Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 5617 FINISH LITIGATION COORDINATION PRODUCTION NO DEPOSITION EXAMINATION ARBITRATION MEDIATION PREPARATION ADJUDICATION RESOLUTION DISTRIBUTION LITIGATION Litigation begins with the plaintiff suing the responsible parties, the defendants. COORDINATION Case managers and paralegals work with the lawyer on the case. PRODUCTION There are several phases of“discovery,” including the production of written documentation by both sides. DEPOSITION The lawyers take depositions – testi- mony under oath – from parties and witnesses. EXAMINATION The defendant’s insurance company has their doctor examine the plaintiff. ARBITRATION A case may be submitted to non-binding arbitration and if both parties agree to the decision, the case settles. MEDIATION Both parties can agree to mediation, which is negotiation facilitated by a neutral third party. PREPARATION Many settlements come only after a considerable amount of time and money have been spent preparing for trial. ADJUDICATION When the parties cannot reach a settlement, the case proceeds to trial and is decided by a judge or jury. RESOLUTION The case resolves by exchanging a written release of all claims for a settlement check. DISTRIBUTION Settlement funds are distributed from the personal injury lawyer’s trust account. SHOULD I SETTLE? YES