Schenectady, NY Personal Injury Law Firms & Lawyers

First, it is difficult to answer your question as you do not indicate whether you are referring to a workers' compensation or a non-workers' compensation. This makes a difference in determining the value of your case. Generally, if you have a workers' compensation case you would be entitled to a number of weeks of Permanent Partial Disability benefits based on the impairment rating assigned by a physician to your left hand. Without knowing your impairment rating, your average weekly wage and how many weeks of benefits you have may have already received I cannot tell what the value of the case might be. If it is a non-workers' compensation case the value of your case is based on its particular facts. Assuming you were not at fault, in whole or in part, you are entitled to be "made whole" or "compensated" for all injuries and damages you sustained. There are a number of factors that determine what a case is worth. Some of these include, but are not limited to: the nature and extent of the injury; whether an injury is temporary or permanent; your medical expenses; lost wages; and pain, suffering and inconvenience. Assuming your injury is permanent you would be entitled to money to compensate you for these items in the future. Without knowing more about your injuries, your medical expenses total, your wage loss and other items I cannot give you a value. Second, you can take a "lump sum" settlement. If you have a workers' compensation case the lump sum settlement must be approved by the Workers' Compensation Court. You may want to consult with either a workers' compensation or personal injury attorney to discuss your case. Most of these types of attorneys offer a free initial consultation so it will not cost you anything to get more information about your rights and possible case value.

No, the attorney can charge you a percentage of the total amount recovered. However, you may be able to negotiate with him/her to get him/her to only take a fee off of the additional amount he/she was able to help you recover. There is no rule that restricts the attorney's fee to only the extra amount.

It depends on where it is coming from. If you are in probate court, you could ask the Judge to obtain it early. If it is with a structure company, you are out of luck.