Have a Safe Holiday Season

The beginning of our holiday season has officially started, bringing together family and friends to celebrate. Statistically, Thanksgiving holds the highest traffic rates, and DUI arrests are the highest through Thanksgiving weekend to the end of New Year’s weekend. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns no other holiday leads to more fatal accidents than Thanksgiving week. Be smart and stay safe this holiday season. If you’re going to be traveling, keep a fair distance between you and the vehicle ahead, try to keep away from distracted or aggressive drivers, and never attempt to drive after you’ve been drinking. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident, or have been charged with a DUI this winter, call the top rated attorneys of Portner & Shure.

Employee Spotlight October 2018

Please join us in putting the spotlight on our lead receptionist, Ms. Ana Alvarenga! Before coming to Portner & Shure Ana lived in Canada where she obtained her nursing degree from the College of Ontario. Ana has been with us for a little less than a year and has already proven to be a great asset to our team. During her time with us she has grown from being a new receptionist, to now training our new front desk staff, and even assisting several paralegals on claims work. The fact that she’s bilingual is just an additional plus! While she’s not conquering new tasks at Portner & Shure, she is a devoted mother to her two girls- ages four and six, cares for her many animals, and likes to create pottery. Needless to say, we’re thrilled Ana found her way to our firm and can’t wait to see what else she’s capable of!

Employee Spotlight August 2018

Please help us put the spotlight one of our newest paralegals, Ms. Erica Cedillos. She has been with Portner & Shure for three years as a legal assistant and has recently been promoted to paralegal. Erica has lived in Maryland her entire life.  Her parents moved to America from El Salvador to achieve a better life for their children. Now as a mother of two, she understands the drive it takes to care for her children, and strives to give them their best life.

Erica has been in the personal injury industry for five years and has prior clerical experience working in medical offices for 10 years.  She is very detailed oriented and organized. When Erica was an assistant, she helped the paralegal she was working with become a member of the “Million Dollar Plus Paralegal Forum” she also assisted her in receiving recognition as a “2016 Top Paralegal in Maryland”. We are very proud of her accomplishments thus far and are eager to see what else she can achieve as a paralegal.

What to Know Before your Personal Injury Case Goes to Trial

When it comes to personal injury cases, 95% of all cases will settle before court, and for the 5% that do end up going to trial, it’s usually because an insurance carrier has either made a low offer or they have disputed liability

Once the litigation process begins, we file a complaint, the defendant will then have to answer our complaint, discovery is conducted to get all the information about the accident, and we will proceed to prepare our client for court. Our preparation process is very thorough. In fact, most clients find our conference room preparation is more difficult than the court appearance.

When our attorneys enter the court room, commonly the verdicts won are much greater than the insurance carrier’s highest settlement offer. Give Portner & Shure a call today if you or a loved one have suffered a personal injury.

What Clients are Saying August 2018

Love this law firm. Lupe and Melanie were my paralegals. They were friendly, efficient, and kept me updated the whole time unlike most law firms. Great experience! Thank you Portner and Shure!

This case was handled by our Paralegal, Mrs. Lupe Miranda and her assistant, Ms. Melanie Alvarado, out of our Columbia, MD office.

What Clients are Saying March 2018

Excellent service! Honestly if I ever get into an accident again they will be the first to call! My paralegal, Christine Airey helped me with everything I needed and answered my million questions! In busy times it's nice to know this was something I didn't have to stress to dearly in my recovery. Everything was handled and I am able to recover without the hassle of the messy details! I highly recommend the law firm I used!

This case was handled out of our Columbia, MD office by our paralegal, Mrs. Christine Airey

What Happens When You’re the Victim of a Hit-and-Run?

You are always told to get the information from the driver that hit us in an accident, which includes their name, address, insurance information, and driver’s license information. But in a hit-and-run, you are left with no information and no one to call.

Actually, in situations where you are injured in an accident and have no information for the driver responsible, you do have another option to recover compensation

Your own car insurance policy includes something called uninsured motorist coverage. First, the accident should be reported to the police so it can be verified that there was an accident and the other driver had no insurance.

Second, when the responsible party’s information is unknown, you have the recourse available to set up an uninsured motorist claim, or UM claim to recover compensation for your injuries.

Complicated accidents like hit-and-runs require you to have an experienced attorney like those at Portner & Shure, to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Memorial Day Weekend Car Accidents on the Eastern Shore--Why a Local Law Firm is Important

As we approach the Memorial Day holiday weekend, drivers that are headed to the beaches on the Eastern Shore of Maryland should remember to pay extra attention on the roads as traffic congestion is sure to be a problem. Distractions in the car, such as cell phones, should never be used, especially when driving in heavy holiday weekend traffic.

Those traveling to the Eastern Shore for the holiday weekend are more likely to be driving than taking any other mode of transportation. For that reason, traffic congestion will be a problem, as it is every year. As many of us know, the drive to the beaches includes long stretches of single lane roads in rural areas. Some of the worst accidents have occurred on these roads, especially head-on collisions. When an accident occurs and the occupants are injured, you may not know what to do because you may feel like you are in the middle nowhere. You should always call the police after an accident, especially when there are injuries. The next step will involve emergency medical treatment, as well as contacting a law firm.

There are numerous law firms to choose from for an accident case in Maryland, but there are many advantages to choosing a local firm that is in the area on the Eastern Shore where the accident happened. The local knowledge of the lawyers, including information about judges, opposing counsel, and the roads can give you a big advantage when it comes to negotiating a settlement or trying your case in court. A firm that says that they can represent someone on the Eastern Shore, but yet does not have an office or any connections to that area is doing a disservice to their client. In order to maximize compensation, your attorney will need every advantage they can get.

If you suffer injuries in an Eastern Shore accident this Memorial Day Weekend, call the local Eastern Shore attorneys at Portner & Shure today for a free consultation: (301) 854-9000, (410) 995-1515.

What Happens if the Liability Insurance Company Refuses to Make a Settlement Offer?

Not all car accidents are created equal. Some accidents result in minimal property damage to your car. The important thing to remember is that injuries suffered by drivers or occupants of a vehicle do not always correspond to the vehicle damage. Some accident victims suffer serious injuries in accidents where there is very little property damage. And sometimes accident victims suffer minimal injuries when there is significant property damage.

Over the years, many insurance companies have implemented policies where they will deny liability or refuse to make an offer of settlement in cases where there is minimal property damage. In other words, insurance companies seem to believe that in accidents with very little property damage, it it impossible for someone to suffer significant injuries. This can be very frustrating to work with because property damage does not always correlate to injuries. Unfortunately, in these types of cases, it does take a bit longer to resolve the case because, ultimately, suit must be filed in order to get an offer of settlement from the insurance company. We are never afraid to file suit and battle the insurance carrier in court. If you choose us as your attorneys, it will not matter that there was minimal property damage because as long as you have documented injuries related to the accident, it is very difficult for the insurance company to make a counterargument.

If you've been injured in an accident with low property damage, contact us today for a free consultation and rest assured that we will fight for the compensation you deserve. (301) 854-9000, (410) 995-1515.