Conscientious angle to personal
injury practice at Leon Law resonates
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
The practice of law is nuanced, detailed, and most importantly, in pursuit of justice no matter the legal predicament before any court of law.
And just as all things 21st century, the umbrella of personal injury law in Arizona has become specialized with boutique firms across the Valley of the Sun seeking to provide services in times of need.
“I think we should be educating people on the timing of using an attorney,” said Jose Leon, founder of Leon Law, which is based in central Phoenix. “A lot of people know attorneys cost a lot of money. In personal injury, specifically car accident cases, you have the benefit of free consultations because a personal injury attorney gets paid once they settle your case.”
Car accidents happen frequently in the Phoenix metropolitan area and when they do many affected find themselves in distress — physically, emotionally and oftentimes financially.
“The common case that comes across my desk is the car accident,” Mr. Leon pointed out of his expertise.
— Jose Leon, founder of Leon Law
“One of the interesting things about these cases is that they are never a simple open-and-shut case. There are many pitfalls for injured people because decisions you make with your doctors, your health insurance plan, and the communication with the at-fault car insurance company can change your results dramatically.”
Mr. Leon explains a crucial piece of any personal injury case is the medical record.
“If you call your attorney early or right after the accident you can get the benefit of the attorney for the whole time instead of paying the same amount to the attorney for use of his or her services,” he said. “The other thing that people should realize is that the treatment and medical record is one of the most important aspects of a case. If you do not have a medical record, you won’t have a car insurance company believing you got injured. Don’t wait, get checked out by a doctor and make sure you aren’t more seriously injured.”
Mr. Leon says as all things become digital, the practice of personal injury law did too.
“The business of law has always been a late adopter of technology,” he explained, but notes when the global pandemic struck it forced technology to the forefront of practicing law.
“One of the most recent dynamic shifts in the use of technology came because of the recent shutdowns due to the recent pandemic. A potential client no longer had the appetite to meet in-person. My law firm had to adapt and provide video conferencing and phone consultations as options so that people would feel safe and prevent any delays in the development of their claim.”
But those changes extended into the courtroom as well, Mr. Leon told the Arizona Digital Free Press.
“We also saw the court system make changes to the way in which they handled the human interactions with the court,” he said. “We all adopted video conferencing instead of meeting in-person for depositions, mediations, hearings and trials. Filing documents went fully digital as well. These changes have made it more challenging to influence via human interactions. The benefit though has been the efficiency to our legal system. We can now do more with less strain on our lives.”
Leon Law law & ‘The Gig Economy’
The gigabyte economy is all the rage these days, local employers and economists opine, and what that has done is put more drivers on the road.
“In recent years, we have seen an increase in ride-share services and creative transportation options that have made it easier for people to get around in metropolitan areas,” Mr. Leon says, but also points out with great power comes great responsibility.
“These advances always come with unintended consequences and opportunities for novel ways in which one can get injured. In the ride-share category, we see a lot of the typical car accident injuries, but the way in which they get developed to completion is a bit different. We see new issues related to what car insurance will cover or how much coverage is afforded to someone riding in a vehicle like that. Also, the drivers of these ride-share companies typically are contractors and not employees.”
As the contract employee dynamic places, a degree of responsibility on the operator themselves, it is essential to understand the potential claims against insurance coverage, Mr. Leon explains.
“So, if a driver doesn’t properly ensure the vehicle someone can find themselves without coverage to help pay for their medical bills,” he said. “Then, with scooter rentals we see a lot more people getting injured because they may not have the proper experience to understand how to use them and their obligations on the streets to prevent injury if they encounter an intersection/driveway with vehicles that can get in their way and cause them harm.”
Make no mistake, the practice of personal injury law is oftentimes a series of terse negotiations with employees at insurance companies called “adjusters,” Mr. Leon explains.
“Insurance companies are a business and the only way they can make money is by taking our money in the form of a premium and evaluating (adjusting) any potential claim and, in effect, paying as little as possible if someone presents a valid claim for reimbursement for their injuries,” he said. “The most recent ways in which they are attacking claims is by using the Medicare reimbursement rates for doctor bills as the baseline foundation for a case value.”
But in Arizona that calculation is done differently, Mr. Leon reports.
“In Arizona, we do not use that in the calculation to determine how much a case is worth,” he said. “A car insurance company that is paying for the actions caused by their insured should not and does not get the benefit of an injured party having some way to reduce their bill by the use of health insurance. The case value starts with the gross (top line amount) bill total and then you include other factors like pain and suffering on top of that to reach a case value.”
The price of personal
injury law at Leon Law
The old adage, “value is found in the price you pay for something,” is not always true. And, in terms of legal representation, “value is found in preparation and execution,” according to Mr. Leon.
“Attorneys in personal injury cases don’t cost you a thing from an out-of-pocket perspective,” Mr. Leon explained of the brass tax. “We get paid from the settlement monies we generate from the car insurance companies. So, when you call you won’t have a consultation fee and when we help you through the processing of your case you won’t have any out-of-pocket costs since the law firm advances the costs to get your case through the claims process.”
Mr. Leon explains Leon Law has quickly adapted to the changing world.
“Post-pandemic law firms are now able to provide you with video-conferencing or phone consultations and prevent you from having to take a day off of work or miss medical appointments in order to get your personal injury case going with a lawyer,” he said. “Don’t wait and call us as soon as you get injured. It can make a big difference in how much money you receive once your case is done.”
Cost and service go hand-in-hand as at Leon Law both parties are vested in both the process and outcome.
“The cost of a lawyer is the biggest misconception that people have,” he said.
“Yes, lawyers are expensive but in personal injury cases we don’t charge our clients along the way while we work on the personal injury case. We wait and get the settlement and then get paid from there. The other aspect that gets confused is how much money clients get versus lawyers get for their attorney fee. In our office we want to make sure our clients get at least what we are getting for our attorney fee in their pockets. If all else fails, make the call so we can dispel any confusion.”
