You will be greeted by a highly trained member of our compassionate staff. If it is your first time calling, please let us know that you are inquiring about a new case. If you have been referred to a specific attorney, please ask for that attorney and you will be transferred directly to that attorney or his or her legal assistant. In this initial call we will request your contact information and seek to obtain the basic nature of your claim and injuries. This information will be supplied to your attorney who will review it and contact you to schedule a meeting at our office. If you feel more comfortable you can submit your information to us online.

It is to allow the attorney on your case to speak with you and obtain any further information necessary to determine whether Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered will agree to represent you on your case. Equally important, it is to provide you with the opportunity to ask any questions about your case or our office. It is helpful for you to bring with you to the meeting any documents, photographs, or other evidence relating to your claim.

No. The meeting is purely informational for both you and our office and there is no charge for the meeting. If we accept your case and you wish to retain our office, we would then provide you with our contingency fee agreement for legal services.

It is a contract for legal services where attorneys fees are only paid in the event that we recover money on your behalf. If no money is recovered on your behalf, you do not owe any attorneys fees. Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered will fully answer any questions that you may have about our contingent fee agreement at our meeting.

Yes. Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered utilizes cutting edge legal technology for office management, trial preparation and trial presentation. Our legal files computer management software allows us to most effectively handle our cases. Paper documents are digitally scanned into our computer database allowing our staff to access your case documents at the touch of a button, including letters, technical documents, medical records, photos, videos, court documents, court orders, depositions and trial exhibits. At trial, the attorneys of Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered use presentation software on their tablets to display these documents to the jury or judge for the most effective trial presentation.

Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered prides itself as a law firm that is prepared to and does go to trial. It is this preparation and willingness to go to trial that is the cornerstone of our success in obtaining settlements and verdicts on behalf of our injured clients. When a settlement offer is made on one of our cases, it is our clients decision whether to accept it or to proceed to trial. We thoroughly discuss such offers with our clients and advise them on our opinions as to any such settlement, but it is our clients decision to accept a settlement offer.

Yes. We understand that for most people the idea of filing a lawsuit to protect your rights can be a new and unknown experience. We welcome any questions that you have because they will benefit us both. We consider all of our clients part of our Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered litigation team and understand that this is your case.

• To be free from abuse and neglect
• To retain own personal physician
• To make decisions regarding care and medical treatment, including refusal
• To be free from unwarranted, unauthorized use of restraints and confinement
• To not be given unnecessary drugs
• To not be retaliated against for making a complaint about their care and treatment

• To ensure residents are not harmed by any intentional or negligent act or omission
• To inform the resident of their rights in the facility
• To develop and implement a comprehensive and individualized plan of care for each resident
• To staff the facility with enough properly trained nurses and CNAs
• To report incidents as required by law

• Document the neglect/abuse
• Make the neglect/abuse known to the facility staff
• Report the neglect/abuse to the Illinois Long Term Care Ombudsman
• File a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health
• Contact an attorney

Generally, a lawsuit has to be filed within two years of the date of injury.  However, contact an attorney as soon as you suspect the abuse or neglect occurred so that a thorough investigation can be done prior to litigation.

In the majority of injury cases, the elements of damage are set forth below:

• Medical Expenses (Past + Future)
• Lost Earnings and Benefits (Past + Future)
• Disability / Loss of Normal Life (Past + Future)
• Disfigurement
• Pain and suffering

However, all cases are different and you may be entitled to additional forms of recovery based on the circumstances of your injury.

• If the other driver is un-insured or under-insured, your insurance company likely owes you benefits from your car insurance policy.
• Insurance coverage issues are complicated and fact-specific.  There also may be other sources of insurance coverage applicable to your accident that are not immediately apparent.  
• At Walsh Knippen & Cetina, Chartered, we have extensive experience analyzing the applicability of insurance policies and leverage that knowledge to achieve the maximum recovery for our clients

Generally, a lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of the collision.

The personal representative of the deceased’s estate can bring a “survival” action to seek compensation for injuries incurred between the time of injury and time of death.

• Loss of companionship
• Loss of services
• Loss of future income
• Loss of consortium

This depends on a variety of factors, including the existence or non-existence of a will and others. If an award is achieved at trial, a judge will determine the amount received by each entitled family member based on the closeness of their relationship with the deceased.

Generally, a lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of death.

In the majority of injury cases, the elements of damage are set forth below:

• Medical Expenses (Past + Future)
• Lost Earnings and Benefits (Past + Future)
• Disability / Loss of Normal Life (Past + Future)
• Disfigurement
• Pain and suffering

However, all cases are different and you may be entitled to additional forms of recovery based on the circumstances of your injury.

Generally, a lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of injury.

• Before a lawsuit can be filed in Illinois, a physician must review the medical records and sign a certificate affirming that medical negligence occurred
• The only way to truly determine if someone has an actionable medical negligence case is to have it reviewed by a medical expert.

• Medical Expenses (Past + Future)
• Lost Earnings and Benefits (Past + Future)
• Disability / Loss of Normal Life (Past + Future)
• Disfigurement
• Pain and suffering

• Generally, a lawsuit must be filed within 2 years of the date the medical negligence occurred.
• However, there are some exceptions that may allow a lawsuit to be filed up to a maximum of 4 years after the date of the medical negligence.