New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer

Because, unlike many other attorneys, we have been doing nothing but personal injury work for decades, and he is an experienced, trained professional who will be in your corner personally every step of the way.

Each year, attorneys practicing in New Jersey are asked to nominate lawyers they believe are in the top 5 percent of all attorneys in the state. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a rigorous, multiphase process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third-party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis, and the results are published in New Jersey Monthly magazine. Jack Hoyt has been included repeatedly on the New Jersey Super Lawyers* list by his fellow attorneys statewide.

Only about 2 percent of all New Jersey lawyers are awarded this distinction. Ninety-eight percent of New Jersey attorneys are not certified civil trial attorneys (CCTAs). The designation indicates that attorneys such as Jack Hoyt have extensive training, education, and experience and meet certain high standards of legal competence and ethical history. They must also pass a rigorous written examination administered by the Supreme Court to be certified.

It means that the attorney has been entrusted to handle significant cases that have resulted in verdicts or settlements of $1 million or more.

Your case will likely be against the responsible party’s insurance company. For the first 10 years of his career, Jack Hoyt represented insurance companies and knows their methods, the way they handle cases, what they are thinking, etc. This is an enormous advantage that many other attorneys don’t have.

Many law firms have you meet initially with a senior attorney and then give your case to a junior associate to handle. This will never happen at our firm. If we agree to represent you, the attorney who initially meets with you will be your attorney throughout.

Contingency fee agreements mean that we are paid for representing you only if we win (settlement or verdict). You pay no retainer or money upfront or during the case. At the end of the case, you pay a percentage (set by Supreme Court rule) of the settlement or verdict out of the money recovered. Contingent fee agreements allow people who do not have much money to hire a very good lawyer anyway. They can also be beneficial because they encourage the expeditious conclusion of the case (the attorney does not get paid until you do.)

Fortunately, most people are smart enough to buy insurance, and that protects them when they injure someone else such as you. If Mr. Jones causes a car accident with you and you are injured, his insurance protects him and pays your claim. Mr. Jones does not. If Mrs. Smith’s dog bites you, her homeowners’ coverage likely will protect you and pay your claim. If a doctor injures you by malpractice, he almost certainly has coverage and the claim will not be paid from his pocket. All of these people have paid large premiums to their insurance companies and when you make a claim, the insurance company is simply being required to do what it was paid to do and it agreed to do: pay your claim.

We have successfully resolved personal injury cases without ever having to file suit. If your injuries have clearly been caused by the fault or negligence of another person, we are sometimes able to negotiate with that person’s insurance company and settle the case without a suit. This makes it faster and more agreeable for everyone concerned. It is only when the insurance company is unreasonable in its settlement response or the case has complicated liability issues, medical issues or other issues that suit must be filed.

In reality, while some frivolous lawsuits are filed, they are very rare, and we do not handle them. We never have and never will. They are an embarrassment to us as ethical, well-established attorneys. Insurance companies in particular and people, in general, know that if someone is represented by our firm, the claim is legitimate and serious.

No. Personal injury awards and recoveries are, by and large, free of federal and state income tax. It is probably the largest amount of tax-free money you will receive in your life and must be handled carefully because of that. On the other hand, you do have to pay attorneys fees, which are generally 25 percent of the net recovery for children and 33 percent of the recovery for adults. If you do not win, you pay nothing for your attorney.

So-called slip and fall accidents can also include “trip and fall” accidents. These accidents usually include a claim by someone who was at a store or mall or other commercial premises, and who slipped and fell on something which should not have been there (ice on the sidewalk, spilled liquid in a store, etc.) or someone who tripped and fell on something which should not have been there (broken up pavement, a tripping hazard, etc.) The owner of such property has a legal obligation to you to make the premises reasonably safe for you to walk, which often includes removing ice and snow, clearing spilled liquids in stores, fixing tripping hazards, and the like. If the owner does not do so, and you slip and fall or trip and fall and are seriously injured, the law gives you the right to seek compensation from the owner (actually it is usually his insurance company) for your injuries, medical bills, loss of work, etc.

If possible, use your cell phone to take photographs of the thing that made you slip and fall or trip and fall. (A tip: make sure the photographs you take are neither too close nor too far away and are in focus!) Also, if anyone saw your accident happen, ask them for their name and phone number and put it in the “Notes” section of your cell phone so you do not lose or forget it. Make sure that the accident has been reported to the property owner. The manager or property manager is usually the best person to report it to. If you fail to report it, they may later claim that the accident never occurred at all.

Do NOT give a detailed statement to the owner’s investigator or claims representative without first speaking to an attorney. Obviously, the first thing to do if you experience a fall is to seek whatever medical attention you may need.

Contingent fees are a payment structure in which an attorney is paid only if a client wins a case. This type of payment structure is often used in personal injury cases, where the client may not have the financial resources to pay for legal fees upfront. The contingent fee system has been in use for many years, and despite criticism from some, it is a useful system for protecting the rights of those who would otherwise be unable to afford legal representation.

The main argument for contingent fees is that it allows those who cannot afford legal fees to obtain access to justice. Without the contingent fee system, many individuals would not be able to pursue their claim, as the cost of legal representation would be too great. This would mean that those with legitimate claims would be unable to pursue justice and would be forced to accept the outcome of a case, even if they felt they had been wronged.

The contingent fee system also helps ensure that lawyers have a financial incentive to take on cases that may be difficult or time-consuming. Without the incentive of a potential reward, many lawyers would not be willing to take on cases with a low chance of success. By providing a potential reward for successful cases, the contingent fee system provides an incentive for lawyers to take on cases that may be long and difficult.