When people think of the litigation process, they tend to focus on the actual trial that comes at the end of a lawsuit. Of course, the trial itself is critically important, but much of the work is done in the months (and even years) that lead up to that trial before a judge or jury. The litigation process can be an extremely time-consuming and often tedious exercise that requires efficient use of available resources. Professional assistance with these efforts can save you time and money and help with your overall defense.
Focusing on the nuts and bolts of a lawsuit may distract some companies from the necessary internal deliberations about strategy and legal arguments. Companies facing lawsuits need support so they can focus on doing what they do best. Staying organized, especially in a complex trial, can present a huge challenge. Having someone to handle the details can make all the difference.
Litigation Support Services We Offer
The David Toy Law Firm provides the following litigation support services:
- Early claims analysis
- Analysis of the claims subrogation process
- Document gathering, review, and analysis
- Commercial litigation representation (if necessary)
Early Claims Analysis
One of the first things in any case a party needs to understand is its litigation risks. You must learn early on about the costs and benefits of litigation. Any claim has its strengths and weaknesses, and you should be aware of claims that present significant litigation risks. Some cases could require a substantial investment of resources to defend and may be better off settled. Although many claims and resulting lawsuits will settle at some point, preparation puts you in the strongest position should you choose to settle a claim. At the same time, doing the legwork puts you in a strong position should you choose to move towards litigation.
Subrogation Claims and Analysis
In any insurance claim, there is a possibility that the insurance company will not have to pay for all the damages. Even if the insurance company may need to pay the claim at first, there may be a third party who was actually responsible for the damages. When that happens, an insurance company has a legal right to recover from the responsible party for reimbursement in what is called a subrogation claim. The insurance company will stand in the place of the policyholder in pursuing damages after paying the claim. Oftentimes, this involves dealing with another insurance company who is responsible for the actions of their own policyholder.
The policyholder does not need to do anything. The burden falls on the insurance company to recover the money that it has paid out to them from other responsible parties. The subrogation process involves an analysis of available evidence to determine fault and dealing with a third party in a negotiation or legal process. Outsourcing this function allows a company to focus on its core business while processing claims correctly and in a timely manner.
Document Collection and Review
Document review will likely be the most labor-intensive and technical part of your case. When you search for documents relevant to your case, you may come up with hundreds of thousands, or even millions of results. You will need a strategy to deal with documents in a focused way. You may not have a great deal of time during which to comply with discovery requests, and you certainly do not want to make a mistake and produce a document protected from production by attorney-client privilege.
The first challenge is actually gathering all the documents. This process could involve the following:
- Speaking to document custodians to figure out the total universe of relevant documents and data
- Requesting and receiving the documents from the custodians
- Working with corporate IT on the process for transferring and maintaining these documents
- Specifying search terms that would reveal relevant documents
Gathering and analyzing documents could present a challenge, even for document reviews that have a smaller scope. The effort increases exponentially for larger-scale reviews. Without a strategy, document review can be unwieldy and stress-inducing.
You may find that you require additional legal services during the course of your document review. The David Toy Law Firm can also provide representation in commercial litigation. We are an experienced litigation firm with a track record of delivering results for clients. After providing litigation support services, we will already be familiar with your case so we will be able to jump right in and assist you as the litigation process heats up.
Benefits of Outsourcing Litigation Support
Your company may find that outsourcing many of these support functions can actually save you money by keeping you from having to invest in these labor-intensive processes on your own. Hiring a support provider who already has this infrastructure in place and is ready to get to work immediately is far more preferable than needing to staff up or direct all these functions on your own. At the David Toy Law Firm, we will work with your company to provide you the litigation support you need, customizing our services based on your own particular situation and needs.
Contact Us to Talk About Litigation Support
If you have been served with lawsuit papers or know that litigation is coming, you must act quickly to get ahead of the situation. The David Toy Law Firm can take much of the heavy lifting of the litigation process off your plate and deliver timely and high-quality litigation support services. Contact us online or call us today at (713) 322-7911 to discuss how we can help save you time and increase your company’s efficiency when dealing with litigation.