If you’ve just been in an accident, the chances are you will be overwhelmed with navigating your immediate situation and well-being alongside the laundry list of actions that you need to take to get the support, coverage and protection you need. 

We recommend keeping a short checklist, like the one below, at hand to help stay calm and focused on what you can do to increase your chances of obtaining the help and compensation you deserve.

ALWAYS ensure your health and safety first, before taking any next steps. 

• Survey the situation and gather information. Having an accurate set of details directly from the accident will help you at later stages of filing a claim or in court. 
  • Take pictures if appropriate
  • Note down all details (date, time, location, witnesses involved, etc)
• Contact all parties that will provide you with immediate and ongoing help, including:
  • The police (when needed) 
  • Your insurance company
  • Us at Harris Law – we offer free consultations 

No. We always provide free consultations.

Every case is different – we have had clients come to us who aren’t sure if they have a case, when in fact they have a very strong case that will easily be won in court, and the opposite occurs too. There are many factors that affect whether a case is viable, which is why it’s vital to consult with a legal expert to evaluate your case. We offer consultations for free – and remember – if you have a claim there is most likely a limitation clock running, after which your case will be dismissed – don’t hesitate to book a consultation as soon as you need legal advice.

We offer a free consultation during which we will be upfront and transparent with you about what your case will involve. We are your champions and our top priority is to help you recover and obtain the compensation you deserve, which is why we work on a contingency fee basis. You do not pay upfront or out of pocket for our services. You only pay for our time if we recover compensation for you and our fees will never exceed what you will recover through settlement or judgement.

We work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you don’t pay unless we recover compensation for you. We will never invoice for time or fees that are more than what you will recover through settlement or judgment.

We get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, it isn’t a quick and easy answer, but we can share what we take into account when determining the value of your claim. During your consultation we can provide you with examples of settlement amounts awarded for claims similar to yours and will provide you with the maximum amount of general damages that you can recover. To answer these questions, we need to complete a consultation to understand the details of your claim – contact us today to book your free consultation. 

Our estimates look at the following types of damages including, but not limited to:

• Loss of wages
• Costs of care and future care
• Additional household expenses
• Diminished earning capacity
• Out of pocket expenses
• Legal fees and costs

Every case is unique, but for the purposes of giving a general idea of how long it typically takes to settle a case, we would recommend you prepare to spend anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 years reaching a settlement. Some cases can be resolved within months and others take over five years. Book a free consultation with us today to determine how long it could take to settle your claim. 

It is usually preferable to resolve disputes out of court, but some situations require going to the courts and letting a judge decide. The first step is to file a complaint to obtain a trial date, which sometimes can take more than a year. If your case reaches court we will walk you through all procedural next steps so that you have a complete line of sight into the process and what to expect.

Given our track record and expertise, this rarely happens – but if it were to, we promise that you won’t pay us. We believe that when hiring us you should not be taking on additional risk. Our contingency fee structure has many benefits including:

• Little to no financial risk for our clients
• Helping clients who do not have money to pay out of pocket for a lawyer
• Immediately establishing trust that we are dedicated to working for you to win your case

Harris Law Personal Injury Lawyers represents clients throughout southwestern Ontario, including the cities of Kitchener-Waterloo, Breslau, St. Jacobs, St. Clements, Wellesley, Baden, New Hamburg, Ayr, Cambridge, Puslinch, Guelph, Rockwood, Fergus, Elora, Elmira, Wallenstein, Shakespeare, Tavistock, Stratford, Woodstock, Paris, Brantford, Brant, Saint George, Ancaster, Dundas, and Hamilton.