The Verdict

"Joe, how long will they take to make a decision?" Jean asked. They've been in there all day." "There is no way to know how long they will take," Joe replied. "They have to sort through eight days worth of evidence, the lawyers' arguments and the judge's charge. I would rather see the jury members take their time and get it right."

"Joe, can I have a word with you?" Jean and Joe looked up at the Defence lawyer. Joe nodded and got up. Several minutes later he returned. "You aren't the only one who is nervous," Joe said. "They have just increased their offer to settle."

Jean looked astonished. "Can they do that now?" she asked. "Yes they can." Joe replied. It is kind of bad form after putting everyone through the trial. But the insurance company represents Mr. Deroux. It has become their dispute with you. You can both settle it if you wish."

"How much," Jean asked. Joe told her. "That's what we offered to accept before the trial started she said. Joe nodded. "Does that mean they think the jury will award more than that?"

"It's possible," Joe replied. Jean looked at her husband. "That just makes me mad," she said. They fought with us about this for over two years and now when they think they are going to lose they offer what they probably knew was fair all along. We worked together and we convinced the insurance company. I think that you convinced the jury too. I'm going to wait for the verdict."

This series of columns will end at this point. When we decided to write a series about the trial process it was not our intention to simply write a happy ending. A good result at trial does not heal injuries suffered by accident victims. A good result does not guarantee a happy ending.

A good result at trial simply allows an injured plaintiff to pick up the pieces of her life and move forward with renewed confidence. Throughout the trial process a plaintiff like Jean Smith is faced with choices. Each decision carries far reaching consequences affecting her life and that of her family.

The role of the personal injury lawyer is to be prepared to advance the client's case and ensure that the decisions made by the client can be made with confidence. And that the trial is well prepared and hard fought.

We hope that this series has given readers some insight in to what we do and why. We hope that you never need the services we offer. However, if an accident changes your life we hope are confident in considering our firm. We are personal injury specialists at Horne Marr Zak and we care about your future.