In it, Arthur noted that an “overwhelming number of law firms are now advertising, looking to handle cases for Marines and their families who may have a claim.” Furthermore, the Five on Your Side story outlined some questions to ask when deciding on which law firm to hire to represent you.
At Ward and Smith, we took a particular interest in this story as many folks who are calling our firm looking for help with these claims are reporting seeing advertisements on TV and social media, and receiving letters, but wanting to hire a firm that is local.
Being a local firm of long-standing presence in North Carolina, we are not spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing.
In order to qualify for claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, claimants either are or at one time were our neighbors. So, rather than focusing on advertising, we are spending our time helping them understand their rights under the Act and litigating their claims for them.
We trust our neighbors to know the difference in law firms that are in California, New York, and Florida and firms that are in Wilmington, Greenville, New Bern, and Raleigh.
“5 On Your Side” asked the questions. We will answer them.
Q: Make sure any agreement you sign clearly states whether you are responsible for up-front costs or if they’ll come out of a settlement.
A: At Ward and Smith, our engagement agreement makes clear that our clients are not responsible for any upfront costs.
Q: Ask whether you have to pay anything if your case doesn’t settle or go to trial.
A: At Ward and Smith, our Camp Lejeune Water Contamination clients do not pay anything if the case does not settle or go to trial.
Q: Does the law firm regularly handle complex personal injury cases?
A: Yes, Ward and Smith handles complex personal injury cases daily. This is not a new area of practice for us. We have been helping injured clients for decades. To our knowledge, we are the largest law firm in North Carolina with a sophisticated plaintiffs’ personal injury practice.
Q: Do they have experience representing plaintiffs in Camp Lejeune cases?
A: Yes. As a matter of fact, we have filed one of the first Camp Lejeune Water Contamination cases the day the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was passed. However, our firm’s involvement in the effort began long before the TV commercials started. Our own retired Major General Hugh Overholt was part of the team that worked for years to help navigate the Act through the Unites States Congress—building strong bi-partisan support for the bill that ultimately led to its passage.
We don’t know of any other North Carolina law firm that has been as intimately involved in getting the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination cases to this point in litigation as we have.
Q: You can also check to make sure the attorney you’re considering is in good standing with the NC State Bar by visiting the North Carolina State Bar’s website.
A: All of the attorneys at Ward and Smith are in good standing with the North Carolina State Bar.
Members of our Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Practice are also members of several of the most reputable and recognized professional associations of litigators, including:
And two of our Personal Injury attorneys, Charles Ellis and Lynwood Evans have each been honored by their peers with inclusion in “Best Lawyers in America” in the “Medical Malpractice Law-Plaintiffs” and the “Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs” categories for more than a decade.
I’ve also had the honor of being listed in “Best Lawyers in America” in both the “Medical Malpractice Law-Plaintiffs” and the “Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs” categories. Additionally, I’ve been named the “Lawyer of the Year” for 2023 in the Wilmington area for “Medical Malpractice Law- Plaintiffs,” and I’m appreciative of this recognition.
Our team stands ready to help victims of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination. Please visit our website to chat with us or to learn more about our practice.
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© 2022 Ward and Smith, P.A. For further information regarding the issues described above, please contact Jeremy M. Wilson.
This article is not intended to give, and should not be relied upon for, legal advice in any particular circumstance or fact situation. No action should be taken in reliance upon the information contained in this article without obtaining the advice of an attorney.
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