevre and LeFevre to represent your case. 

The top things to look for in a personal injury attorney is:

Location

Location
A map of possible Personal Injury Attorney locations.

It is essential to find an attorney that works in the state that the accident occurred. This is important to your case, due to the laws that may vary from state to state. If it happens away from home, then your best option is to find someone in that location that deals with the terms of your case often. If you are searching for a Personal Injury law firm in Saginaw, Michigan, LeFevre & LeFevre is here to help.

Practice

Just like many professions, professionals specialize their focus in a specific area of their practice. It is important to keep this in mind while looking for your case. You may find a well-known attorney that is great at what they do, but they may not specialize in personal injury. LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C. is able to provide service to a multitude of practices, including Personal Injury. As a personal injury law firm in Saginaw, Michigan, our focus is to provide the best help for our clients.

Reputation

Reputation
A happy personal injury attorney client reviewing an attorney.

The reputation that the firm or attorney themselves hold is important for your success. You can look into this by asking around your community and also looking online for peer reviews. Something to also look into is the attorneys’ disciplinary record. This can be important due to the fact that they could have been suspended or disbarred. At LeFevre and LeFevre, we hold a high reputation in Saginaw, Michigan, for personal injury cases.

Amount of practice

Along with reputation, it is essential to know how long the firm or attorney has been in practice. Not to say that someone with less experience is not capable of handling your case. However, you want to choose the person you feel confident in their skills and expertise. Trail experience is also important to keep in mind, just in case your claim does go to trial. In the chance that your case goes to trial, you will want someone that feels confident in going to trial. LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C., can give you the peace of mind that you’re looking for when it comes to experience.

Referrals? 

Asking the question, “Do they get referrals from other attorneys or previous clients?” can give you some beneficial insight as to their quality and skills. An attorney that is able to get referrals are typically good at what they do. Check out the testimonials on our website for real people just like you that have needed our services.  

Find the attorney because of an ad?

All attorneys that promote advertisements are not all bad, and most are just genuinely promoting their firm. However, this can be a way for some lawyers to work with “high volume” and “quick turnover” cases. Most of them promote themselves that way, they are receiving a better return on investment of their time and resources. This may sound like a good option for you; however, it is most beneficial to the attorney that will receive a payout from the insurance company. It is important to keep in mind that insurance companies have the financial ability to hire lawyers that specialize in defending personal injury cases.

Your help is here

With decades of collective experience, LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C. personal injury group represents accident and injury victims throughout the state of Michigan who suffer from injuries caused by the negligence of others. If you or a loved one have been injured due to an accident or because of a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation for damages, lost wages, and medical expenses.

It is important that you know your rights, and it’s equally vital that you choose a lawyer who will aggressively and effectively fight for those rights. At LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C., our attorneys are also trial lawyers, an important distinction, not all attorneys can claim. As trial lawyers, we have the in-depth knowledge, hands-on experience, and courtroom skills to handle your case from beginning to end. Even if a jury trial becomes necessary, to ensure the best possible outcome for you.

 

We specialize in all of the following areas;

General Personal Injuries:

  • Traumatic Brain Injuries
  • Quadriplegic / Paraplegic Injuries
  • Products Liability / Defective Products
  • Nursing Home Injuries
  • Dog Bites / Animal Attacks
  • Railroad Accidents
  • Aviation Accidents
  • Wrongful Death
  • Slip / Trip & Falls

Motor Vehicle Accidents:

  • Car Accidents
  • Motorcycle Accidents
  • Truck Accidents
  • Motor Vehicle/ Wrongful Death
  • Uninsured Motorists

Medical Malpractice:

  • Medical Malpractice / Wrongful Death
  • Birth Injuries
  • Failure to Diagnose Colorectal Cancer
  • Misdiagnosed Colon Cancer
  • Misdiagnosed Breast Cancer
  • Failure to Diagnose Prostate Cancer
  • Colonoscopy Injuries

Injuries in the Workplace:

  • Work-Related Injuries
  • Workers’ Compensation
  • Slip / Trip & Falls

 Do some homework

Homework
A personal injury attorney client doing their homework on their case.

Once you find all the things that you are looking for in an attorney, make a list of them. Cross-check them with your potential choices. It can be easy to get caught up in the stress of it all, but keep in mind your goal for your case. If you are looking for a personal injury law firm in Saginaw, MI, contact us at LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C. today. We want to help fight for your rights as an injured party and be your voice.

Divorce and its Effect on Children

Divorce and its Effect on Children

Divorce and its Effect on Children

As we all know, divorce is a complicated and emotional process for everyone involved including children, parents and even friends. Divorce can have a positive and negative effect on a family, depending on the situation. At LeFevre & LeFevre, P.L.L.C. we pride ourselves on how we are able to provide families with the best course of action to benefit all involved.

At LeFevre & LeFevre, we can provide our families with the best options available to suit their needs. Which means that as divorce lawyers of Saginaw, we help layout your divorce in the best way to make this as financially and emotionally easy as possible. As many people know what a divorce means but may not understand the full process of a divorce.

What are the steps of a divorce?

Original Petition For Divorce

Although a couple may both agree on the divorce, one person must file a legal petition to terminate the marriage. The legal petition also includes a legitimate reason or grounds for the divorce. Along with a statement that proves at least one spouse meets the residency requirements for the divorce

Temporary Divorce Orders

Our team at LeFevre & LeFevre understand that not every couple can wait out the wait period for the divorce. The temporary orders can help give you the support that you may need. Whether it is financial support, child support, or spousal support. If you decide to do this, then there will be a hearing held and request information from each spouse to determine the orders. The order will then be valid until the court determines otherwise or the divorce is final.

Serve Papers to Spouse and Wait for Response

Whether you are the spouse to serve the papers or to receive them, the process is a little different. If you are the spouse filing for divorce, then your next step after completing the above two steps will be to provide the paperwork to your spouse. Then you or your attorney will file proof of service to the court. If you do not adequately serve your spouse, then the court would be unable to work your divorce case. As for the spouse receiving the papers, their responsibilities include submitting a reply to the petition within the amount of time listed. If you were to not respond in the allotted amount of time, the petition will fall into default. If the petition falls into default, it can make things more complicated and expensive. At this time, the respondent will have the opportunity to negotiate or dispute the grounds for divorce. Along with the support, custody, or any other divorce matters.

Negotiation 

At this point in the divorce, you will be able to negotiate the terms of the divorce and dispute whatever the respondent could have requested. At this time, it will be decided how things are going to be divided amongst the parties. LeFevre & LeFevre know that this can be where emotions come into play and can ruin the focus of the divorce. We will be able to provide the guidance and assurances you need. If things are not going to be fairly decided upon our family law team can help provide you with a mediator. Mediation can save a significant amount of time and money during the divorce process. 

Divorce Trial

If the negotiation does not go as planned and if things are still unresolved with mediation, then you may need to ask the court for help. Meaning that the remaining issues and negotiations will be taken into a trial before the assigned judge. Not only will this be time-consuming, but it will be expensive. Along with this, the decisions are no longer decided by either spouse, but by the judge. Having the judge involved makes the mediation and negotiations steps even more crucial to maintaining a financially reasonable and time-efficient divorce. As a divorce attorney in Michigan, we know that it is best for our client, both emotionally and financially, to avoid going to trial.

Final judgment

The final step of the divorce being finalized is the final judgment given by the judge. Whether you and your spouse negotiated the terms or you had a judge decide, the result is the same. The final judgment will consist of a written statement that will explain how the couple will divide assets, debts, custody, child support, parenting time, and spousal support. A settlement will also be included if that was negotiated upon during the negotiation phase. 

How does a Divorce affect my family?

Divorce is a messy process to begin with, no matter the situation. However, when there are children involved, it becomes more complicated. You are not only fighting for yourself and lifestyle, but your children as well. LeFevre & LeFevre know that this will be emotional for you and your kids and is going to fight for your case the best way we know how. Divorce will change the whole dynamic of your life. It will adjust your income, your support, emotional well-being, and your relationship with your family, especially your children. This significant life adjustment is not something that you want to take lightly. The modifications are things that you are going to want to take into consideration as a goal for the divorce. As lawyers in Saginaw, Michigan, we can help keep all of these adjustments in mind.

Conflict with Marriage
Conflict with Marriage

Conflict with the marriage 

The effects of divorce are different for everyone, and can be determined by how the marriage was for your kids. Studies have concluded that kids of a high-conflict or abusive marriage are typically better off. As compared to low-conflict marriages. This is due to the fact that it is easier for children to grasp what is going on. Adjusting to the obvious conflict, rather than them trying to figure out where the problem is coming from. At LeFevre & LeFevre of Saginaw, we have a great family law team that can help with this.

Stability

Another thing to factor in is stability. It has shown a better outcome for kids that are able to stay in the same home and school. The more changes for the children to handle, make it harder for them to adjust. At LeFevre & LeFevre, we keep these changes in mind for your kids, to make sure the divorce pans out in everyone’s favor. Relationships after the divorce are also a factor of stability. Having a child that is used to seeing their parents being together and now having to grasp them with someone else is difficult for children. Research suggests that a stable single-parent home is the best situation for children after divorce. 

Parenting after a Divorce

While you are adjusting to life after a divorce is difficult on its own. You now have to consider how your parenting dynamic is going to work. It is essential to keep this in mind as you and your family are transitioning. Research has shown that parents are less observant of a child after a divorce and are harsher on discipline. Which is understandable with the amount of stress and emotions that come with divorce. LeFevre & LeFevre can help eliminate the amount of stress that goes into the divorce process to help you better your family. According to research, fathers are statistically the non-custodial parents who often find it hard to stay involved. However, fathers that do stay involved create a better environment for the children to adjust. All of these things are important for our clients to obtain as a divorce attorney of Saginaw.

What to expect after a divorce
What to expect after a divorce

What to expect after a divorce

Emotional insecurities can be more prevalent in your children after a divorce. These insecurities may present themselves in a lot of different ways for a multitude of reasons. You may see them as more rule-breaking, anger, and withdrawing from friends and family. These observations may look different for older children; they may become substance abusers and have increased mental illness.

Loneliness may be an assumed feeling after a divorce, which would be accurate but for more reasons than one might think. Loneliness can be due to a lack of contact with a parent, friends, or extended family. Studies have shown that nearly half of kids with separated parents felt lonely compared to one out of seven kids from a complete household.

Education is a major component to keep in mind as you are navigating through a divorce. Research shows that on average, after the first few years after the divorce, the children do not perform as well in school. Also, in most cases, education creates more stress and financial strain on the family.

Illness is extremely common in children after divorce, not only due to the added stress to the family, but most women lose their health insurance during a divorce. Illness can lead to more sick days away from school and activities.

Reading on…

Relationships for your children in the future may be affected but not in a way that you might assume. Statistically, children of divorced parents are still just as likely to get married. However, they are less likely to maintain the marriage. The kid’s likelihood of maintaining the marriage is due to the child not having faith in the idea of a life-long marriage. This is also due to the child’s ability to trust others. These are all things that can be changed by circumstance and the relationships elsewhere in the children’s lives. It also does not mean that your child is doomed because you and your spouse found it best to get a divorce. 

There is no definitive way to determine what will happen to your children after a divorce. You can read all the statistics in the world, but that may not be accurate for everyone. Every family, along with their circumstances, is different and unique. Yes, there may be some effect on your children, but you are the one to determine what is best for them. Kids are resilient and can bounce back from just about everything. Remember, LeFevre & LeFevre is here to help you with all of your divorce needs.