Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP: Proven Results In Personal Injury Cases

Cases are evaluated based on the evidence, the credibility of the people involved, and professional judgement.

Evidence comes in many forms, including your own description of how the accident happened and how it has affected you; medical records; tax, employment, insurance records; and more. Some of the evidence can only be provided by experts, often doctors, and this evidence is particularly important because it helps us understand not only how the injuries are impacting you now, but how they will continue to impact you in the future. These reports, that we will obtain for you, will help us answer key questions like “Will you need more surgery?”, “Will you be able to go back to work, and if so, when and under what circumstances?”, “What medical needs will you have in the future?”, and other important questions about your case.

The second important factor is credibility or believability – always an important consideration in any personal injury case. Everything the insurance company does is viewed through the lens of “How would this look to a Judge or Jury?” Even though most cases don’t go to trial, the value of the case is often shaped by the likelihood that whoever is making the claims will be believed.

And finally, there is professional judgement. Ultimately, our experience in handling thousands of cases over the years gives us the ability to know what damages to pursue, how to prove them, and how to maximize the recovery that we can get for you.

A class action is a type of lawsuit where a group of people with the same or similar injuries sue the defendant. The claim is commenced by a Representative Plaintiff who will effectively act as the face of the class.

Once the court certifies the class action, a notice is put out to all potential members of the class to ensure everyone with similar injuries are informed about the class. Keep in mind, however, that a plaintiff who does not opt out of a class action forfeits his/her rights to pursue an individual action.

When a class action is resolved – whether by mutual settlement or trial – everyone in that class is bound by that resolution. The funds from the settlement are then distributed according to the Court approved procedure.

Alternatively, sometimes it makes sense to pool similar cases together in what is called a mass tort action. This way of proceeding allows plaintiffs to bring an individual case against a defendant alongside what is often hundreds of other individual plaintiffs in the same situation.

Unlike class action lawsuits, where the representative plaintiff pursues the claim on behalf of the class members, mass tort actions allows for plaintiffs to pursue their cases individually. These plaintiffs may have different interests and assessments of individual damages may vary.

Both mass tort actions and class actions are generally funded through contingency fee agreements, which means a plaintiff to an action does not have to pay expenses related to the case out of pocket while it works its way through the legal system. Instead, legal representatives only receive compensation (a portion of the award) if the action is successful. This means there is substantially less risk for plaintiffs or class members and it can significantly enhance access to justice

Our personal injury lawyers help accident and injury victims in many ways you might not even think of.
At Howie, Sacks & Henry, we:
1. Help manage your case against those who have caused your injuries
2. Handle claims against your insurance company for accident benefits
3. Work directly with your treatment team and make sure that you see the right specialists and treatment providers to improve your chances of making a full and good recovery
4. Take the time to understand the medical issues you are dealing with and assemble a team of highly specialized medical consultants to help present the best possible case
5. Help families with complicated housing situations, including finding the right place to live after the accident, if the injuries don’t allow them to move back home
6. Help those in financial crisis solve their financial problems until their case gets resolved
7. Assist you and your family in finding good counsellors to help with family issues often caused by the accident and serious injuries
8. Make sure you have access to financial advice to help understand how you can best use and protect the money that you receive from your case

ersonal injury cases can take time to settle, just as injuries take time to heal.

Some injuries, if they’re severe enough, can take up to two years before the full consequences of the injury are known. A good law firm shouldn’t try to settle your case before then.

More importantly, it takes two sides to arrive at a settlement. Often we ask an insurance company to settle for what we consider to be the fair value of your case, but they refuse. In those situations, the case must go forward until the insurance company agrees to pay an amount that is fair. And if they don’t, a trial is the only way to get a fair result for you.

It usually takes about four to five years after the case is commenced to get to trial. Unfortunately, a big part of that delay is due to the back log in all of our courts in Ontario and that back log can take up to two years all by itself. The good news is that at Howie, Sacks & Henry, over 95% of our cases settle, before a trial is necessary.

Rest assured that at HSH, we will move your case forward as fast as possible, without compromising our work, to ensure you get a fair result.

Personal injury cases can take time to settle, just as injuries take time to heal.

Some injuries, if they’re severe enough, can take up to two years before the full consequences of the injury are known. A good law firm shouldn’t try to settle your case before then.

More importantly, it takes two sides to arrive at a settlement. Often we ask an insurance company to settle for what we consider to be the fair value of your case, but they refuse. In those situations, the case must go forward until the insurance company agrees to pay an amount that is fair. And if they don’t, a trial is the only way to get a fair result for you.

It usually takes about four to five years after the case is commenced to get to trial. Unfortunately, a big part of that delay is due to the back log in all of our courts in Ontario and that back log can take up to two years all by itself. The good news is that at Howie, Sacks & Henry, over 95% of our cases settle, before a trial is necessary.

Rest assured that at HSH, we will move your case forward as fast as possible, without compromising our work, to ensure you get a fair result.