Rejection is never fun. Whether it’s a romantic rejection or professional rejection – it hurts. And the same is true when a lawyer tells you they don’t want to handle your case. You might feel like you did something wrong wondering why would a personal injury attorney not want to accept your case? You may even get angry.
The truth is, an experienced Greenville personal injury lawyer wouldn’t reject your case if they thought you had a valid claim. Not only do injury lawyers want to do right by their clients, but they also make a percentage on the cases they win. If you have any chance of winning your case, chances are, they’d be glad to accept your case.
Here, we’ll talk about some of the reasons a personal injury attorney in South Carolina may choose not to accept your case. We’ll also give you an idea of what you can do if you can’t find an attorney to help you.
If you have been injured in any sort of accident, you should call and talk to a personal injury attorney right away.
You’ve Missed the Statute of Limitations
One of the biggest reasons a lawyer wouldn’t want to represent you is that the statute of limitations has expired. In South Carolina, you only have years to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss that filing deadline, there’s nothing a lawyer can do to help you.
If you try to file a lawsuit past the statute of limitations, it will likely be dismissed. If, for some reason, the court clerk doesn’t dismiss it, the defendant will ask the court to do so. The defendant’s lawyer will file a motion asking that your case will be dismissed. The judge will have no choice but to grant their motion.
If this happens, your attorney will have wasted their time and money. That’s why no competent personal injury attorney in Greenville would take this kind of case.
The Defendant Has no Resources
There are times when you may have a rock-solid case, but an attorney still chooses not to take you on as a client. Why would they do this? If the defendant has no insurance and no assets, your case may be worthless.
Even if you win your lawsuit and get a judgment, you may never see a dime. In order to collect on your judgment, the defendant needs to have assets. If your attorney discovers that they have no assets, they may not want to invest time and money into your case.
You Don’t Have a Valid Claim
As hard as it may be to hear, you may not have a valid claim. A lot of people think they can sue someone, even if they aren’t injured. In order for your South Carolina personal injury attorney to get you money, you must have suffered damages. This means you need to have suffered an actual injury.
Some examples of cases where a plaintiff doesn’t have a valid claim include:
- Your neighbor barks all day – You want to sue your neighbor for damages, but, quite frankly, you’ve suffered no damages.
- Someone bumps into your car, but the damage is less than $500. You were not injured in the accident.
- A store fails to clean up a spill. You slip a bit, but don’t fall and suffer no physical injury.
- Someone breaks your confidence and shares an embarrassing fact about you with a third party. If the fact is true, you really don’t have a personal injury claim for damages.
What Can You Do if You Can’t Find an Attorney to Handle Your Claim?
If you’re unable to find a Greenville personal injury lawyer to handle your case, you do have options. You can write a demand letter to the party you feel was responsible for your injuries. You can ask them to resolve the matter with you amicably.
You can also file your case on your own. The court offers a lot of online resources that you can use for help. This may be enough for you to get the results you’re looking for.
Before you decide to handle your case on your own, however, make sure you call and schedule a free initial consultation with our experienced injury lawyers. Let them review your case and determine if it has merit. Call today. The initial consultation is free and you pay nothing until you settle your case. The worse that can happen is your lawyer tells you they don’t think your case will succeed in court.
