A plaintiff is someone who claims harm and who brings a lawsuit seeking to show someone else, the defendant, is liable (at fault) and responsible for the damages. In a personal injury action, the plaintiff is the person who has been hurt. In an employment discrimination/harassment action, he or she is the person who has been fired, harassed or denied accommodation, or whose rights have otherwise been violated. In a medical malpractice case, the plaintiff is the patient who has suffered damages as a result of a health care provider’s negligence. In a business dispute, the plaintiff is the one who files a lawsuit asking for some form of relief or damages.There can be more than one plaintiff in a lawsuit. When a family member has died or suffered a serious personal injury, there may often be more than one plaintiff because more than one person suffers as a result of the negligence of another. Married couples have the right to recover damages based on the injury caused to their marital relationship. When the plaintiff is a minor, the law allows the parents or legal guardian to file a lawsuit on the minor’s behalf. Corporations can be plaintiffs and/or defendants as well as individuals.

Plaintiffs have to either represent themselves or hire a lawyer to represent them. As defendants usually have a lawyer provided free by an insurance company, you should also have representation or you will be taken advantage of. The Dolan Law Firm represents only plaintiffs. It is rated as having the highest degree of skill, results and ethics and has been named as one of California’s highest rated firms, “Super Lawyers,” and has been recognized as a Trial Lawyer of the Year nominee multiple times.

Most people do not have the money to pay $400 an hour for lawyers to represent them, but insurance companies do. The Dolan Law Firm works on a contingency basis, charging a percentage of what its attorneys recover for their clients instead of an hourly fee. The Dolan Law Firm also advances costs for its clients, paying for filing fees, court reporters’ fees, experts’ fees, obtaining medical records, etc., and is reimbursed at the end of the case. We get paid only if we win. We work hard to win.

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