Leon Law offers smart and responsive legal remedy in times of need
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
For anyone on the road for work can testify to the myriad facets of a professional life spent traveling from one city to the next.
But one that often sticks out for most road warriors, they say, are the most convenient stops, the best service and accommodations and, of course, overall safety of the environment.
But what happens when reasonable precautions for safety are not followed? Furthermore, if you are injured, what rights do you have on someone else’s property? That was the conundrum Steve found himself in while visiting the Valley of the Sun.
“I had a trip and fall and it was significant because I cracked my head open,” he told the Arizona Digital Free Press in a phone interview. “It really was significant as I ended up having 30 stitches — this was about now two years ago.”
Steve describes a time of distress caused by the injury.
“I was referred to him by a friend,” he said, stopping mid-sentence to describe his attorney as a responsible, calm and attentive person. “I absolutely received excellent service from Jose but also he has a top-notch staff that impressed me by how much they were on top of the case.”
It is these moments of day-to-day life that can sometimes shape major chapters of anyone’s life. And most importantly, it is a time when many need a legal advocate willing to educate them and fight for their best interests.
Jose Leon, founder of Leon Law, which is based in central Phoenix, is an advocate for those who need help in times of distress.
Steve describes his experience with Mr. Leon and Leon Law professionals as one that was smart and responsive.
“I spoke with Jose six or seven times to let me know status of items as we moved through process,” he said. “He spoke in laymen terms, and he was easy to understand. We ended up settling out court. Please let him know I gave him the highest possible rating I could for his service.”
“I spoke with Jose six or seven times to let me know status of items as we moved through process,” he said. “He spoke in laymen terms, and he was easy to understand. We ended up settling out court. Please let him know I gave him the highest possible rating I could for his service.”
1ON1 with Jose Leon of Leon Law
*Tell me a little bit about injury case law and how Steve’s case was introduced to you?
Injury law is diverse. Steve’s case arises out a defect in a property he visited that was not apparent to a reasonable person. The dangerous area was a set of stairs that didn’t meet building code. As he used the stairs he tripped and fell and injured himself. After his injury he spoke to a trusted friend who recommended he speak to our law firm to evaluate the claim.
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*In a bit of detail can you give me the internal blow-by-blow in terms of process for how you get prepared to serve a client who may be in a similar situation?
A slip-and-fall injury claim is a bit trickier than a car accident, for example. In Arizona, owners of property have protections in place that help prevent them from paying for all injuries. First, there are various classification for people on property. If you’re in a property to transact business and benefit the owner, you have heightened protections, as opposed to someone trespassing. Generally, if you are legally there then there is a need for either the owner to be aware of a dangerous condition or the dangerous condition has been there that the owner should have known and remedied the danger before injuries people on his property.
Your status on the property as well as the facts surrounding condition help frame the question of whether you have a personal injury claim against a property owner. If the facts are in your favor, we move forward with the case and help clients navigate the claims process to attempt and secure a favorable settlement.
*From start to finish about how long this case took to be ultimately settled out of court in favor of Leon Law’s client?
I like to explain to clients that a personal injury claim is more about the stages of the claim instead of a specific period of time. The injuries will require treatment and a full clearance from doctors. We then move to an investigation phase. Once we compile all necessary information (medical records, bills, health insurance payment ledgers) we move towards a negotiation period with the applicable insurance companies. The hope is that negotiation can solve the claim but there are times we must file a lawsuit to get the proper value of the claim.
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*Are there any key moments in this type of case to point out that matter for readers?
The general public at times gets confused with the role of the insurance companies that respond for personal injury settlements. They (insurance companies) are not there to pay for the treatment and pain and suffering in a piece mail method. They are there to do one payout at one time. This ends the claim so understanding the case value as a whole is critical. We should be using our health insurance as our protection for medical bills. We owe medical bills regardless of how we got to the doctor. This not only protects us from being sent to collections on those bills, but it also helps in how much money we get in our pocket after a settlement is made. Now, if a person doesn’t have health insurance they should try and apply for it and see if it can get used along the way.
Last resort is the opportunity to visit with medical providers that understand personal injury claims and have them wait for payment from the settlement. But this should be a choice or last resort.
*What were the key factors you and your team uncovered that helped Steve with a favorable settlement?
A lot of times the use of investigation and preparation of legal arguments surrounding the circumstances help tremendously. In this slip and fall, we used building code and the property history with the city to secure evidence of the defect in the stairs. Next steps would be hiring experts to verify the wrongdoing. These steps help to convince insurance companies of our strong position so that we come to a fair settlement for our clients.