Samantha is an extraordinary paralegal. Jack Helgesen, our firm
founder, says she’s an “engaging, smart, energetic advocate. In my
forty years of lawyering, I have never seen a paralegal with a better
combination of personality, intelligence, training, and character.”
Sam is a great listener and a client favorite. Most of Sam’s clients
have been injured in tragic accidents. When she takes a person’s case
(her choice), she becomes their friend and vigorous advocate. Jack
recalls, “we had a woman who was injured by a defective product.
Sam and I investigated the case, and I decided not to take it. Sam
disagreed, promising me that she would find a way to win. Six
months later, we gave the client a large settlement check. Sam’s strategy was perfect and our client was ecstatic.”
Samantha is a very good writer and an eager reader. She has a curious
mind and loves puzzles. She pays attention to details in her clients’
cases, just as she unraveled mysteries in her prior career as a police
crime scene technician.
When other lawyers in the firm have a difficult legal task, they give it to
Samantha. “Sam can do it,” they tell us. She’s smart, and she is the
only person in the thirty-eight year history of our law firm to have a
Master’s degree in paralegal studies (George Washington University).
Don’t assume she’s studious and boring. Sam
would much rather be outdoors, driving her Jeep
over back roads and sleeping under the stars with her husband Josh and
her daughter, Jenny. When she’s home, Sam and Josh sometimes play
video games and eat pizza all night. She has many pets.
Sam hates injustice and likes helping distressed people. She works well
with opposing attorneys and insurance companies but she is not a
pushover. “If you want to understand Sam,” Jack says, “you should see her
on the roller derby track. She’s really good.”
We could go on and on about Samantha. You really should meet her.
“A study conducted by the Insurance Research Counsel suggests people who suffer bodily injuries in an auto accident due to driver, manufacturer and/or government negligence win 3.5 times more in settlement compensation while represented by an attorney than injury victims who don’t hire a personal injury attorney.” Quote from kpattorney.com’s article Will I Get [...]
You may be familiar with this idea. It goes something like this: “Service, Time, or Settlement – pick two.” In other words, you can have: Excellent and fast service but the settlement is low; Fast service with a reasonable settlement but the service is not excellent; or A high settlement with excellent service [...]
“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” -Mick Jagger What is mediation? Mediation is an alternative way to resolve your personal injury claim before going to trial. Are you required to mediate? Mediation is encouraged in Utah and a [...]
Common Mistakes for Unrepresented Claims: Settling for too little Settling too fast Not providing the right evidence Not understanding lien processes Over or under-confident Not understanding all the losses that can be claimed Taking on battles yourself can be appealing. But let me tell you from my own personal experience it is [...]
Six Common Liens in Personal Injury Cases Medical Lien – A lien between you and your medical provider. Health Insurance Lien – A lien with private or employer-funded health insurance plans. Medicaid Lien – A lien with benefit recipients, which is governed by federal and state law. Medicare Lien – A lien with benefit [...]
According to a new Caring.com survey, “A staggering 78 percent of millennials (ages 18-36) do not have a will. Even more surprising is that 64 percent of Generation X (ages 37 to 52) doesn’t have a will…” ______________ “Just 4 out of 10 adults have a will.” Hi! Samantha here, Jack Helgesen’s [...]
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According to Ross Koppel, a leading academic in the world of health IT, about 70 percent of medical records have the wrong information. “There are millions of records out there and screw-ups happen,” he said. Most errors are irrelevant to health outcomes — for instance, a record might state that a patient hurt [...]
According to the Uninsured Motorist Statistics for 2019, 13% of drivers in the U.S. do not have insurance. For those that do have auto insurance, do they have enough insurance in case of an accident or injury? Have you ever thought about who pays for your losses if you are injured in [...]