– U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864

(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)

1. Do not let your medical provider submit its bill to the auto insurance company. If you are injured and seek medical treatment, only give the provider your health insurance information. Insist that the provider submit its bill to your health insurance provider only, not the auto insurance carrier.

2. Do not accept an offer from an auto insurance company to pay your medical bills. Auto liability carriers or your own auto insurance carrier will often offer to pay your medical expenses before you have completed your treatment. DO NOT accept these offers because it takes away your ability to negotiate with the medical providers.

3. If you have health insurance, use it. Always insist that your medical provider submit its bills to your health insurance provider. Even though you usually have to pay your health insurance carrier back if you receive a settlement, its always easier to negotiate with a health insurance provider than the medical provider or auto insurance company. Even if your health insurance provider may not accept coverage for injuries related to a wreck, go ahead and submit the bills anyway to see what happens.

4. Only use the med pay provision of your auto insurance policy as a last resort. If you do not have health insurance or if your health insurance will not cover your medical treatment and you have no other way to get necessary medical treatment, then and only then should you allow your auto insurance carrier to pay under the med pay provision of your policy. However, before doing this, it is important that you consult with an attorney to explore all your options.

If you follow these rules, you will greatly increase your chances of recovering more money to put into your own pocket from the settlement of an auto wreck claim. Call us at (901) LAW-YERS if you have been in a wreck and have questions about your insurance coverage.

And to learn even more, Here is an interview about Hot Coffee, Stella Liebeck, and her personal injury claim against McDonald’s:

…As I began to think about our profession, I thought about some of the great lawyers of the past. I thought of the precious monuments they had left to their lives and of Milton’s wonderful comment on Shakespeare that “Thou in our wonder and astonishment hast built thyself a monument.” I wondered what kind of monuments you and I will erect for the next 100 years. Not a monument of brick and mortar, but one that will live– for only a thought lives on. I thought of monuments left by some.

I saw him presiding over the Supreme Court of our land– the architect of the real powers of the Supreme Court– his name was John Marshall– he was a lawyer!

I saw him, the Philadelphia lawyer, at the notorious first political trial upholding John Peter Zenger’s right to publish what he chose, free from censorship and interference– his name was Andrew Hamilton– he was a lawyer!

I saw him at the trial of Captain Preston– the unpopular cause and client arising out of the Boston Massacre– his name was John Adams– he was a lawyer!

I saw him exhorting the battle cry of the Republic– “Give me liberty of give me death!”– his name was Patrick Henry– He was a lawyer!

I saw him at Gettysburg with tears in his eyes, gaunt a morose, rededicating our country to the principle of equal justice for all– his name was Abraham Lincoln– he was a lawyer!

I saw him, an elemental man, fighting for one cause or another, in Dayton Tennessee, preaching the legitimacy of evolution– his name was Clarence Darrow– he was a lawyer!

I saw him speaking to us from his wheel chair– lifting our spirits, making us stronger with his inspirational philosophy of “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” His name was Franklin Delano Roosevelt– he was a lawyer!

I saw him in the Senate hearing room in Washington uttering his anguished cry for decency– his name was Joseph Welch– and he was a lawyer!

And so the role of greats who have left their mark continues. What will your monument of achievement be?

She was right. I learned two things that day: how to file a complaint and how much better life could be if you could make Ms. Bonnie smile.

She was Bonnie Schledwitz and she became one of my most favorite people at the courthouse. Thanks for the lesson Ms. Bonnie.

(via TBA)

Recently, one of these companies named Imperial Finance & Trading, was raided by the FBI, which should come as no surprise, as most of these businesses thrive on misleading and deceptive practices.

If you or a loved one is the recipient of an annuity or structured settlement and “needs money now”, call an attorney and explore your options before you call one of these parasitic financial companies. (901) LAW-YERS. We can help.

“Most of those complaints are really not valid at all. They don’t allege any facts, and they’re basically saying ‘I don’t think the judge was fair; I don’t really know why.’”

From WPLN News 9/20/11

Any legislative attempt to control the Courts runs the risk of violating the doctrine of Separation of Powers, which is fundamental to both our State and Federal Constitutions. As Article II of the Tennessee Constitution clearly states, “The powers of the Government shall be divided into three distinct departments: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.” Furthermore, “no person belonging to one of these departments shall exercise any of the powers belonging to either of the others…”

When some of Tennessee’s State Senators swear that they will “support the Constitutions of Tennessee and the United States”, maybe they should re-read and understand what these documents say. Clearly, it should be the Judiciary’s sole responsibility to police its judges without oversight by the Legislature.