Viles & Beckman, LLC

Yes. The law permits a client to change attorneys. No client should ever be “stuck” with an unsatisfactory, unresponsive or unmotivated lawyer. Your case is one of the most important personal and business matters of a lifetime and you deserve the very best representation possible. When we take over from another attorney we are very respectful and we handle all of the communications with the prior attorney for you. If you wish to switch attorneys we can discuss these issues in our initial free consultation

Yes. We can literally meet any time, any place that is convenient for you.

Immediately after you have signed up with our firm we will schedule, usually the very next day or so, comprehensive initial meetings with your attorney and your Case manager. You may also hear from our investigators if photographs or investigation is needed. Additionally, we often recommend or help you set up medical appointments. Thereafter we are available at any time you need to speak with us. We strive to return all calls, texts, or emails the same day if possible and no later than 24 hours.

We will evaluate your case and if we feel that we can help you and do an excellent job for you we will sign your case up. This can be via text or email. We make it easy. Once you are signed up you will be promptly contacted by your Case Manager and your attorney to answer your questions and discuss your case in greater detail. We move quickly. We also make it easy to talk with us. You can call, text or email. We gladly meet in person as well, or vis Zoom. We immediately contact the opposing insurance company and begin collecting accident and medical records. We will discuss your medical treatment, injuries and develop a concrete plan of action to win and settle your case. We will continually keep you fully advised of all pertinent developments.

We can get started right away. In fact the sooner the better. Our “sign up” can be in person at the hospital, your home, our office or some other convenient location – or we can sign you up via text, email or online. We make it easy and convenient, and the entire process can be done immediately and by phone in just a few minutes.

Yes, we are always available to provide a free consultation. In our consultation feel free to ask any questions or concerns that are on your mind and we will fully, completely and thoroughly address all of your concerns. We can evaluate your case, discuss medical issues, insurance issues, and anything that might be causing you any stress and develop a concrete plan of action.

Typically your insurance company would provide a defense and pay the claim if you are sued and if you are at fault. If you do receive correspondence or paperwork concerning a claim against you please let us know right sway so that we can make sure your interests are adequately protected.

In the vast majority of all cases no one is ever sued, and so the chances of you ever suing are pretty small. .Typically the entire negotiations are between us as your lawyers and the other person’s insurance company. The vast majority of claims are settled amicably and out of court with very little involvement of the other person. We understand your feelings, and most all of our clients prefer to avoid the stress of any confrontation. One or our core values is that we are very professional in our dealings with the other side and insurance companies. We believe that we can be very aggressive on our client’s behalf without being rude, arrogant or ugly.

Serious injury cases involving surgeries or extensive hospital care can impose a mountain of medical bills on innocent workers and families, sometimes running into hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is no realistic way the average citizen can pay this until after the case settles. Fortunately we have excellent working relationships with doctors and hospitals all over the state, and we maintain contact with the billing offices providing assurances that the bills will be paid when the case settles. We will ‘take the heat’ dealing with collections and billing offices so that you do not have to hear from or talk to them. We will take steps to stop all collection calls. We want our ciients to be able to peacefully focus on healing and recovery. We will do all of the heavy lifting when it comes to ascertaining and protecting your medical bills. If you are suffering from financial stresses caused by the accident we can help. This is what we do.

Each case is different and there are many factors that determine how long a case may take to reach a settlement. These factors include the amount of liability insurance available, the length and complexity of your medical treatment, how strong your case is, whether the other side is accepting or contesting liability, the documentation offered to support your claim and so on. Some cases settle quickly, in as little as a few weeks or months. More complicated cases may take a year or more. In our firm we expect negotiations to get underway as soon as practicable. If a case has not settled by 6 months we undertake to review the case in greater detail and take steps to identify the best strategies for resolution.

The law requires that accident victims be “made whole,” and this typically means that one should be compensated for their medical bills (past and future), loss of earnings (past and future), pain and suffering, loss of the enjoyment of life, any permanent scarring or disfigurement, property damages or losses, and in some cases, such as drunk driving cases or for intentional misconduct, punitive damages. Calculating damages can be quite difficult. For example, insurance companies love to argue that the medical bills charged by hospitals, surgeons, doctors and other health care providers are too expensive and they only want to pay a fraction of what is charged. This is where a personal injury lawyer experienced in proving up medical expenses is needed. We know exactly how to prove up the reasonable value of your medical expenses so that when the case is over your bills get paid.

We understand how devastating missing work, and missing your paycheck, can be. Especially in these difficult economic times where the prices of housing, food, gasoline, and day care are going through the roof. If you are missing work, it is important to have medical documentation of your disability so that your personal injury lawyer can prove up the losses to the insurance company and seek adequate compensation, not just for the past, but also for your future losses as well. In many cases there are strategies for getting wages reimbursed early such as Personal Injury Protection benefits. Some clients have short term or long-term disability coverage. On the job injuries call for wage reimbursement. Discuss your lost work questions with an experienced personal injury attorney. The consultation is entirely free. Our attorneys will answer all of your questions!

The law prohibits employers from taking any adverse action against you simply because you exercise your right to seek work comp benefits. In fact if your employer does take adverse action against you just because you filed a claim, you may have yet another claim for wrongful discharge, or retaliation. For example, some employers will discourage the reporting of an on the job injury. The law, however, requires that all on the job injuries be reported, and so asking a worker to not report violates the law. Other times, employers will ask the worker to lie and say they were injured at home, or some place other than work. This too is illegal. In many cases the employer simply fires the injured worker. All of these actions are illegal and may subject the employer to additional liability over and above work comp benefits.

Absolutely. It is a common misconception that one must have a horrific or “major” injury to obtain a settlement. Even so called “mild” injuries can have a profound impact on the quality of one’s life. An aching neck, a painful clicking knee, a constant dull headache – these ‘mild’ injuries can over time become unbearable and perfectly miserable. In personal injury law, our experienced attorneys deal as much with the medical end of things as we do the legal. For example, for a “mild” injury the first thing we would want to know is has the injury been fully and properly diagnosed? Just because the emergency room says there is no fracture (in your neck for example) does NOT mean you are not injured. It just means you don’t have a broken neck. But why does your neck hurt so badly? What is causing that? What causes the pain to radiate down your arm?

Yes! Even if you were partly to blame you still have a case. No one is perfect, right? This holds true in car crashes and fall downs and most all negligence cases. The idea is that, for example, if you were 25% at fault, and the other person was 75% at fault, you may still recover a settlement but it will be reduced by your degree of fault, or 25%. If the fault was 50% / 50%, and you were 50% at fault you can still recover half of the value of your case. An experienced accident attorney can help evaluate your degree of fault, make the best arguments on your behalf, and make the very best out of even a somewhat compromising position. By the way, the insurance adjusters almost always try to pin the blame on the victim. Please do not take to heart if the adjuster blames you – they do that every time. Talk to your attorney, whose expertise includes assessing fault in an accident, for a fair assessment of any fault.

After calling 911 and securing medical help, make sure you are in a safe place (not in the middle of the road). Taking some photos of the vehicles and any injuries is a good idea if you can safely do so. The location of the vehicles, skid marks, vehicle damage, and any injuries are all important kinds of evidence to document. If the other driver is intoxicated, or behaving strangely, video the scene and their conduct. Make sure the police are called. Do not just do a driver’s exchange. Do not talk to their insurance company. Be observant. Get a free consultation with an accident lawyer. Be smart. Make sure to get checked out medically. Getting your injuries documented right away is priceless. If you wait too long the insurance company will argue you weren’t hurt in the crash and may deny your claim. Your attorney can help you find the right doctor.

Statistically most of our cases settle amicably without ever going to trial, therefor the chances of any one case going to trial are fairly slim. This is good because it saves both time and money. There are a small percentage of cases, however, that have to go to trial. The good news is that we have been trying cases for nearly 40 years and know exactly what to do when we do go to trial. In fact it is the fear and risk of going to trial that forces the insurance company to settle. In fact one of the first things the insurance company does is plug in the name of your lawyer in their computer. Insurance companies know who can beat them. They also know there are a lot of “big talkers” who in reality have never tired a case in their lives and who will not go to court. Which lawyer do you think gets the better settlement: the law firm that CAN and DOES go to Court, and have been doing so for almost 40 years, or the “big talkers’ who never go to Court?

Yes. There may be several different time limits depending upon the nature of your claim, the kind of defendant we are going after, where the accident occurred, whether a government entity is involved, or a product, and whether a court has jurisdiction over the subject matter because of another lawsuit. Many cases require complex pre-suit paperwork. Some cases may fall comfortably within a four (4) year statute of limitations for general accidents. Your lawyer will discuss your case with you in your initial, free consultation and will ask pertinent questions to make sure your case doesn’t fall within a 6 month, one year, two year or three year time limit which apply to different casers and different defendants. It is very important to let us determine the proper time frame. These times also vary state to state. A late filed claim could be totally time barred and so understanding the legal deadlines is a critical first step in every case.

For most of our clients their accident case is one of the most significant personal and business decisions of their entire lives. Your case involves complex medical, legal, insurance, and liability and damage considerations. Finding and getting the very best medical care, diagnosis and future treatment is critical both to your health and well being as well as your bottom line. We will help you find the best doctors. Understanding how to maximize recovery through negotiations or court are complex skills that are decades in the making. Having a team of friendly, caring and accessible legal experts gives you a sense of confidence and security, knowing that the best possible outcome (both medically and legally) is our number one goal.

Insurance companies love the “unrepresented” accident victim and routinely make offers that are but a fraction of what the case is actually worth. Allstate hired McKenzie & Company to study that very question. The study revealed that clients that hired an attorney received significantly higher settlements than clients who settled on their own. It is a great question though and please ask us again in our initial conversation! If we don’t think we can do much better, we will tell you. Our only goal is to bring value to your case. If we can’t really do an excellent job for you, we will let you know.

You pay absolutely nothing for either fees or costs to us unless we win or successfully settle your case. You will never have to write us a check because our fees are paid from the settlement. The percentage of fees is set by the Florida Bar and is typically 1/3 of any settlement if settled before a lawsuit is filed with the Court. We put this in writing for you before we even start and will answer all of your questions, to your complete satisfaction, during our initial consultation. Because we are paid on a contingency you never have to worry about whether you can afford a good attorney. Now you can! This ensures that we will work as hard as we can to achieve the best possible result for you. The contingency fee levels the playing field and allows you, and the firm, to take on the largest companies in the world and meet them head on in prosecuting your case.

We specialize in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Many of our cases involve motor vehicle accidents, whether by automobile, truck, motorcycle and even scooters and e-bikes. We have extensive experience in premises liability, meaning trip and fall cases, negligent security such as shootings, assaults when you are on someone else’s property. Product failure is another specialty, and we handle defective tire blowouts, vehicle rollovers, explosions from propane, natural gas, gasoline, exploding batteries, and from defective pressure and slow cookers. We handle burns from electric blanket and heating pads where clients (usually elderly) are sometimes roasted alive by their own blanket or heating pad. We also accept on the job injuries of any kind under workman’s compensation. We have decades of experience in defective medical device and dangerous drug litigation. We are currently taking baby formula cases where infants suffered necrotizing endocarditis (NEC) injuries.

If you suffered injuries that resulted in loss of work, medical bills, etc - the least you should do is get a consultation to determine if your case would qualify. Personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, which means they only get paid when they win.

No unfortunately we do not handle criminal cases. I’m sorry!

Got your question but I am a customer not the attorney office.

I would definitely recommend finding an attorney that specializes in hurricane claims