Employee Spotlight September 2018

Please join us in welcoming one of our newest team members, Diane Lazo. She was born in Manila Philippines and came to the United States when she was six years old. She is fluent in Tagalog, which is the universal Filipino language. She worked with another firm handling personal injury and workers compensation for five years before coming to Portner & Shure. In her spare time she volunteers with various non-profit dog rescues to assure all dogs find a forever home. Other than that, she can typically be found spending time with her two daughters, husband, and Toby- her 95 pound pitbull fur baby. With Portner & Shure, she hopes to continuously expand her knowledge on workers compensation throughout Maryland and Virginia. We’re very excited to have her a part of our team and to watch her knowledge grow.

Litigation News November 2017

This month in litigation news at Portner & Shure, we have an accident case where our client was rear-ended with such a great impact that it pushed her into the vehicle ahead of her. The accident left our client in immense pain to her neck and a fractured rib. Liability was highly disputed the entire case and no settlement offer was ever made. After our client was through with treatment she had accrued over $17,000.00 in medical expenses. In order to get our client the compensation she deserved from the insurance company, our litigation team filed suit. After we made our court appearance, the trial Judge found the defendant to be at fault and awarded our client with $27,679.71. Our client was very satisfied with her result, especially since no offer was made, and appreciated the dedication and hard work from her paralegal and attorney.

What Clients are Saying November 2017

Since day one of handling my case Claudia Hernadez has been amazing and very helpful. She has made this entire process easy and stress free. They were amazing and I could not have asked for a better Paralegal.

This case was handled by our paralegal, Claudia Hernandez, who works out of our Columbia, MD office.

College Park, Maryland Auto Accident Attorney|Understanding Your Traffic Violation

When you first receive a traffic ticket, it is important to understand the offense with which you are charged along with the consequences you may face. In Maryland, there are two types of traffic violations: Minor and major.

Minor Traffic Violation:

If you have been charged with a minor traffic offense, such as speeding, you may choose to pay the fine or contest the ticket in court. If you choose to pay the fine, you are admitting guilt for the charge and may rack up points in the point system set by the MVA.

 The Maryland point system is a way for the state of Maryland to examine your driving record and determine what type of punishment is appropriate for you. If you accumulate five points on your record within a two-year period, the MVA will set up a conference to assess your driving record. If you accumulate eight points, your license may be suspended. If you have questions about your ticket or how many points is assigned to your violation, ask the police officer who issued the ticket or consult an experienced auto accident attorney who can help you look at your options.

 Instead of paying the stated fine, you may choose to contest your minor traffic violation ticket by going to court. Your court date will be on the ticket. A car accident lawyer can help you examine the surroundings of your violation and see if you have a chance to fight against your charge. If you do not pay the fine and do not show up for your court date, your driver's license will automatically become suspended. If you are caught driving with a suspended license due to failure to pay for a ticket or appear in court, you face a 60-day jail sentence and a $500 fine. Do not ignore your ticket simply because it is a minor violation.

 Major Traffic Violation:

 Major traffic offenses are traffic violations that could put you in jail if you are convicted. If you are charged with a major offense, you are required to come to court and do not have an option to simply pay a fine. Along with your ticket, you will receive a summons from the court in the mail stating the date, time, and location of your trial. It is advised that you seek legal counsel, and you must do so before the date of your trial - the earlier the better. 

WARNING! USE A SIMPLE FIVE YEAR RULE BEFORE CHOOSING A CHINESE ACCIDENT LAWYER IN MARYLAND, WASHINGTON D.C. AND VIRGINIA

Portner & Shure has been doing personal injury work in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia for approximately twenty years. Each year we recover approximately nine million dollars on behalf of Chinese speaking accident victims as well as accident victims who speak Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese. Recently, we have had countless Chinese speaking accident victims fire their current Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. personal injury attorneys. I looked at these cases to figure out why, and hopefully give some guidance to Chinese speaking people seeking the best injury lawyer in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. My conclusion, as you will see below, is to use a simple five year rule.

I noticed that some Chinese speaking accident victims chose a firm that is new and/or does a lot of immigration work. Insurance companies are businesses, they are aware of law firms that have no track record. These firms have to prove themselves. Its best they are not trying to prove themselves with your Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia accident case. A rule of thumb is to look at the firm, and make sure the firm has been in business at least five years. Second, look at the firms website. If the firm does not have excellent results posted for at least a five year period, say no thank you. In addition, if the firm also does immigration it's a sign that they don't focus on personal injury work for Chinese speaking accident victims in Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia. You don't want a law firm that really can't focus on this area of law.

Next, make sure the law firm and the person handling your Chinese accident case has at least a five year track record of trying cases in court. Insurance companies are not afraid of law firms that don't go to court in Chinese accident cases in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Look at the injury firms trial record over the last five years. If they don't post results you know what the insurance companies think about that firm.

Finally, make sure the person handling and overseeing your Chinese Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia is an attorney, not just a paralegal and has been in personal practice at least five years. All Chinese accident cases need to be overseen by an injury lawyer with at least five years experience. In conclusion, follow the five year rule regardless of what the law firm you are speaking with to tries to explain. You are not hiring an injury firm because they are your friends, you hire them for results. 

Follow the five year rule and you will not be one of those Chinese speaking clients who is now using Portner & Shure because they had a bad experience with another Maryland, Washington D.C. and Virginia personal injury law firm.