The Justice Roundtable is a prestigious and exclusive invitation only group limited to 100 of the top personal injury attorneys in the nation. Each member has achieved the significant milestone of at least one verdict or settlement above $1,000,000 and has the proven ability to successfully handle serious injury accident and wrongful death cases while maintaining a spotless ethical record. All Justice Roundtable members take the following oath.
As a proud member of the Justice Roundtable, I believe that justice requires that injured people receive full compensation from wrongdoers. By holding wrongdoers accountable for the harm they cause, I help to make all of our families safer.I understand the fear that comes when tragedy strikes a family. I will be a strong shoulder to lean on in difficult times and will take the time to listen to my client's concerns. I vow to serve my clients honorably, to put my clients' interests before my own, and to dedicate myself to achieving full justice for them.
I will be forthright and honest in my dealings with my client and others. As an officer of the court, and an advocate for my client's rights, I will uphold and honor the dignity of the court and the profession of law, and will endeavor to serve as an inspiration and guide for other lawyers in the practice of law.
What my clients
say:
"The settlement Paglialunga & Harris got for me far exceeded my expectations.
I am more than satisfied."
-- Pastor Lawrence Willis
"Paglialunga & Harris did an outstanding job on my case. I had no idea what
my rights were when I got seriously injured. I was so worried I would lose
everything. They were knowledgeable, honest and most importantly got a great
result for me. I would recommend this firm to anyone."
-- Eli College
"We could never thank you enough for everything you did for us and our family
and all the hard work you put in to get us the best compensation possible."
-- The Rodriguez Family
"I entrusted my personal injury claim with Paglialunga & Harris because
of their reputation as trustworthy and skilled attorneys. In the course
of handling my case, I found them to be a strong advocate for me in obtaining
a fair settlement for my injury and income loss. Throughout, their communication
with me was always prompt, direct, honest and informative. If I ever have
a need for this kind of legal service again, I would not hesitate to retain
their firm again.
--Alex Howard, President, Adventures.
If you would like me to review your case or discuss your case free of charge:
click here.
What other attorneys say:
"I have referred a number of personal injury claimants to Paglialunga and
Harris. I have heard nothing but good reports from these claimants about
the work that Paglialunga and Harris have performed. I have been impressed
with the verdicts and settlements which they have achieved."
-- Halleck Hodgins, Past President, Washington State Trial Lawyers
Association.
"Chuck is a tremendous advocate for his clients. He brings a rare combination
of passion, diligent preparation, and natural communication skills to every
case. Chuck and I have worked on a number of cases together and have informally
consulted on many more; I am continually amazed at how hard Chuck works
to uncover important facts and how he is able to persuasively apply the
law to his client's benefit. Chuck and his partner are not afraid of taking
on difficult cases. I would recommend him to anyone with a wrongful death
or serious injury claim."
-- Bill Coats, Attorney
"I have both referred and consulted with Chuck on two personal injury matters.
I found him to be motivated, caring and realistic, -- all admirable traits
in the legal field."
-- Bruce Busch, Attorney
For a free consultation and case evaluation: click
here.
Chuck Paglialunga - your Seattle member of the Justice Roundtable
Five Secrets Insurance companies don't want people
injured in accidents to know
Tips from an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney that can make a difference in whether you get the compensation you deserve for your Washington State accident claim.
This article shares a few secrets I have learned from over 25 years of combined experience successfully handling personal injury accident and wrongful death cases throughout Washington State. I hope that it is helpful to you.
1. It is essential to tell your doctors everything about your injuries and complaints and to follow up on all treatment recommendations. Documenting the truth about your injuries is the key to getting a fair settlement, so go to the doctor when you need treatment, and tell your doctor EVERYTHING that is troubling you. Here’s an example of why this is important. Let’s say you have a neck injury that’s really troubling you and your knee also hurts a little from the accident, and you go to the doctor and for the first three weeks only talk about your neck. Then as the neck pain becomes more tolerable, you start to worry about your knee that hasn’t improved. So you tell your doctor about it for the first time one month after the accident. He diagnoses torn cartilage and you need surgery. Guess what the insurance company is going to say? They’re going to say you hurt your knee one month after the accident, not in the accident.
2. The purpose of personal injury law is not for the injured person to make a profit. The purpose is a noble one: for the injured person to receive justice. This would be obvious, except the insurance industry has a public relations machine that constantly talks about frivolous lawsuits, trying to mislead everyone that the purpose of personal injury law is to make a profit off of injury. The insurance industry does this to anger jurors against people who come to court and discourage people from bringing claims and hiring lawyers. People who have been injured because of someone else's fault are entitled to fair compensation. That is the law. That is justice. Nobody should feel bad about pursuing what they deserve.
3. A top personal injury attorney can improve a settlement amount by two, three, or even more times. The more serious the injuries are, the more this is true. Internal documents from insurance companies reveal that some insurance companies keep a database of personal injury attorneys and adjust their settlement offers based on the reputation of the attorney. As an example of how your choice of attorney can affect the settlement offer, consider this real life example from our law firm: a man was injured when a semi truck crossed the centerline on a highway. The man in the car sustained a mild traumatic brain injury. His attorney obtained a $50,000 offer and suggested that he take it. The injured man thought it was too low, and fired his attorney. He later hired us and we obtained a $450,000 settlement for him, 900% higher than the offer obtained by his prior attorney. If you’re seriously injured, or have lost a loved one because of someone else’s fault, you probably don’t need to be told how important your choice of lawyer is. There’s a lot riding on that decision. Look for lawyers who you can trust and who have a track record of successful results on cases like yours.
4. Honesty is the best policy. This is one we don’t need to tell you, but there are a few people out there who need to read this. I hear of cases where the insurance company won’t settle and then the jury gives an outrageously low award at trail. An insurance company won’t settle a case if they feel it’s being exaggerated, and they know if they take a case like that to trial, the jury will punish the injured person for being dishonest. That’s why we document every aspect of the claims we handle and get opinions from unbiased experts and doctors. 95% of our cases settle quickly this way. If a case goes to trial, we trust the jury to figure out the truth, and we’re honest with them about our cases. We find that juries reward this kind of honesty with fair and just results. As in all areas of life, honesty is the best policy. It’s not only right, it gets the best results.
5. On average, people who hire personal injury lawyers receive significantly higher settlements after paying costs and attorneys fees than people who attempt to resolve their cases themselves. This might sound like something an attorney might say, but internal documents an insurance company tried to keep secret (despite being ordered by the Court to turn them over) showed they had performed a study proving this was true. As a result of this study, the insurance company implemented a policy of sending a friendly person out to discourage the injured person from hiring an attorney and to try to settle the case quickly for a fraction of what it was worth. Have you been contacted by a “friendly” person from the insurance company who wants to take a recorded statement or settle your case quickly?
What You Need To UNDERSTAND: Insurance companies have trained, skillful representatives whose mission is to minimize the amount of your claim. The quality and skill of the attorney you hire can have a significant impact on the value of your case. The best personal injury attorneys in the country are caring, down to earth people whose clients are every day people. They are committed to truth, justice, and accountability. Jurors recognize those qualities in the best lawyers and that’s why they consistently win. The following is some information about our law firm, the cases we handle, the principles we follow, and the results we get. If you’re curious what your case might be worth, or if you have any questions about your case or want a free consultation, click here. Or read on and learn more about our law firm and how we get injured people and wrongful death victims the compensation they deserve for their accident claims.
If you would like me to review your case or discuss your case free of charge, or would like to schedule an appointment in our Seattle office or schedule a home or hospital visit: click here.
- What kinds of personal injury cases do you handle?
- Do most of your cases settle or go to court?
- What kinds of results have you gotten for your clients?
- How do you get such good results for your clients?
- What other organizations are you a member of or other honors have you achieved?
- What if I can’t afford attorney’s fees?
- How do you decide if I have a case?
- How do you determine what a case is worth and what it should settle for?
- Do you accept referrals from attorneys?
- Where are your offices?
- Are you available to talk to me about my case?
What kinds of personal injury cases do you
handle?
I only handle personal injury accident cases. I do not handle divorces,
criminal law, or other types of cases. This is important because to do personal
injury law well you must devote all of your energies to it and stay current
with the most recent case law. These are some of the case types that I handle.
- Car accidents / auto accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Semi truck accidents
- Bicycle & pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall
- Unsafe property
- Airplane crashes
- Unsafe products and drugs
- Unsafe amusement rides
- Medical Malpractice
- Nursing home negligence and abuse
I have experience handling most types of injuries, including:
- Fractures
- Shoulder injury
- Knee injury
- Neck injury
- Back injury
- Hand injury
- Foot injury
If you would like me to review your case or discuss your case free of charge: click here.
I also have extensive experience handling serious injury cases. This level of experience is important because handling these types of cases is very different than handling smaller cases. Handling cases with severe injuries requires a far greater investment of time, energy, and financial resources than handling smaller cases. Here are just a few of the kinds of serious and permanent injury cases that we have handled successfully in the past.
- Traumatic brain injury, head injury, concussion
- Quadriplegia, paraplegia
- Severe 3rd degree burns
- Wrongful death
If you have a serious injury case or wrongful death case, you should make
sure that the attorney you hire has experience with these types of cases.
Whether you’ve been injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident,
or injured in some other way, I can handle your case. If you would like
me to review your case or discuss your case free of charge: click here.
Do most of your cases settle or go to court?
The vast majority of our cases settle out of court before a lawsuit is ever
filed, probably about 90%. By preparing the case well before a case is filed
in court, we can improve the chances of a fair settlement without a lawsuit.
What kinds of results have you gotten for
your clients?
I don’t put this information on the page to brag. It’s important
to know what your attorney’s track record is and whether he or she
has successfully handled serious injury cases. It was an honor for us to
have successfully served these clients and to have made a meaningful difference
in their lives. I consider each of these people my friends.
$4.5 Million trial damage award in a tragic motor vehicle accident case involving traumatic brain injury of a mother and wrongful death of her daughter.
$3.1 Million policy limits insurance settlement from a landlord (the maximum amount available from the landlord’s insurance policies) for a man who fell from an unsafe balcony when the deck railing collapsed, causing severe brain damage. The landlord and insurance company initially denied the claim. The injured man’s first attorney dropped his case. Other attorneys rejected the case as too complex. The injured man came to us and we fought for him, and got him what we believe is the highest recorded settlement ever in the history of Mason County.
$2.8 Million insurance settlement for a car accident that resulted in quadriplegia. The injuries were caused by an unsafe intersection and a lawsuit was brought against the State of Washington for negligent highway design.
$850,000 settlement in a rollover accident case against the vehicle manufacturer for an unsafe roof, which caved in when it should not have.
$800,000 settlement for a man who sustained back injuries in a car accident.
$700,000 settlement for a mother who was rear ended by a drunk driver and sustained neck and foot injuries. If you’re curious what your case might be worth, or if you have any questions about your case or want a free consultation, click here.
$640,000 settlement for a construction worker who fell when a subcontractor left an unsecure hidden trapped door, causing the man to fall through the floor and injure his shoulder. This is believed to be the second highest recorded shoulder injury settlement in the history of the State of Washington. Our client was unable to work construction again because of his injuries, and used the money to help his church and to start a charity helping inner city youth who have been in jail and need help learning skills to find employment.
$600,000 policy limits settlement for a man who sustained brain injuries when his car was rear ended by a driver whose brakes failed.
$450,000 settlement for a man who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury when a semi truck crossed the center line, crushing his car. The trucking company offered his first attorney $50,000 and the attorney recommended that the injured man accept it. The injured man thought the settlement was unfair so he fired his attorney and later hired us. We increased the offer by 900%.
These are past results and depend on the unique facts of each case and
should not be taken as a promise of future performance. If you’re
curious what your case might be worth, or if you have any questions about
your case or want a free consultation, you can contact me by clicking
here.
How do you get such good results for your
clients?
I believe one of the reasons I get such good results is that I dedicate
myself to my clients’ cases. I know from experience that jurors place
their trust in lawyers who are honest with them. I believe that by being
honest with juries about the strengths and weaknesses of the cases I handle,
the jury is more likely to understand that the purpose of the case is to
do justice. I try to help the jury to understand that their job is to do
justice, and that it’s an extremely important job in our society.
A centerpiece of some of the more serious cases I handle is what I call
a Life Care Plan, put together by a team of doctors and other experts. The
Life Care Plan includes all future medical treatment the client needs, and
all other assistance the client will need. It also provides the cost of
each part of the care plan. This way, I can ask the jury to make sure that
my client receives the care he or she needs and deserves for the rest of
his or her life. If you or someone you love has been seriously injured and
you need a care plan put together for you, contact me to discuss your case
by clicking here.
What other organizations are you a member
of or other honors have you achieved?
I am a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Top Trial
Lawyers in America. I am an Eagle Member of the Washington State Trial Lawyer’s
Association, and a member of the American Association of Justice.
What if I can’t afford attorney’s
fees?
Like most personal injury attorneys, I work on a contingent fee basis, which
means you don’t pay any fees unless I get a successful result for
you. Typically in the industry fees are 33% of the recovery, and that is
what we charge on nearly all of our cases except for some very complicated
medical malpractice or pharmaceutical liability cases. If you would like
to talk to me and ask more questions about attorney’s fees or costs,
or would like me to email you our standard fee agreement: click
here.
How do you decide if I have a case?
Generally, the law requires that I prove three things:
1. Negligence (that someone who owed a duty of care failed to exercise
ordinary care);
2. Damages (that you were injured as a result of the negligence; and
3. That your injuries were caused by the other person’s negligence.
If those elements are present, then there is a potential case. Sometimes it is obvious who is at fault for an injury, and sometimes the real culprit is hidden and we need to investigate thoroughly before we can identify all the at fault parties. Uncovering the truth is a big part of what we do. Unfortunately, in today’s society, people do not often stand up and admit it when they make a mistake, so it takes skill and persistence to find the truth. If you would like to know if you have a case, you can contact me by clicking here.
How do you determine what a case is worth
and what it should settle for?
I base my decisions on years of experience handling personal injury cases.
I also look at a database of jury verdicts and settlements and compare your
case to other similar cases. This tells me what similar cases have settled
for. However, this is only a guide because each case is unique, just as
each person is unique. Also, it is true that a better attorney can get a
better result on the same case as an attorney who lacks experience. There
are a number of factors that determine the value of the case including:
If you contact me and ask me, I may be able to give you an idea what your case is worth, but generally, it is not possible to do this accurately without first looking at all of the evidence, the medical records, and talking to doctors and getting opinions about future medical care that may be needed, etc. If you would like to talk to me about the general range of what your case might be worth, click here.
Do you accept referrals from attorneys?
Yes. Many of my cases have come from other attorneys who refer cases to me. If you are a lawyer representing an injured client and would like to talk to me about associating me on your case, please click here to contact me.
Where are your offices?
My office is located in the Fremont area of Seattle, Washington,
but I handle cases throughout Washington State. I frequently represent injured
people from Bellingham, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia and Vancouver
Washington. In serious accident cases where traveling to us may be difficult
for you, we can arrange for home or hospital visits so that a trip to Seattle
is not necessary. Our office is easy to locate, offers free parking, and
is handicapped friendly. To schedule an appointment and get directions to
our office, or to request a home or hospital visit, click here.
Are you available to talk to me about
my case?
I am happy to discuss your case with you and let you know what
I think. If I’m not available when you call, you can talk to another
lawyer in my office. If we’re not available when you call, you can
leave a message and I will call you back. We have operators available to
take your call 24/7. Some people prefer instead to send me an email. To
do this, please fill out the free case evaluation form by
clicking here.
Feel free to contact me about your case. Please understand that I can’t
accept every case, but if I can’t take your case, I can steer you
in the right direction. Here are two reasons to contact me now:
1. Contacting me will take a load off your shoulders.
Some people tell us that as soon as you contact us you feel a huge sense
of relief that your case is in the right hands. This frees your energy and
attention for other things.
2. Time matters. Understand that the insurance company
has most likely already begun gathering evidence to help them minimize your
claim, especially if it is a serious accident case. There is also a statute
of limitations that can bar your claim if it is not brought in time. Contacting
us sooner rather than later can help us to get you a better result.
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