Free Legal Advice for Hospital Lawsuits?

Question

What are some good websites or locations for free legal advice/services for hospital lawsuits. Colorado based would be great. I have zero money.

Answer 1

I have worked over 20 years in the litigation arena in Colorado, including Medical Malpractice.  It is a very difficult type of lawsuit to win.  If you believe you have a case, you look under attorneys in the Yellow Pages and call pretty much anyone that says "Personal Injury" or "Medical Malpractice" in their ad.  Most attorneys will give you an initial consultation for free.  This is where you tell them what happened and they tell you if they believe you have a good case or not.  If they believe you have a good case and are willing to take it, they will likely take it on a contingency basis, meaning you only have to pay costs and they take a percentage of whatever they get for you in the suit.  

Now the bad news.  Any time you file a lawsuit of this nature, you are obligated to pretty much open up your entire life for the other side to delve into.  They will be allowed to obtain tax records, employment records, medical records and any other type of records they can think up, and they can go back several years on these.  Your life and conduct will be under a magnifying glass.  In addition, the defense attorneys are experts at dragging out lawsuits for years in hopes that you will give up hope and go away.  It will not be a good experience.  The best possible outcome is that they will settle early - and pay you a little something as a "nuisance payment" to make the lawsuit go away.  But most corporations, including hospitals, would rather pay the attorneys hundreds of thousands of dollars than to pay a plaintiff a dime.  

Good luck.  

Answer 2

You'll have to find a personal injury attorney that will take it on contingency.  Medical malpractice suits are notoriously hard to win, don't be surprised if everyone turns it down, they cost tens of thousands of dollars to litigate because of all the expert testimony required.

Answer 3

Free legal advice/services for any civil lawsuit would be very difficult to come by.....if it involves malpractice/injury and the case has merit, many personal injuries will take the case for a percentage of the settlement.

Answer 4

See about finding a lawyer that will only take payment if you win.  Findlaw.com would probably be a good place to start.  If you can't find one, often times you can retain a lawyer for a fee and pay the rest later.  Your first initial consultation will probably be free, but you will get no advice at that point.

Be sure you look at your papers you signed with the hospital.  If you signed anything that exonerates them from damage, you are probably screwed.

My husband's niece tried that, only it was her own fault since she refused to have a C Section done.  The hospital wanted to do it to avoid injuring her son, but she was dead set on having it natural, so they had no choice but to use forceps.  Before they proceeded with forceps, they had her sign papers stating they weren't responsible for any damages.  No lawyer would take her case, and I myself even side with the hospital on this one.